Documentation LAHOCO
Documentation LAHOCO
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Hail and wind alarm

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

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

VKG/AECA alarm

The Association of Cantonal Insurance Institutions (AECA) aims to strategically coordinate and represent the interests of joint organizations of insurance institutions and their members.

It offers a regional hail alarm system.

To use this system, you must obtain a serail number for your building from the website protectiongrele.ch.

Add a VKG/AECA gateway

To add the VKG/ARCA gateway, go to the gateway configuration page.

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

Define a name for the gateway 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 latest alarms that have been cleared.

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Alarm application

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

Control via KNX bus => Recommended for KNX installations

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

Control via the KNX bus

A KNX gateway must be configured on LAHOCO beforehand.

The KNX component type “Alarm” 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.

Sending an alarm on the KNX bus

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

Configure the component as follows :

  • Gateway: KNX

  • Component type: Alarm

  • Name: As desired

  • Technical name: As desired

  • Alarm type: Hail alarm or Wind alarm

  • Model, Hardware, Software: Free

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Then set the Alarm Control 1.005 group address 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 KNX component of type “Alarm” to the scene. (only this KNX component of the Alarm type should be present in the scene)

  3. Add a trigger to the scene

  4. Choose the alarm type selected previously and Restore status

Receiving an alarm from the KNX bus

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

Configure the component as follows :

  • Gateway: KNX

  • Component type: Alarm

  • Name: As desired

  • Technical name: As desired

  • Alarm type: Hail alarm or Wind alarm

  • Model, Hardware, Software: Free

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Then set the Alarm Status 1.005 group address 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. Select the previously chosen alarm type and the desired behavior

Control via LAHOCO

Components are locked only from the LAHOCO interface

For the VKG

  1. Create a new scene

  2. Add the blinds affected 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. Select Raise blinds or Raise and lock blinds

  6. Select Restore state or No behavior

By selecting Restore state, all blinds in the scene will return to their stat prior to the alarm being activated.

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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 happends in the event of a power failure ?

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

Do I need to call a technician for installation ?

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

Are raised blinds locked in place in the event of 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. Howerver, 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 adjusted freely again.

At what probablility of hail is an alarm triggered

An alarm is triggered when the porbability of gail reaches at least 5%, causing the blinds to be raised. For test objects, an average of between 2 and 6 alarms are observed per year.

What is the accuracy rate of the alarms ?

The accuracy rate is 90%, although it fluctuate from year to year. The false alarm rate for hail at a given location is also around 90%, but it should be noted that when an alarm is triggered, a hailstorm always occurs nearby, even if the hail does not fall at that exact location.

How many alarms are issued on average per year?

In most regions, between 2 and 5 alerts are issued each hail season. However, in certain areas known as “extreme zones,” such as the Ticino mountains or the Pre-Alps, this number can be higher, with a maximum of 18 alerts recorded. In the Swiss Plateau, many places can also go through an entire season without receiving a single alert.

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.