Documentation LAHOCO
Documentation LAHOCO
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Hail and Wind Alarm

The hail and wind alarm allows your blinds to be raised automatically in the event of imminent natural danger.

The default behavior is always to raise the blinds during an alarm.

VKG/AECA Alarm

The Association of Cantonal Insurance Establishments (AECA) aims to strategically coordinate and represent the interests of the joint organizations of insurance establishments, as well as their members.

It offers a hail alarm system by region.

To do this, you need to obtain a serial number dedicated to the building from the site protectiongrele.ch.

Add a VKG/AECA interface

To add the VKG/AECA interface, go to the interface configuration page.

Click on the “+” icon located at the top right and choose the VKG/AECA protocol and the “Hail” alarm type.

Define a name for the interface and enter the serial number provided by VKG/AECA.

Click “Save”.

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The connection status is then displayed along with useful information such as the alarm status and the most recent alarms triggered.

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Alarm Application

There are two ways to control the blinds in the event of a hail or wind alarm:

Control via the KNX bus => Recommended for KNX installations

Control via LAHOCO => Recommended for installations without KNX or to forward the alarm to other protocols

Control via the KNX bus

Configuring a KNX-type interface on LAHOCO is a prerequisite

The KNX “Alarm” component type allows two actions:

  1. Send (CONTROL) an alarm from LAHOCO to the KNX bus, for example a VGK/AECA alarm.

  2. Receive (STATUS) an alarm from the KNX bus, for example using a weather station.

Send an alarm on the KNX bus

To transmit an alarm on the KNX bus, create a KNX component on the page dedicated to components.

Configure the component as follows:

  • Interface: KNX

  • Component type: Alarm

  • Name: As you prefer

  • Technical name: As you prefer

  • Alarm type: Hail alarm or Wind alarm

  • Model, Hardware, Software: Free choice

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Then define the group address Alarm Control 1.005 in the Configuration panel. This address will be activated for the entire duration of the alarm.

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To link a VGK/AECA hail alarm to this KNX component:

  1. Create a new scene

  2. Add the previously created “Alarm” type KNX component to the scene (only this KNX component of type Alarm must be present in the scene)

  3. Add a trigger to the scene

  4. Choose the alarm type selected previously and Restore state

Receive an alarm from the KNX bus

To receive an alarm from the KNX bus, create a KNX component on the page dedicated to components.

Configure the component as follows:

  • Interface: KNX

  • Component type: Alarm

  • Name: As you prefer

  • Technical name: As you prefer

  • Alarm type: Hail alarm or Wind alarm

  • Model, Hardware, Software: Free choice

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Then define the group address Alarm Status 1.005 in the Configuration panel.

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To link a hail or wind alarm to components:

  1. Create a new scene

  2. Add the desired components to the scene

  3. Add a trigger to the scene

  4. Choose the alarm type selected previously and the desired behavior

Control via LAHOCO

Components are blocked only from the LAHOCO interface

For the VKG/AECA hail or wind alarm to affect your components, you must:

  1. Create a new scene

  2. Add the blinds concerned by the automatic raising (the position of the blinds in the scene has no effect)

  3. Add a trigger to the scene

  4. Choose Hail alarm or Wind alarm

  5. Choose Raise the blinds or Raise and lock the blinds

  6. Choose Restore state or No behavior

By choosing Restore state, all blinds in the scene will return to their state prior to the alarm activation.

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FAQ

How often is the status of an alarm transmitted to LAHOCO?

The status of a hail alarm is reported to LAHOCO every 2 minutes.

What happens in the event of a power outage?

As soon as power is restored, the VKG/AECA service restarts and an alarm status is received within 2 minutes.

Is a technician required for the installation?

A technician is required only for installing the hail/wind alarm on KNX. The alarm configuration can be done entirely from LAHOCO HOME, although for KNX it is recommended to configure it directly on that system.

Are raised blinds locked during an alarm, or can they be lowered manually (by pressing a button)?

During an alarm, it is not possible to lower the blinds manually from the LAHOCO HOME interface. However, if an action is performed via a button, the lock will not apply. Only a direct configuration on KNX can completely prevent this action. Once the alarm has ended, the blinds can be freely adjusted again.

From what hail probability is an alarm issued?

An alarm is triggered when the probability of hail reaches at least 5%, causing the blinds to rise. For test objects, an average of between two and six alarms per year is observed.

What is the accuracy rate of the alarms?

The accuracy rate is 90%, although it fluctuates from year to year. The false alarm rate for hail at a given point is also close to 90%, but it should be noted that in the event of an alarm, a hailstorm systematically occurs nearby, even if hail does not fall exactly at that location.

How many alarms are issued on average per year?

In most regions, between 2 and 5 alarms are issued each hail season. However, in certain so-called “extreme” areas, such as the Ticino mountains or the Prealps, this number can be higher, with a recorded maximum of 18 alarms. In the Plateau region, many locations may also go through a season without receiving an alarm.

What is the position of the blinds after an alarm?

The blinds return to their initial position after the alarm, provided that this behavior is selected on the scene trigger or on KNX.