Motion and Mode Lighting Apps Time Restriction Not Working

🧰 Built-In Apps and Drivers Built-in Apps
1

Here's what I am trying to do:

  1. Turn on lights when motion between sunset and 9pm
  2. Turn off lights if motion inactive for 60 minutes regardless of time

To do this, I am using the built-in app Motion and Mode Lighting Apps.

For some reason the time restriction is not working and the lights are turning on with motion regardless of when it is (not honoring the time restriction for activation)

Any ideas?

2

Unfortunately it's not allowing me to post a screenshot. Maybe I'm too new?

Looks like a similar issue in another thread

3

Welcome to the Hubitat forums! It would be helpful to have screenshots, but as a new user you can't do that quite yet. That will change after a few posts though.

Are you specifically using Motion Lighting (Mode and Motion are two apps under one heading)?

Silly question but is your time zone, actual time, and location correct in Settings, Hub Details?

Do the sunrise and sunset times look logical in that same menu?

4

It would be helpful to have screenshots, but as a new user you can't do that quite yet

Here is my configuration cut and pasted as text:

Name this Motion Lighting*
Master Bathroom Lights

Motion Sensors
Master Bathroom Multi Sensor

Options for Activate, Disable, and Enable Lights-On
Turn on only between Sunset and 9:00 PM PDT

Lights to turn On
Dim: Master Bedroom Lights to 30

Options for Additional Sensors, Lights-Off and Off options:
Delay for 60 minutes
Turn off Master Bedroom Lights, Master Closet Lights when turned off

Are you specifically using Motion Lighting (Mode and Motion are two apps under one heading)?

No, I am using the single built-in app called Motion and Mode Lighting Apps

Silly question but is your time zone, actual time, and location correct in Settings, Hub Details?

Yes both date/time and time zone settings are correct

Do the sunrise and sunset times look logical in that same menu?

Yes. it is showing the following which is correct (I'm located in Seattle):

Sunrise: 5:24 AM
Sunset: 9:04 PM

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5

I think one of the problems is sunset is after 9PM. That seems like a contradiction to me.

6

I just noticed that too after I pasted the current sunrise and sunset values from the hub.

Sunset only recently increased past 9pm and this hasn't been working for weeks now.

My kids sleep at 9pm so I don't want bedroom lights to turn on after 9pm.

I'm going to have to rethink this.

Thanks!

7

I like using modes for things like this, but it adds a bit of complexity in the beginning setting up modes.

Did you try just using a simple time instead of sunset, presumably 9 PM to see if that works (at least as a test)

Maybe you could even do an offset even a minus 10 minutes (-10), to sunset and see if that flips something to make it work.

Last thing for now, look in the gear menu at the top of this app. There will be a section called subscriptions. See if the times are listed there that you have picked. It should have 9 PM, Sunset, and maybe some other stuff there.

8

I like using modes for things like this, but it adds a bit of complexity in the beginning setting up modes.

Thanks I took your advice and converted everything to modes now. I created the following modes:

  • Day - 7am when everyone is awake
  • Night - Earlier of 8:45p or sunset minus 10 min
  • Sleep - 9pm when people begin to sleep
  • Away - geo based

It definitely was a problem that sunset was past 9pm where I live

1 Like