FAQ - Understanding Group Functionality For The Trigger Sensor
To find out more about Groups from the official Home Assistant website please Click Here
How Groups Operate
In a group of motion or binary sensors, each sensor has an ON and OFF state. Home Assistant (HA) may represent these states in different ways (e.g., clear/detected), but they are fundamentally binary. When sensors are grouped, they function as a single entity. If any sensor within the group is ON, the group itself is considered ON. The group remains ON as long as at least one sensor is active. Conversely, if all sensors are OFF, the group switches to OFF.
Purpose of Utilizing Groups
Groups are useful when automations are triggered by multiple sensors. Typically, an automation focuses on the initial sensor that activated it. Subsequent activations by other sensors in the same group might be ignored, as the automation remains tied to the primary trigger. When the primary sensor deactivates, the automation ends, even if other sensors are still active.
Grouping helps address this by consolidating sensors. When the initial sensor triggers an automation, the group remains ON. If other sensors in the group activate before the initial sensor deactivates, the group status remains ON. The group stays ON as long as at least one sensor is active, even if the primary sensor has deactivated. It only turns OFF when all sensors in the group are OFF.
Testing Group Functionality
To ensure your group functions correctly, add it to your dashboard alongside the individual sensors. Trigger the individual sensors and monitor the groupâs response. This will help identify any discrepancies or issues with the groupâs functionality, allowing you to troubleshoot and optimize its performance effectively.
How to create a group of binary sensors to be used in the trigger sensor input Click Here
Hope this gives you a better understand of groups and why we use them for the trigger sensor.
Enjoy
Blacky
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