Photocell Rule with Restrictions

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1

How can I combine these all into one rule? The goal is to have the exterior lights turn on/off via a photocell trigger, but only between a certain time. But there also needs to be a catch in case the photocell is already on at 3PM, or still on at 10AM.

  • IF Time is 3PM AND Photocell is ON, turn ON Exterior Lights

  • IF Time is 10AM AND Exterior Lights is ON, Turn OFF

  • IF Between 3PM and 10AM Photocell Turns ON, Turn ON Exterior Lights

  • IF Between 3PM and 10AM Photocell Turns OFF, Turn OFF Exterior Lights

Is this even possible in one rule, or should I just make multiple?

2

If you can do something with multiple rules and creating one rule results in more complicated actions, then multiple rules is almost always the better approach. :slight_smile: That being said, you might be able to at least split the related rules up into pairs if that is more your preference (but again, I'm not saying this is a good idea).

If you haven't looked into Room Lighting, it's pretty powerful and might be able to do all of what you want in a single app (or also maybe two) -- there are a lot of options -- but if you really want RM (also often not the best choice for automations where there are purpose-built apps), one of the above approaches would be my suggestion.

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