Hey, all! I have a scene I like for when I'm going up to bed; it sets a bunch of lights the way I like them. I would also like to close my shades and lock my door, but those options aren't showing up in the scene. How can I get them to also close/lock when I activate the scene? Ideally there's some way to simply get them to show up in the scene device list, but failing that, I'm happy to use a helper app.
The lock is a Schlage Z-Wave lock, in Hubitat as a Schlage BE468/BE469 lock . The shade is a Springs Window Fashions / Graber / @ZebraBlinds Z-Wave shade, which is in Hubitat as a Generic Z-Wave Shade. Both devices work fine in Hubitat for manual control.
Things I've tried: The Reliable Locks app for the lock (works fine but doesn't change how it's exposed in automations). Creating a virutal dimmer and using the Mirror app or Switch Binding app to make the virtual dimmer set the level of the shade (but it doesn't actually trigger the shade as far as I can tell).
Scenes as implemented in Hubitat are really intended for bulbs, dimmers, and switches. (Some blinds also implement dimmer- and switch-like capabilities in the driver, so some of those might actually work, but not drivers that do it the "pure" shades/blinds way.)
So, you'll have to find another way. Depending on how you normally activate the scene, creating a Rule that responds to either the "switch on" or "button 1 pushed" event from your activator device would work. An alternative is to create a virtual switch (likely, you'll want this to be effectively momentary) or button device, then write a Rule or Button Controller that does what you want in response, be it shades, locks, or lights. You'll lose some Scenes app features this way, but you'll get more flexibility in others.
These are just a couple ideas I can think of. I'm sure you'll get more.
Scenes as implemented in Hubitat are really intended for bulbs, dimmers, and switches.
Hmm. Does this mean that there's no chance of locks and shades to be added to scene control? That strikes me as a bit limited and silly. Isn't what I'm doing a reasonable use of scenes?
So, you'll have to find another way. Depending on how you normally activate the scene, creating a Rule that responds to either the "switch on" or "button 1 pushed" event from your activator device would work.
I activate the scene from a dashboard sometimes and from a switch sometimes. Is there a way to add the shades (for example) to both activations without having to add a separate implementation for each?
An alternative is to create a virtual switch (likely, you'll want this to be effectively momentary) or button device, then write a Rule or Button Controller that does what you want in response, be it shades, locks, or lights.
I couldn't get a virtual dimmer to control the shade using a simple automation rule, the Mirror app, or the Switch Binding app. Can you help me figure out why it didn't work? The shade does work when manually setting a level (such as from a dashboard tile or the Devices page).
I guess that's just a matter of expecations. Doesn't seem unreasonable to me, but it's just not how they are implemented in Hubitat at the moment (and in many contexts it just means lighting, though that's generally in systems that can only do lighting...)
I actually thought of something else: there is a "Buttons to push on scene activation" option in the Scenes app, so you can create a virtual button, then make either a Rule or Button Controller instance that does what you what in response to that. (Not too different from my original idea, but it doesn't rely on the scene activator device itself--so you don't have to use its button or worry about what happens if you use the switch instead of activate the scene but the switch never turns on for whatever reason.) That's probably the most flexible method, unless you wanted to forget the Scene entirely and just do it all with a virtual switch or button and a Rule in the first place.
Well, Mirror and Switch Binding both look for switch and/or dimmer capabilities in the "other" device. I'm going to guess your blinds don't have those. These would be commands like on(), off(), and setLevel() from a technical perspective (you'd see them in the buttons at the top of the device page). You'd need a Rule or cusotm app to "translate" things from one to the other if you really wanted to do that, though I'm not sure if it's the easiest way.
I have a wall mounted tablet where I have a button called bedtime. When I press the button, all blinds close, doors lock, garage door closes, thermostat gets turned down, google home reminds me to start the dishwasher, bedside lights turn on dimly, hallway lights to the bedroom turn on dimly for 2 minutes, alarm is armed, hub goes into 'night' mode so lights, whether manually turned on or from a motion sensor, only turn on dimly,
Like @bertabcd1234 said, scenes are mainly just to store a group of lights settings to return to that state quickly.
Create a Virtual Switch called something like bedtime that automatically turns off after you turn it on (just a setting when you create the virtual switch).
Then create a rule in Rule Machine where the trigger is that virtual switch turning on.
Then for actions in that rule, list all the things you want to happen.
The bedtime routine is a game changer! My wife loves that one button gets the house ready for bed.
For lights turning on dim in the evening and night it's an option when you create a new motion lighting rule where you can specify that if mode is 'evening' turn motion activated lights on to say 75% brightness and if mode is 'night' turn lights on to say 10% brightness.
For non motion activated lights, some switches allow you to adjust the brightness they will later turn on and and some others remember their last brightness setting. For these types of switches I have a rule that sets the brightness at a certain time so that if it is later turned on, it comes on to that brightness.
I don't use any smart bulbs, just switches, so I can't speak to much to how to do it with smart bulbs.
Doesn't seem unreasonable to me, but it's just not how they are implemented in Hubitat at the moment (and in many contexts it just means lighting, though that's generally in systems that can only do lighting...)
