I have several devices that I want to turn on at sunset and turn off at sunrise. Which is more efficient?
A) One rule. 1: when time sunset turn on; wait until time is sunrise turn off.
B) Two rules. 1: when time is sunset turn on. 2: when time is sunrise turn off.
Thanks for any insight on run scheduling you can provide
Bruce may chime in if he gets time, but I would expect that the answer is: it is the same (for all intensive purposes / within margins of error).
Each extra rule probably carries a teeny tiny overhead of its own, but I doubt it is meaningful. It is really the triggers and actions that take all the time.
That said, if I were always controlling the same bunch of devices, I would tend to make a group, and use the group in the rule.
I wouldn't worry about it with such a simple automation. What I would do is create the automation in the app called "Simple Automation Rules" as opposed to the app called "Rule Machine". But realize it really doesn't matter, especially for an automation based on sunrise and sunset (nobody knows the time of sunset/sunrise within milliseconds, unless they look it up, sitting around you would be lucky to be within a minute)
This is how simple it is in "Simple Automation Rules":
Thanks for this. It's the perfect solution. (I have so much to learn.)
They are virtually identical. I'd just do what you say for A. I have moved most of my rules that do things like this to Basic Rule.
This is not what I would suggest at all. This would definitely add a layer of overhead that isn't needed. There is nothing wrong with controlling a bunch of devices directly from an app like Basic Rule.
And don't forget to use KISS. 
I would say that depends on the amount of devices though? I often see people trying to turn ON or OFF a load of devices though RM and doing it direct. This seems to almost always fail (because they are not giving any delays), where as if you control a group this manages the delays automatically (it seems).
Well yeah, if you're talking about a large number of devices this could happen, depending on a number of factors.
For someone just starting out and using Basic Rule for "several" devices, this is unlikely to be an issue.
Why? Assuming these were Simple Automation Rules why move them to Basic Rules? I have a few Simple Automation Rules that I have setup that are working fine. Is there any reason to take the time to move them to Basic Rules?
No. Don't fix what isn't broken!
I do this because I'm the developer of Basic Rule and want a lot of dog food to munch on.
Then @bravenel let me take the opportunity to say how well you've done on this app. I am impressed by the wide range of intuitive options for conditionals etc, and all linked with a nice flowing English syntax
Hi, I just wanted to check on this post and see if someone can help me I've set up a basic rule to turn a light on the wait for 1 minute to adjust the dimmer, my question is can I set the wait time for less than 1 minute. Thanks
Not with Basic Rule. You can with Rule Machine.
Id go with "B". Not sure if this is how it works but if there's a power glitch or short outage the Wait part in "A" might get cancelled.
No, this wouldn't happen. The only thing that would cause this Wait to be cancelled is the rule being triggered, and that only happens at sunset. Either A or B work fine, and would be equally reliable and efficient.
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