I am excited that another person is contributing. Pretty cool! Thanks for the help!  So I just added a quick high level diagram of the end goal of the project. I will also try to get some code completed (or pseudo code at least) for the Arduino -> Google Sheets part of this. With Entunassa helping with the circuit, I thought I could make some progress on the internet connectivity side of things. I have to order some more parts so while I am waiting on those I will be working mockups/ pseudo code for some of the smart components. 

The idea is that once the LED circuit is setup and calibrated, the Arduino will sense the status of the LEDs and send that info to a Google Sheet. Why a Google sheet? Its free, and it is on the public internet. This is a way to see the status of the alarm when you are not at home because it is on the public internet. But the Google sheet is just a place to capture the info. To display the status, there are multiple options. You can use a google site (also free) which has some javascript to look at the Google sheet entries and displays the last status at all times on the web site. Or option 2, you can create a Smart App to show the status. I want to try both option 1 and option 2. I have a Samsung SmartThings Hub and i want to create a SmartApp and SmartDevice registered that will show the status of the alarm. Also, I have Alexa so i hope to make an Alexa skill to tell me and show me the status via the Alexa app and Alexa devices (like the Echo, etc.)