Prepurchase: Can I [complex light automation]?

(Hi, first time caller; long ago recovered X10 addict, tempted by the new coolness.)

Here's the "can I" setup. Let's imagine:

  • 2 outdoor motion sensors ("outer area")
  • 2 more outdoor motion sensors ("inner area")
  • 1 door sensor
  • 1 dimmable light switch controlling exterior lights

I figure timed on and off are no big deal. However, I'd also like: if any of the 5 sensors is activated (motion or door-open), and it's night time, capture the current light level, and raise it to 80%. After 5 minutes, lower it again to the previous level.

However,

  • if a new trigger is received during the 5 minutes, it should reset the 5 minutes.
  • if the scheduled timed off happens during the 5 minutes, it should not take effect until the 5 minutes expires.

Basically, porch lights that always do the right thing.

I can pseudo-code it in my head, but without getting a bunch of hardware in hand, I'm not sure how to figure out whether it's do-able with Hubitat.

Thanks.

I used a custom app called Lights On Motion Plus to achieve something similar. I actually ended up modifying it heavily for my purposes but I believe it has a lot of the capabilities built in for what you’re describing and you’d just have to tweak the logic a little bit.

I was going to suggest Rule Machine for this before the poster above suggested the Lights on Motion Plus app that I wrote and use for almost all my lighting. :laughing: (It would need small modifications since it doesn't support contact sensors and is designed to turn off and not reset to a previous level--but it does dim before turning off and saves the previous level for that purpose.)

In any case, if you aren't a coder and prefer to use native apps, this is definitely possible with Rule Machine. Someone can probably help you out by suggesting a rule to write (it's a bit daunting if you're new) if you do decide to go with Hubitat. RM lets you build arbitrarily complex logic to handle whatever situations and devices that Hubitat can control, so you could certainly make it do this--you'll see some examples in the thread I linked to, but again, you can build whatever logic you want.

The platform is certainly capable of such complex automations, and a lot more. Dont hesitate.

Go for it. HE can do all this (with its eyes closed) and more!