I don't know where to start with HA. (Dynalite Request Preset)

Configuration
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Hi all,

I’ve had HA for a few months now and I continuously try to get going on it and find myself having no clue what people are doing or where they learned to do it. I’m hoping the response to my question here will be a “go read this” type thing where I can stop asking questions on the obvious elements of HA. But I’m going to start with a specific question.

I have a Philips Dynalite system at home. I have control of rooms and can call presets etc. But I want to start doing things like requesting and responding to presets for certain rooms. I see the " dynalite.request_area_preset" action in the documentation but have this continued sense there something “obvious” with respect to where this info shows up and what I do to handle/respond to it.

One of the most basic functions I’d like to achieve is to have a single toggle button for On/Off in my rooms. Not an on button AND and off button, a single button which turns a room on, or off, based on the condition of the room (preset) at that time.

I have training in programming Dynalite, I can write this as a “task” within that system but I am trying to learn the methods for doing this within HA.

I remember reading a thread about temperature sensors in the system and got this all-to-familiar sense (From stuff like this Dynalite Antumbra Temperature Sensor - #17 by HoundDog) theres a foundation of knowledge here that people on this forum have WRT to how to configure and filter data within the program, MQTT and so on, and I don’t know where I can even begin to build that foundation.

Any direction would be hugely appreciated.

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You’ve found the documentation for the integration, I imagine? It’s linked to in the thread you mention.

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Most of what I learned about Home Assistant was from the hive mind of the forum.

Install the integration and try working with the configuration. When you run into a wall, post your yaml configuration (use code tags </>) and ask for help here.

The Phillips Dynalite system (new to me) runs on Zigbee, so we will assume that you have the Phillips hub. If not, and for future projects, you NEVER have to buy the manufacturer’s hub. Never.

BTW, welcome to the rabbit hole.

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Hi James, welcome to the forum!

Chiming in in case it might help: most of us have been were you are.
HA has a steep learning curve and from my experience, also with other software: the more options you get, the more complicated it can be.

Don’t be scared off by that, go slowly, make mistakes (no problem if you have backups, so make sure to create them before big changes) and learn what HA is all about.

Use the Documentation - Home Assistant and the search function on that page or your favorite search engine.
Be aware that videos on YT can be outdated and HA is evolving quite fast so they might be confusing.

And lastly, if you ask questions here in the forum while showing what you have done, along with the config/details, you will get helped.

Haffun automating!

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Thank you everybody, Sorry for my vague question.

I have my Dynalite system integrated via a PDEG, an ethernet gateway, and I have my basic functions via this system. I can call scenes and control channels from my HA dashboard.

I’m at the point of trying to request the state of an area OUT of Dynalite and act on that. I have found this “dynalite.request_area_preset” action that I can call in an automation…but I don’t see where this response should appear… I’ve done some basics on NodeRED but can’t really see a way to filter/handle this message here either (I think, in the long run, I also want to use nodeRED to SEND this request for the preset of a given area, too).

Down the road, I see this as my way to do stuff like determine the occupancy of a room for HVAC purposes etc (Though I think nodeRED is probably the place I need this action to come from)… but for now, I’m trying to start with something basic.

I want to:

On a toggle button press (on my dashboard)…

" dynalite.request_area_preset" // Ask the system “what preset is the bedroom in?”

??? Somehow take this response from wherever it goes??? (This is the main bit I’m hoping to get some help with).

If Preset = 4 (The preset my PIR sensor calls if it times out) then:

Turn lights on (Preset 1).

If preset = 1,2,3,5 or 6 (or one of my many other on scenes) then:

turn lights OFF (Preset 4)

Thank you all for your patience I realise my initial query was a bit vague. BTW if anyone finds this and needs help with say, system builder software or tasking documentation I have all this and would be happy to help in turn. I’m much better programming within Dynalite, but I’m happy to be going down this rabbit hole to integrate other bits (like Ring cameras) into my system… The other rabbits seem to be very friendly too.

Thanks so much guys!

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Really didn’t expect this to not have a simple answer someone would share. I feel a bit better about being puzzled now. :joy: