Yale Alarm API Scheduler

I'm a big fan of the Yale Home Alarm System. It's been incredibly reliable and effective for securing my home. While the hardware and connectivity are solid, there’s one key feature that’s notably absent — scheduling.

Arming the system manually every night is tedious. Like many people, I rarely enter or exit my home between 12:00 AM and 6:00 AM, so it would be ideal for the system to automatically enter part-arm mode (activating door/window sensors but leaving motion sensors disabled) during those hours.

The Problem

Yale's app does not offer native scheduling capabilities. Thankfully, I came across an excellent * Python wrapper* for the Yale API, which allows you to arm and disarm the system using your Yale credentials.

However, I needed more than just the ability to send commands:

• A way to schedule actions automatically.
• Notifications confirming the alarm's state change.
• A persistent environment to host the script.

The Solution

To address these needs, I created a lightweight automation setup using Docker, which can be deployed on any local machine. In my case, I run it on a Raspberry Pi 4B that doubles as a home NAS.

A future post will cover how to deploy this using AWS Lambda for a fully cloud-based solution, but for now, here’s how to get it running locally.

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/scottstraughan/yale-alarm-scheduler.git

2. Install Docker

Download and install Docker for your platform from docker.com.

Optional (Windows): Installing Git Bash is recommended for smoother command-line usage.

3. Navigate to the Project Directory

cd yale-alarm-scheduler

4. Configure Your Credentials and Schedule

Edit the config.json file to:

• Add your Yale account credentials
• Define your arming/disarming schedule
• (Optional) Configure SendGrid to receive email notifications upon state changes

SendGrid offers a free tier that supports hundreds of emails per month — perfect for sending lightweight notifications.

5. Build the Docker Image

docker build -t yale-alarm-scheduler .

6. Run the Container

docker run --rm yale-alarm-scheduler

Once running, the scheduler will automatically arm or disarm your system based on the specified configuration.

What’s Next?

This local setup is ideal for personal use on home hardware like a Raspberry Pi. For users looking for a cloud-native solution, I’ll be publishing a follow-up post demonstrating how to deploy this project using AWS Lambda — enabling a truly headless, always-on automation flow.

Stay tuned!