I am trying to use Room Lighting to automate my front yard lights, but I don't think I'm setting it up correctly, as there are times the lights aren't doing what I expect them to...can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
What I have:
1 smart switch with multiple dumb bulbs connected, 1 motion sensor, 1 door contact
What I want to have happen:
From sunset to sunrise, the switch/bulbs are on but dimmed. When either motion is detected, the door is opened, or the smart switch is physically turned on, the bulbs should turn on fully for x minutes, then dim back down once there is no motion AND the door is closed again. From sunrise to sunset, the bulbs should be completely off, regardless of door opening or motion.
What I set up:
Room Lighting Rule - Front Yard Lights (Overnight Dim)
you may have created a fight between your two rules. Did you try to make them all one rule. That way you can ensure that it is flowing through your rules properly without both being triggered for some reason. Other than that I think your logic seems fine.
I think I have done that, and I think that's part of the problem. I remember someone saying at some point (can't find it now) that you shouldn't have two RL rules altering the same lights at the same time...so what is the right way of running this scenario inside Room Lighting? I know that, when sunset comes, one of the rules goes active, and then when there is motion, the second rule goes active, but the first rule is still active.
I feel like the right way of doing this is to have one RL rule do both things, -OR- have one rule disable the other rule when it is activated, -OR-...???
I think I'm stuck at, what's the right way for Room Lighting to handle this scenario? Or is Room lighting even meant to handle this scenario in the first place?
Hmmm...I think it would be much easier using a rule and I'm somewhat new to room lighting, so bear with me. I like room lighting as a way of objectifying my automatons.
Maybe try something like:
setting up times (sunrise and sunset) with defaults of the dimmed lights.
Then in ways to activate lights, select the switch and motion sensors. If those go active, it should give you options to adjust the lights and a transition into and out of.
Same for ways to turn off lights with options to use time (between sunrise and sunset off = dim) otherwise off = fully off.
I actually had this in Rule Machine previous to Room Lighting, and it worked just fine. When Room Lighting came about, I transitioned a lot of my rules over to it because, hey new tool
Now I am questioning if this usage scenario was factored into the design of Room Lighting...what you describe above makes sense, but I don't think Room Lighting will support that.
I removed the switches themselves from the RL rules, and things seem to be working as intended. I think my thought process was 'active rule means the lights are on', not 'active rule means the automation is activated', so I added the switches themselves to make sure when they are manually operated the rule is activated...if that makes sense...
I think the remaining question is, is this now set up as intended? Should I have two RL rules running the same group of devices, and sometimes both rules are active at the same time?
