Quick Start
Get PAI running and connected to your Paradox panel in minutes
Installation
Install via pip, Docker, or from source
Connection Methods
Serial port or IP150 module — choose your connection type
MQTT Integration
Full MQTT topic hierarchy for zones, partitions, outputs and events
What is PAI?
PAI (Paradox Alarm Interface) is open-source middleware that bridges your Paradox security panel to the modern smart home ecosystem. It connects to Paradox MG/SP/EVO panels and exposes full monitoring and control via MQTT, enabling integration with Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Homebridge, and any other automation platform that speaks MQTT. Beyond MQTT, PAI can push real-time alarm notifications directly to your phone or messaging service — no cloud subscription required.Supported panels
Magellan (MG)
MG5050 and other Magellan series panels
Spectra (SP)
SP7000 and other Spectra series panels
EVO
EVO48, EVO192, and other EVO series panels (firmware < 7.50.000)
Integrations
MQTT
Full state publishing with Home Assistant auto-discovery
Home Assistant
Native MQTT auto-discovery and push notifications
Pushbullet
Alarm notifications to Android, iOS and desktop
Pushover
Push notifications to Pushover users and groups
Signal
Encrypted notifications via Signal messenger
GSM / SMS
SMS alerts via an attached GSM modem
Connection options
PAI supports two ways to connect to your Paradox panel:- Serial — Direct connection via the panel’s built-in TTL 5V serial port or a USB RS-232 adapter. Works with all supported panels.
- IP150 module — Network connection via Paradox’s IP150 module, either directly (firmware < 4.0 or ≥ 4.40.004) or through the SWAN cloud service (firmware 4.0+).
Serial over TCP is also supported — an ESP32 or Arduino connected to the panel’s serial port can act as a network proxy.
Key capabilities
- Real-time event streaming — zone open/close, alarm triggers, arm/disarm events published instantly
- Full panel control — arm, disarm, arm-stay, arm-sleep per partition via MQTT
- Output control — trigger and pulse PGM outputs
- Label support — human-readable zone, partition and user names from panel memory
- Time sync — keep panel clock accurate automatically
- Docker support — multi-arch images for x86, ARM (Raspberry Pi, NanoPi, OrangePi)
- Event filtering — fine-grained control over which events trigger notifications
- Environment variable configuration — all settings overridable via
PAI_*environment variables