Frequently Asked Questions
SETUP & SYSTEM BASICS
HERMES works with all Hubitat Elevation hubs and any sensors supported by your hub. The list of compatible devices continues to grow, so we recommend checking Hubitat community pages and documentation for the latest updates.
Note: Ring devices may have issues with Hubitat due to firmware S2 enforcement, so we do not currently recommend using them.
The only mandatory information is your subscription ID, the name, cell number, and PIN of one person, as well as how you would like the service to be triggered. All other fields are optional.
You can install the HERMES app by following the video and written instructions on the HERMES setup page. Contact us at [email protected] if you do not find what you need.
HERMES currently only supports Hubitat. Support for other smart-home ecosystems is on our roadmap. Please contact us or subscribe to email updates to stay informed.
HERMES is currently only available in the USA. If you are outside of the USA and would like our service, please reach out through our contact us page and subscribe to email updates.
ALARMS, NOTIFICATIONS & RESPONSE
HERMES relies on your home power and internet connection to send alarms. If either is unavailable, your Hubitat hub will not be able to communicate with HERMES services.
If an alarm triggers while the internet is down, the hub will continue attempting to send the alarm. Once the internet connection is restored, the alarm should be transmitted successfully.
If power to the hub is lost, events that occur during the outage cannot be processed. When power is restored, how the system reacts depends on your configuration. The behavior may vary based on the logic in your Hubitat rules, Hubitat Safety Monitor, also known as HSM, and the state of the triggering sensor when the hub powers back on.
In certain cases, mobile carriers or device-level spam filters may incorrectly flag incoming emergency dispatch calls as spam, causing them to be blocked or silenced.
To help prevent this from happening, we recommend reviewing your phone’s spam or call filtering settings and saving the dispatch numbers to your contacts. If you have emergency contacts in your Circle of Trust, they should do the same.
Dispatch numbers:
+1 (619) 304-4016 (calls only)
+1 (619) 329-8928 (SMS only)
+1 (619) 329-8846 (SMS only)
+1 (619) 329-8736 (SMS only)
Test numbers:
+1 (619) 639-8287
+1 (619) 639-8284
Smoke detectors are designed to alert occupants of a fire or dangerous situation. In real emergencies, every second matters and a quick emergency response can save lives. However, if you notice that your system is triggering false alarms, you may choose to implement an alarm trigger delay at your own risk.
A smoke alarm trigger delay can be implemented by creating a Hubitat Rule that adds a delay of your choosing before triggering the alarm. If smoke continues during the delay, the rule can turn on a virtual switch, which HERMES then uses to trigger emergency services. This must be done outside of HSM because Hubitat Safety Monitor does not support delay functionality.
If you prefer to continue using HSM, the same rule can instead set a virtual smoke detector to detected after the delay. HSM will then respond to that virtual detector instead of the physical one.
We may also add a configurable smoke confirmation delay directly into the HERMES app in the future, depending on customer demand.
We recommend testing your HERMES system every month to help confirm that your app, Hubitat hub, sensors, and Circle of Trust notifications are working as expected.
1) Use the Test My System feature in HERMES settings. Your Circle of Trust will receive a text, but no call, and your app will show whether the test was successfully completed.
2) Check for updates within the app settings and update if required.
3) Check that all battery sensors have at least 20% charge, using your judgment.
4) Test your sensors with Test My System enabled when possible.
SAFETY, RELIABILITY & BEST PRACTICES
HERMES relies on your home power and internet connection to send alarms. If either is unavailable, your Hubitat hub will not be able to communicate with HERMES services.
If an alarm triggers while the internet is down, the hub will continue attempting to send the alarm. Once the internet connection is restored, the alarm should be transmitted successfully.
If power to the hub is lost, events that occur during the outage cannot be processed. When power is restored, how the system reacts depends on your configuration. The behavior may vary based on the logic in your Hubitat rules, Hubitat Safety Monitor, also known as HSM, and the state of the triggering sensor when the hub powers back on.
In certain cases, mobile carriers or device-level spam filters may incorrectly flag incoming emergency dispatch calls as spam, causing them to be blocked or silenced.
To help prevent this from happening, we recommend reviewing your phone’s spam or call filtering settings and saving the dispatch numbers to your contacts. If you have emergency contacts in your Circle of Trust, they should do the same.
Dispatch numbers:
+1 (619) 304-4016 (calls only)
+1 (619) 329-8928 (SMS only)
+1 (619) 329-8846 (SMS only)
+1 (619) 329-8736 (SMS only)
Test numbers:
+1 (619) 639-8287
+1 (619) 639-8284
Smoke detectors are designed to alert occupants of a fire or dangerous situation. In real emergencies, every second matters and a quick emergency response can save lives. However, if you notice that your system is triggering false alarms, you may choose to implement an alarm trigger delay at your own risk.
A smoke alarm trigger delay can be implemented by creating a Hubitat Rule that adds a delay of your choosing before triggering the alarm. If smoke continues during the delay, the rule can turn on a virtual switch, which HERMES then uses to trigger emergency services. This must be done outside of HSM because Hubitat Safety Monitor does not support delay functionality.
If you prefer to continue using HSM, the same rule can instead set a virtual smoke detector to detected after the delay. HSM will then respond to that virtual detector instead of the physical one.
We may also add a configurable smoke confirmation delay directly into the HERMES app in the future, depending on customer demand.
We recommend testing your HERMES system every month to help confirm that your app, Hubitat hub, sensors, and Circle of Trust notifications are working as expected.
1) Use the Test My System feature in HERMES settings. Your Circle of Trust will receive a text, but no call, and your app will show whether the test was successfully completed.
2) Check for updates within the app settings and update if required.
3) Check that all battery sensors have at least 20% charge, using your judgment.
4) Test your sensors with Test My System enabled when possible.
AUTOMATION & CUSTOMIZATION
Using a virtual switch as a HERMES alarm trigger lets you customize how alarms are started and build safety automations that fit your specific needs.
Because Hubitat can turn on a virtual switch from many different rules, sensors, devices, and automations, HERMES can react to virtually anything that Hubitat can monitor. This gives users the freedom to create alarm scenarios and smart home safety automations beyond the default alarm options.
For example, a virtual switch can be turned on by Hubitat Rules reacting to sensors, devices, or complex conditions; Hubitat Safety Monitor alarms from other hubs shared through Hub Mesh; keypads or buttons connected through automations; voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant; or any other automation that can control a switch.
This approach keeps HERMES flexible and allows it to work with a wide range of devices, automations, household configurations, and customer-defined use cases.
Common HERMES virtual switch alarm trigger use cases include keypad panic buttons, custom Hubitat Rule Machine logic, water leak alarms, smoke confirmation delays, alarms from devices shared through Hub Mesh, button controllers, voice assistant routines, and automations that combine multiple sensor conditions.
For example, a Hubitat rule could turn on a virtual switch only after a motion sensor, contact sensor, or water sensor meets the conditions you define. HERMES can then use that virtual switch to trigger the appropriate alarm type.
If you trigger HERMES with Hubitat Safety Monitor, also known as HSM, you can arm or disarm HSM using a Hubitat dashboard or keypad. You can also trigger HERMES with switches and custom rules, but those setups require custom arming and disarming logic.
Note: If using a keypad, we recommend setting at least a 45-second entry delay. Dashboards communicate with HSM directly and are generally the most reliable way to arm or disarm the system.
HERMES triggers alarms at the household level, but you can create zone-style alarm behavior using Hubitat automations.
For example, you can use Hubitat Rules to define zone logic such as upstairs, downstairs, garage, shed, or detached building. When a zone alarm condition is met, the rule can turn on a virtual switch, which HERMES uses as the alarm trigger.
You can also use Hubitat Safety Monitor for zone management. Because only one HSM instance can run per hub, each zone would need its own hub. Those hubs can then share devices using Hub Mesh, and HSM can trigger a virtual switch when an alarm occurs, which HERMES uses as the dispatch trigger.
You can create a virtual switch in Hubitat by going to your hub’s Devices page, clicking Add Device, clicking Virtual, and then selecting the device driver of your choosing.
For HERMES alarm triggers, the built-in Hubitat Virtual Switch driver is commonly used because it supports an Auto Off feature in the device preferences.
HERMES only reacts when a selected virtual switch changes to On. Enabling Auto Off resets the virtual switch so it can be used again for the next alarm event.
The maximum Auto Off delay in the built-in Hubitat Virtual Switch driver is 10 seconds, which is more than enough time for HERMES to detect the trigger.
In the future, we plan to allow the HERMES app to automatically turn off trigger virtual switches after activation through Hub Control.
Yes. HERMES can use keypad panic buttons for police, fire, or EMS alarms when those panic button events are connected through Hubitat automations.
Create a rule that listens for the keypad’s panic button event and turns on a virtual switch. That virtual switch can then be selected in HERMES as the trigger for the appropriate dispatch type.
This allows most keypads that expose button events to work with HERMES.
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE & INTEGRATION
HERMES is designed to run on one Hubitat hub per household or apartment.
Installing HERMES on multiple hubs for the same household could cause duplicate alarms for the same event.
If you use multiple hubs within a single household, the recommended approach is to install HERMES on one hub only and use Hub Mesh to share devices from your other hubs. This allows sensors and virtual switches on other hubs to still be selected and shared with emergency services in HERMES.
In multi-tenant buildings, such as apartments or duplexes, each unit should run its own HERMES installation on its own hub, without Hub Mesh, to ensure privacy and sensor data are not shared between households.
No. For a single household, HERMES should only be installed on one Hubitat hub. Installing HERMES on multiple hubs for the same household could create duplicate alarms for the same emergency event.
If you have multiple Hubitat hubs in one home, use Hub Mesh to share the needed sensors and virtual switches to the hub running HERMES.
Yes. HERMES can be used in apartments, duplexes, and multi-tenant buildings, but each separate household or unit should have its own Hubitat hub and its own HERMES installation.
Hub Mesh should not be used across separate households because it could share private sensor information between units.
HERMES does not currently integrate with or directly accept security camera events. HERMES currently focuses on sensor-based events such as contact sensors, motion detectors, smoke detectors, water sensors, locks, and other Hubitat-compatible safety devices.
If a camera system can trigger a Hubitat-compatible device or virtual switch, users may be able to create custom automations that interact with HERMES indirectly.
DATA, PRIVACY, COMPLIANCE & SUPPORT
HERMES shares the smart home and household information that you choose to make available within the HERMES app on your Hubitat hub. At the start of an alarm event, a data packet with your selected information is sent to the emergency dispatcher.
Optional household information you can choose to share includes permit information, selected sensor data, household utility shutoff locations, entry instructions, pet information, and Circle of Trust health information.
HERMES sends selected smart home information at the start of an alarm event and continues sending sensor updates during the active alarm. Any sensor updates during the alarm event are sent in batches every few seconds.
This helps emergency dispatchers understand how the situation changes after the initial alarm trigger.
Your HERMES app data stays local on your Hubitat hub. We cannot access or constantly monitor your app information.
During an alarm, selected data is encrypted over HTTPS and relayed to the call center. Per our Terms of Service, we only store generic alarm event information on our servers, such as account number and alarm time.
To help improve service quality and future updates, we may ask you to opt in to storing high-level categories of shared information and app features used. This is optional and controlled by a toggle within the app. We will never sell your data if you choose to opt in.
You can use the Non-Authorized portion of the Circle of Trust for anyone in your home who should not be able to disable an alarm, but does have health conditions that first responders should know about.
This allows important household health information to be shared during an alarm without giving that person alarm-canceling authority.
HERMES service comes standard with no fixed limitation on the information you can choose to send to first responders.
These data types can include authorized users with personal PINs, health information, selected sensors, pets, entry instructions, permit information, and other household details you choose to provide.
An alarm permit number is a number issued by a local government, police department, or municipality when an alarm registration or alarm permit is required in your area.
Some states, cities, and municipalities require alarm systems to have a permit before emergency response will be provided or before false-alarm penalties are assessed.
You should contact your local police department, local government, or municipality to ask whether an alarm permit is required for your address. If a permit is required, apply for the permit and enter your permit number in the HERMES app once approved.
HERMES will relay this permit information to help ensure you are properly responded to when an alarm event is triggered.
Note: If a police department requires a permit and you do not include it within the app, you risk not having your alarm responded to and may receive municipal fines.
You can learn more about Hubitat Safety Monitor, also known as HSM, through Hubitat’s official overview and documentation pages.
Hubitat Safety Monitor Overview
Hubitat Safety Monitor Documentation
You can contact HERMES Automation support by using the contact us link at the bottom of this page or by emailing us directly at [email protected].
We will get you an answer as soon as we can.