Lutron caseta and hue lights, thank you
Don't do it completely random. I have some neighbors whose auto-lighting makes it completely obvious when they are away as you get the most improbable rooms lighting up at improbable times. Try to base it on your normal movements, but with up to half an hour's random variation each way
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There is at least one "at home simulator" app on here. I would start there.
Otherwise, just turn your normal lights on and off at fixed times and don't worry too much about it. Mine already go on and off at set times, and in the old days we just had simple on and off lamp timers so it is somewhat normal to have a light on and off at similar times daily.
Like Inge_Jones said it would maybe be a bit more realistic if you could turn a few things on and off a bit different daily. There is a "random" function for time or delays in Rule Machine, perhaps you could choose a time to trigger, then set a random delay to turn on or off?
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Easy, get a cat. 
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My solution as well. Not quite random so it isn't obvious, but very unpredictable. Requires very little power.
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Yea, but you have to clean up the barf and empty the litter box, and it stops working if you don't feed it.
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Been using the Vacation Lighting Director app for a while, and very happy with it.
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+1 on Random not being the best option. I actually use Alex guard right now for this, as it's slightly less random and in theory is based on your behaviors.
I have a goal to move over to either the Vacation Lighting app or at home simulator, as I'd rather it looks much more normal.
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I know this is an old app but as usual just discovered it and ow I have a use case. 
My main mode is Away but now I want to include a vacation component.
I have a Vacation switch which kills a lot of automation pistons when set and resumes when we return from vacation and I turn it off.
I really don't want to integrate a Vacation mode into all my pistons as well.
Is it a quick change to have a switch selection that is an AND with the Mode choice?
Then my normal Away will leave the app snoozing until we really go on vacation for a long period and the Vacation switch gets set.
This is only once, maybe twice a year, the rest of the time close (nosey) neighbours are always on the watch. 
I have pushed an update to vacation lighting director that you can enter both mode list and a switch that needs to be on to activate VLD session.
You can leave the switch field empty, and it should act as it does today with only mode driving operation.
You hpm repair to get this (I have not forced the update on everyone yet). or update manually
You should check all settings and hit done to activate.
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Any chance you could add a setting for a Boolean variable that has to be true to activate the VLD session?
It's not a terribly big deal, but I hate having to create virtual switches just to convey some information (clutters up the devices UI, etc.).
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Yeah.
I could have gone with either route but I had my switch already.
Added this to the latest version
same instructions as -3
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Maybe there's a need for an app that can record state changes for selected devices over a period of time (one week?), then play them back at some time in the future on demand, e.g., during a week of vacation.
unfortunately, this would not appear random
True, but if the goal is to make a house look inhabited when it isn't, it seems to me that "replaying" a bunch of lighting state changes that took place over a previous week (maybe months earlier) would be more realistic than a random approach. It mimics how the inhabitants actually lived. Such an app probably needs to take into account things like the time of year (to adjust for sunset/sunrise, etc.). My guess is that with respect to a home's lighting, things aren't very random in real life.
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Thank you!
Our daily routine is pretty predictable and somewhat automated. Outside lights are automated so no need to change there. When away I use a few rule machine rules to follow what is our typical pattern. I think you would be hard pressed to see a difference unless you stand on the porch a peer inside and notice no one is there.
Agreed,
But I basically take our usual schedule/light routine, and (when in away/vacation mode) use some rule machine "delayed (15 or 30 min) random" statements to make the routine look variable enough for life variation.
I also use some first level to second level progressions (at night), since our sleeping quarters are upstairs) So light off downstairs... lights on upstairs for some periods (with same small amount of randomness +/-).
If someone is really watching that lights come on and off at exact times, this helps. If they are staked out watching for physical signs (entrance and exit of home, or people viewed through windows/doors, shadows, actual movement (via windows/with or without blinds etc), it gets tougher/impossible.
Usually for us in the instance of a more prolonged absence, we have some physically check in on property a few times and enter/exit for the contingency.
Beyond that, the alarm should fire.
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