Primitive alarm function - step one

Configuration
1

I have a motion detector on the back of my house, which I want to, if triggered when the house is empty, to activate a number of lights and other entities, and then turn them back off, after 10 minutes.

I have grouped our device trackers:
image
And grouped the entities that I want to activate and de-activate:
image
And created an Input Boolean:
image
Which I believe that I have turned in to a “virtuel switch”:
image
And finally made these automations:
image
image
image
But, it seems like it isn’t working. Any ideas?

I know that I am probably over complicating it, but I am trying to keep the different things separate, to make sure that I can follow it.

2

The first automation is missing “condition:” But this should throw errors! Those errors should point you to what is wrong.

3

Thanks Pippyn, I caught the “condition” part, right after I posted. :slight_smile:

4

so it’s working now? or do you still have errors?

5

I’m not sure your “virtual switch” is right tbh. I’ve never seen multiple services for turn_on or turn_off.

6

Thx. I will give the switch one more look. I “stole it” from this guy:

image
image1118×842 77.3 KB

7

Didn’t know you could do it like this.
But looking at your code in the same first automation is also;

 - condition: state

This doesn’t do anything and should also throw an error.
Btw what does the shell_command do?
Tbh I think you’re really overcomplicating this.

8

For people to more easily help you with the code it would best to actually paste the code into the forum as text as opposed to using a picture of an editor window. And make sure you properly format the code by using the instructions from the top of the page.

I don’t mind helping out but I don’t want to have to type everything out based on a picture you posted. it’s much more convenient to copy/paste/edit.

9

Thank you very much Finity. That is a good point. I was not aware of that.
I will post the code directly, when I get back home tomorrow, if it still does not work.

Thank you!!!

1 Like