Having trouble with basic "Away" mode when returning home

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1

I'm brand new to HE but not to smart home technologies. I'm an original SmartThings users (even before the Samsung days). Here are the sensors I have connected already:

  • 4x SmartThings Multipurpose v4 Sensor (for door sensors)
  • 2x SmartThings Motion Sensors
  • 2x SmartThings Water Sensors
  • 2x GE Z-Wave In-Wall Switches
  • 1x Presence Sensor via Hubitate Mobile App
  • 2x Presence Sensor via Life360 Integration
  • 2x SmartThings Zigbee Outlet

Here's what I expect to do:

  • Day Mode: 4:30am - sunset
  • Evening Mode: sunset - 9:00pm
  • Night Mode: 9:00pm - 4:30am
  • Away: Whenever the chosen two presence sensors are away

What is not happening is that the mode is not switching into Day, Evening, or Night after being in Away. Is there a configuration area for this?

Example,

  1. Current mode is Home at 5am
  2. Person 1 and 2 leave at 6am -> Mode = Away
  3. Person 1 returns home at 11am -> Mode = Home ..... THIS IS NOT HAPPENING.
2

In mode manager, the setting you're looking for is something like "use time for return from away". This will put your mode into the appropriate state depending on what time it is when you return home.

1 Like
3

Thank you! That setting was not obvious to me by the name.

4

I do it with a RM rule.

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5

Isn’t there a step missing? What are you using to turn your virtual switch off?

6

The vs turns on when armed in away. When away is disarmed, another RM turns off the vs.

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7

I see. I agree with @andrewL’s suggestion to enable the “return from away” mode settings in mode manager because the built-in app is capable of doing what OP expects.

Lots of discussion in several threads recently about rule machine’s “overhead” when running automations. So while it’s great for anything the other built-in apps can’t handle, there’s probably an incentive not to use it unless necessary. Not to mention it can be more time consuming to setup several rule machine rules, link virtual switches, etc. than to change the settings in mode manager.

I agree that some of the terminology for settings in apps like mode manager and motion lighting isn’t always self-explanatory though.

8

I chose to do this my way since I found mode manager does not work reliably, Several times it has failed to change modes in my HE. I also prefer to keep things in HE as simple as possible, but when it comes to my security system function, I expect no less then 100% reliability.
Mode manager is too flakey.