How do you use Areas?

Configuration
1

Working through my setup, and as a first go I put devices/entities into an Area based on the physical location in the house. After playing for many hours no, I am thinking this is not the intent of an AREA.

I have one light in the dinning room, one in the hall (wide open to the dinning room) and a porch light.

I want the porch light and hall light to come on at sunset, should they be in an AREA? that way I can turn on and off the AREA?

Thank You in advance.

2

Physical location is what Area is for.

If you want to control entities in different areas use a group.

2 Likes
3

Thank You for the advice. I have not looked a groups yet, off to do some configuringā€¦

4

@tom_l Thank You - but still a bit lost.

Added a groups.yaml


front_evening:
  name: front_evening
  entities:
    - light.switchlinc_dimmer_3d_09_01
    - light.switchlinc_dimmer_3d_14_e0

added to the configuration.yaml

 group: !include groups.yaml

I now have in the entities , entity (ā€œgroup.front_eveningā€)

I can not seem to add this as a controlled ā€˜deviceā€™ in the automation.

Reading the documentation , I will research

These groups can still be in templates with the expand() directive, called using the homeassistant.turn_on and homeassistant.turn_off services, etc.

But I do wish them to be on at a brightnessā€¦

A lot to learn, and once again Thank You for the guidance.

5

For triggers with groups, use a state trigger, not a device trigger.

For actions, use the homeassistant.turn_on/off service to control the group.

2 Likes