Motion Lighting to Support Rules Machine Actions

@bravenel

Thank you for this information. Please see below and tell me if I have this correct:

I am using Zones now but I am thinking I just need to place the two motion detectors into the conditions section. Does this look correct?

One side note question - my timeout for the zone is 3 minutes and I have the delay for 2. What is the recommended amount of combine time I should be using for a high traffic area?

As for SL/ML I do not see any options to cancel delay. Not sure how you do that unless you are talking about using RM to compliment SL/ML.

Appreciate the assistance!

If you use the aggregator, then you are likely to run into the same issue you are trying to avoid. I would just add each sensor.

You aren't doing anything at all with the Illuminance condition. Either remove that condition (it's harmless if not used though), or add it to the rule.

Otherwise, this is exactly how you do motion lights in RM.

Recommendations on time out for a high traffic area? Or there really isn't any?

I normally use that one as well, except it does not give the option for seconds. For testing purposes, I did not want to stand motionless in my shower for 1min+ multiple times :smile:

LUX correct now?

I generally use 1 minute for something that has traffic that is transient, like a hall. I use the most time in bathrooms, where someone may remain fairly motionless for some time. The most being in a bathroom used by a woman -- there, 5 minutes seems to work well.

Just play around with it. Try a shorter period, and if anyone notices the lights turning out on them, bump it up.

Yes, Lux correct now.

And last question I promise:

Should I just use the multiple motion detectors in the conditions or use the zone aggregate?

I just use multiple sensors. The zone aggregator is really intended for areas prone to false positives, like outdoors.

Multiple sensors are good. You can cover a larger space, and they work so that lights stay on as long as someone moves anywhere in the space.

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@bravenel The "Turn on or off these switches after a delay, pending cancellation (default is OFF) " option is available under both True and False. Are they identical?

It only needs one, and is kinda convenient to clicky the option while in the True portion, vs Done, Done, False, clicky the option. False "reads better" however.

No, you need to use the one for False. Remember, this is dependent on truth-change! So if the lights are turned on in the True section, they must be turned off in the false section.

Conversely, if you turned them off in the True section, and on in the False section, you would use this option in the True section,

Think about a simple trigger: When a switch turns on, turn it off after 10 minutes. This one is used for some bathroom fans. There, true vs false doesn't matter, you're just going to turn it off no matter what.

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@bravenel

Thank you again for your assistance! I have now moved all motion lighting over to RM to keep things consistent. We will see how tonight goes. :slight_smile:

fyi lights dimming before turning off is already a part of rooms manager both on ST and HE. :slight_smile:

the app itself works like a champ on HE as well.

Motion Lighting now supports color bulbs. Release 1.1.4.

@bravenel

First off I absolutely am delighted about Scenes! This made my MovieTime and day-to-day lighting much easier. A BIG thank you for this!

Ok so I am now back to trying to discover the best way to leverage booleans. I am looking through RM and to be honest I have no idea what I am doing to using private booleans. Can you provide me guidance based on the following scenario:

MovieTime On

  • Family wants to watch movies on the big screen
  • Family asks Alexa to turn on MovieTime
  • The MovieTime switch turns to On
  • All the cool Boolean stuff happens here pausing all rules for the downstairs

MovieTime Off

  • Family asks Alexa to turn off MovieTime
  • The MovieTime switch turns to Off
  • All the cool Boolean stuff happens and now all rules are unpaused

You don't even have to use Private Boolean for this, because now Rule Machine supports Pause and Resume.

In your MovieTime On rule add an action (in the rule section) to Pause all of those rules. Then in your MovieTime Off rule add the Resume action for the same set of rules.

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@bravenel

I did not even see this! Oh wow this made RM so much easier. WebCORE is of the past for me. :slight_smile:

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@bravenel

Is scenes supposed to capture current bulb color too? I am having issues getting the scenes to work at all for color.