Other than using modes, is there a way to have a rule temporarily ignore motion from a sensor ?
Yes, about a hundred ways to go about it. Would be helpful knowing what you're trying to accomplish.
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A switch, true exit rule?
Virtual or real switch triggered on/off would be one easy way.
As @lewis.heidrick notes, need to know what you're trying to do. Then he will do all the hard work to set you straight. 
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Ok. Ill jump in with mine. I have a motion sensor on the stairs that, when in night mode, turns on my downstairs hall light at 20% to act as a 'night light' if someone is coming down the stairs in the dark.
What I would like is for the sensor to be ignored for 2 minutes after the hall light is switched off... giving someone time to come back upstairs without re-triggering the sensor and the rule.
Thanks,
MK
Another motion sensor would make this a lot easier as you could use the second sensor as a blocker if on to ignore the rule. One at top one at bottom. Then you could also use directional rules.
Yes, Agreed. I need to order more, but for now I just have the one.
I've been playing with adding a Virtual Switch to the mix. physical switch off turns off virtual swithch. When Vr swithc off the sensor rule is inactive (as a condition)... but then set the virtual switch to return to on position after X minutes.
You could probably also use the private boolean of the rule.
Set the first action of the rule to be a conditional action of If PB is false, then set it true right after. Then in the end of the rule set it as false as the last action, right after a 2 minute delay.
That should stop the rule from running more than once at the same time, and the delay at the end would make it only be able to run again after that time.
Depending on the sensor you may not need to do anything.
For example, Ecolink sensors have a four minute reset. They won’t go inactive until four minutes after the last motion was detected. That means that if you turn off the light manually it won’t trigger again until the sensor resets.
Even a 30 second timer should work because it won’t reset until 30 seconds after it stops sensing motion.
So, motion will turn on the light. Then you turn off the light manually. Once the sensor resets it turns off the light that is already off. Next time it detects motion it will turn on the light again but you have now moved out of sensing range.
The Xiaomi sensor I have does have a 1 minute hardware reset.
My scenarios of how long I want the light to stay on before I return upstairs are highly variable... (letting the dog out, forgetting laundry, quick check that the garage door is closed). so the time frame that I will return upstairs - when I want to avoid a retrigger of the light - and the hardware reset of the sensor are not consistent.
What is consistent is I will always turn the light off, manually, before I head upstairs.
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I think your virtual switch is probably the easiest. That is what I do in similar situations. For example, I have a "double tap overrride" that keeps the basement lights on.
A double tap on the upper part of the switch turns on a virtual switch, which disables Motion Lighting (don't turn off if ___ switch is on option in ML). A double tap on the lower part of the switch turns off the virtual switch, and Motion Lighting is allowed to run.
I don't think you need the double tap aspect of this, but the idea is sound, and it has been very reliable for me.
It took one virtual switch, and two Simple Automations rules to do this, one rule for Virtual Switch on, and one for Virtual Switch off.
