Arm alarm away

The Arm alarm away action arms your alarm control panel in away mode. Heading out to work? Your alarm locks everything down automatically as you leave, protecting all zones while nobody is home.

This action works with any alarm control panel entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] in Home Assistant that supports away mode. If the alarm is already armed in away mode, calling the action does nothing.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To arm an alarm in away mode from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create to start a new one.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. Select what you want to control. Under By target (see Targets), pick the area your alarm panel is in (like your hallway or entryway). You can also select a floor, a device, a specific entity, or a label.
6. From the actions shown for that target, select Arm alarm away.
7. Optional: enter the Code if your alarm panel requires one.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away. A basic example looks like this:

action: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
target:
  entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home_alarm

This arms alarm_control_panel.home_alarm in away mode without a code.

If your alarm panel requires a code, include it in the data section:

action: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
target:
  entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home_alarm
data:
  code: "1234"

Options in YAML

Targets of the action

This action requires a target. The target is the object of the action. You can point the action at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will run the action on every matching alarm_control_panel entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific alarm_control_panel entity, such as alarm_control_panel.living_room.
• Device: every alarm_control_panel entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every alarm_control_panel entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every alarm_control_panel entity on a floor.
• Label: every alarm_control_panel entity that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one action. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same action to run the action on both of them at once.

Good to know

• The Arm alarm away action works on any alarm control panel entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] in Home Assistant that supports away mode.
• Away mode typically activates all sensors and zones, including interior motion sensors. Use this when nobody is home.
• Whether a code is required depends on your alarm panel and its configuration.
• To disarm the alarm when you return, use Disarm alarm. To arm while staying inside, use Arm alarm home.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Action: arm the alarm in away mode with a code

Arm the home alarm in away mode using a PIN code. Useful as a quick action on a dashboard tile before you head out.

• Action: Alarm control panel: Arm alarm away
• Target: Home alarm
• Code: 1234

action: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
target:
  entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home_alarm
data:
  code: "1234"

Automation: arm the alarm when everyone leaves

When the last person walks out the door, arm the alarm in away mode. A simple way to make sure you never forget to set the alarm.

• Trigger: Zone: Everyone leaves home
• Action: Alarm control panel: Arm alarm away
• Target: Home alarm

alias: "Arm alarm when everyone leaves"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: person.paulus
    to: not_home
conditions:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: group.family
    state: not_home
actions:
  - action: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
    target:
      entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home_alarm
    data:
      code: "1234"

Automation: arm away at a set time each workday

If you leave for work at the same time every day, arm the alarm automatically at 8:30 in the morning on weekdays.

• Trigger: Time: 08:30
• Condition: Day of the week is Monday to Friday
• Condition: Nobody is home
• Action: Alarm control panel: Arm alarm away
• Target: Home alarm

alias: "Arm alarm on workday mornings"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "08:30:00"
conditions:
  - condition: time
    weekday:
      - mon
      - tue
      - wed
      - thu
      - fri
  - condition: state
    entity_id: group.family
    state: not_home
actions:
  - action: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
    target:
      entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home_alarm
    data:
      code: "1234"

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

These actions work well alongside this one:

• Disarm alarm: Disarm an alarm control panel. Optionally provide a code if your alarm panel requires one.

• Arm alarm home: Arm an alarm control panel in home mode. Optionally provide a code if your alarm panel requires one.