Want to set up a dependable lighting cycle for an aquarium: on for 4 hours at midday, off for 2 hours, then on for 4 hours. Have some lights plugged into Tapo plugs.
I know the obvious way to do this with automations (at 12:00, switch on), but wondering if there’s a more bullet-proof method which will periodically check that the lights are doing the ‘right’ thing.
Have a time sensor set up, but not sure if this will be effective or efficient - will this just be triggering constantly…?!
Yes. Good plan, though I don’t know if this would cover any HA downtime, for example. I know there’s been some debate about how, or if, HA can ‘catch-up’ with any offline events…
This automation will set the switches according to your desired schedule. It will also set them correctly whenever Home Assistant is restarted. That’s useful should Home Assistant ever go offline at any of the scheduled times. When it starts again, the automation will ensure the switches are set to the correct state.