💡 Sensor Light - Motion Sensor - Door Sensor - Sun Elevation - LUX Value - Scenes - Time - Light Control - Device Tracker - Night Lights

[NW4FUN]

I’ve found the culprit!

Let me recap the configuration:

Lights activated by GROUP SENSORS (pir 1, pir 2, pir 3)
Ambient enabled reading status from pir 3

Expected outcome: when either of the sensor behind the group would trigger AND luminosity is below 200lux, lights go ON.

Actual outcome: only when pir 3 is activated and luminosity is below 200lux, lights go ON.

It happened to be a conflict between the group and the single luminosity sensor.

SOLUTION: created a LUMINOSITY SENSORS GROUP reading the median value from pir 1, pir 2, and pir 3.

No more conflicts and automation behaves as expected.

I hope this helps somebody in the future and perhaps the author may want to look into this to avoid this kind of conflict in the next releases as not all motion sensors may also include a luminosity sensor and there might be cases where someone may need to society a single luminosity sensor rather than a group of it.

[Blacky]

@JorgeMaTeixeira

You will need to create a template binary sensor to invert it. Once created then use it in the automation.

To create a Template binary sensor, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Settings > Device & Services > Helpers tab at the top.
2. Click the Create helper button.
3. Select Template and then choose Template a binary sensor.

Next, provide a Name and Device class of your choice. If applicable, you can link this template to an existing device so it appears under that device’s details.

In the State template field, add the code below, replacing binary_sensor.your_door_entity_id_here with your entity ID.

{{ is_state('binary_sensor.your_door_entity_id_here', 'on') }}

Blacky

[Blacky]

@Hugoliv

Thanks for your input. I note this in the list of suggestions.

Blacky

[Blacky]

@TheMinimalist

If you would like to disable the automation from running then you will need to use the bypass.

Blacky

[Blacky]

@NW4FUN

This is extremely strange.

If you created a group with all your motion sensors in it and you monitor this group seeing it turn ON when any motion sensor gets activated, and when all are clear then the group should go OFF / Clear.

You then just use this group in the trigger (not the motion sensors), then the automation is only looking at the group for the trigger and it should react to it.

Blacky

[Blacky]

@aijii

I just release another blueprint that will handle this for you.

Manual Control Status Tracker

Enjoy

Blacky

[NW4FUN]

@Blacky

I’m aware of how it SHOULD work. The reality is that it doesn’t behave in the expected way IF the ambient option is enabled AND it is pointing at a single sensor rather than a group.

If you read my previous posts, I’m reporting that despite the sensor group being triggered regardless what sensor behind it is giving the input, the automation doesn’t activate unless the sensor behind the group matches the sensor used as ambient.

You may want to test this in your lab and look at why it is creating conflicts.

For completeness of info, sensors are all Shelly’s, namely Motion Sensor 1, Motion Sensor 2, and BT Motion Sensor.

I hope this helps

EDIT: the ambient option prevents the whole automation to switch on lights. Had to disable it in order to have a functioning automation

[Blacky]

@NW4FUN

Everything works perfectly here… even using the Shelly lux sensor in ambient.

Check your group entities and the entity your using in the ambient section.

Blacky

[harryfine]

Thanks for this new tool Blacky. It could be very useful in the right circumstances.

[NW4FUN]

@Blacky

I’m not sure what either you or I are missing here…

Here’s my config to make it easier for you

And here’s what’s behind the 2 sensor groups:

Here’s the YAML configuration to make sure nothing bizarre is being inherited from somewhere:

What’s your take??

[jgriffin (Jason)]

Is anyone using multiple Shelly Blue Motion sensors together with this blueprint? I’m having mixed results. Sometimes the automation turns on the light (when motion is detected) and sometimes it doesn’t.
Looking in the Shelly app I can see there is motion. I’m trying to get three of these to work together in one large 2 storey hall. If upstairs and motion is detected turn on lights (for 15 mins). If downstairs turn on lights for 15 mins. Then between the hours of 12am and 9am only leave lights on for 5 mins.

Here are my settings. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the blueprint, but if so can someone let me know?

description: ""
use_blueprint:
  path: Blackshome/sensor-light.yaml
  input:
    motion_trigger:
      - binary_sensor.hall_motion_sensors
    light_switch:
      entity_id:
        - light.hall1
        - light.hall2
    time_delay: 15
    include_light_control:
      - use_transition
      - use_colour_temperature
      - use_brightness
    light_brightness: 25
    light_colour_temperature: 2700
    after_time: "16:00:00"
    before_time: "09:00:00"
    include_night_lights: night_lights_enabled
    night_lights:
      entity_id:
        - light.hall1
        - light.hall2
    include_night_light_control:
      - use_brightness
      - use_colour_temperature
      - use_transition
    night_light_colour_temperature: 2700
    night_lights_after_time: "00:00:00"
    night_lights_before_time: "09:00:00"
    end_scenes: []
    include_time: time_enabled
    include_sun: sun_disabled
    sun_elevation: 3
    night_light_brightness: 15

[Blacky]

@NW4FUN

Everything looks good.

Looking at the point of your screenshots the automation would not run because your lux group is at 81.5 and for it to run it must be below 60. Because you selected Yes - My Ambient… once your light is ON the automation will ignore your lux group.

Blacky

[Blacky]

@jgriffin

All you need to do is in the night light settings you need to Enable time option as this is the condition you would like to use to enable night lights. See below.

Blacky

[tman98]

Hi @blackey, I’m struggling a bit to understand the interaction between normal lights, night lights, and night glow lights in the audomation.

“Normal” lights set in the top section clearly go on when triggered by the trigger sensor, that makes sense, using the Light Control settings.

I presume Dynamic Lights affects the lights set in the top lights section, as does Ambient and Time. Does Device Tracker also affect those lights?

Ok, now we have Night Lights. A separate set of lights can be set in this section along with the ability to have an entity state option, time option, and sun elevation option.

Do those three options automatically turn on the night lights when they are enabled? Is there anything now to do with the trigger set in the top section and if so how does this interplay with the trigger set in the very top section? And what happens to the lights if they are duplicated with lights in the “normal” lights section at the top.

Then lastly we have a separate set of lights that can be set to be Night Glow. But these have no time, elevation, or other setting for when Night Glow is enabled. Does this follow the times in the Night Lights section? And if so, now what is the difference between a Night Light and Night Glow as it seems like you can set either to go on/off at times or sun elevations, and there may be desire to take action when a trigger happens - but if the trigger just activates the “normal” light then I can’t see how a night light and night glow are any different from each other. When a trigger happens, which light setting now takes over, the “normal” light at the top or the night light?

I’m sorry if my questions are confusing because the interplay of the three is confusing me. In some ways I dont’ understand what Night Glow is vs. Night Light specifically in how they function (and interplay with the normal light settings and trigger).

Thanks!

[Blacky]

@tman98

Normal lights = Your first set of lights, switches, scenes or scripts.

Dynamic Lights = Controls your normal lights only (light domain only, not switches, scenes or scripts) to one of the 13 options you choose.

Night Lights = your second set of lights, switches, scenes or scripts. Activated by one or all of the night light condition.

Night glow = When night lights are active you can set different lights that will glow when the trigger is OFF.

Example used all together: Normal lights during the day evening set at 100%. Then after 11pm and before 7am (time condition used in night lights to activate them) when triggered lights go to 10% (could be going to the toilet and don’t want to be blinded) but we would also like a night glow when night lights are active and set the lights to 1% when the trigger is OFF so we have some night glow between 11pm to 7am.

Blacky

[linuxfreak]

Hi Blacky! I think there may be a bug in Ambient light. The idea is that in case motion is detected it will switch on the light when ambient light is below the value set under “Ambient Light - Low Lux Value” correct? I set the minimum at 80 lux and the High Lux value at 133 but it still switches on the light at 100 lux.
When clicking on TRACE it just shows motion was detected, nothing about LUX value

trigger: state / id: t0 / entity_id: - binary_sensor.motione1scullery_occupancy
from: ‘off’ to: ‘on’

Now that light sensor reports 150 lux in the dashboard motion switches on the light first (occupancy on), then 10 seconds later, this shows up in the log (which is not true, light is 150) : trigger: numeric_state / id: t2 / entity_id: sensor.motione1scullery_illuminance_lux below: 80

And another 10 seconds later this shows up :
trigger: numeric_state / id: t10 / entity_id: sensor.motione1scullery_illuminance_lux
above: 130

So the light switches on for 10 seconds and then switches off

[MR-c607]

@Blacky is it possible to have input to cancel the bypass? For example, I use the dynamic sunlight (option 4) on my kitchen lights. If we are cooking late in the kitchen I want to click a scene controller button (Zooz zen32) to bypass and set lights to 100%. But then I would like to be able to click another button to cancel the bypass and go back to the Dynamic setting.

So far everything I have tried causes adverse results, such as canceling the Dynamic feature all together, or no longer accepting the motion trigger for the dynamic automation.

Thanks for all of your work on this, it’s a fantastic blueprint!

[tman98]

Thank you, sorry I’m still uncertain about Night Lights and trigger. From “Night Lights = your second set of lights, switches, scenes or scripts. Activated by one or all of the night light condition.” it sounds like the trigger does not affect the night lights, only the night light conditions?

But from “Then after 11pm and before 7am (time condition used in night lights to activate them) when triggered lights go to 10% (could be going to the toilet and don’t want to be blinded)” it sounds like the trigger does affect them.

Given how the options look setup my guess is that Night Lights are on when Triggered AND the Night Light conditions are true? And Night Glow are on when the Night Light conditions are true?

What happens if you put an entity into Night Glow and not into Night Lights (so there would be no conditions applying to it)? That sounds like just an invalid case and it will never go on?

This is such a wonderful blueprint, but for what it’s worth I think a concise description of these three forms of lights in the documentation, their interrelation and clarity on how trigger interacts as well as the night light conditions on night glow esp. given you independently select entities for both (or maybe in the content in the blueprint config flow) would really help so much. Thanks again for all the hard work!

EDIT: I’m trying to just have right now a light that is on at a dim level (night glow) from dusk to dawn that goes brighter if someone walks by.

I’ve set:

• Trigger is set as the light’s occupancy sensor
• Nothing specified in normal light entities (I can’t figure out if I need something here or not, but it doesn’t seem to matter)
• Night light settings:
  • Enabled
  • Enable sun option (-1.5 and -4 degrees)
• Night lights: set to my light entity
• Night glow:
  • Enabled

But niothing happens at all.

If I then set the light entity in the “normal” light settings, then things seem to work - sometimes. I can’t seem to figure out the right set of settings though to just accomplish the above. All I want is night glow and a triggered brighter setting (which it seems like the Night Light function provides), so do I have to set all 3 light entities? But then which of normal lights or night lights is going to trigger and what conditions do I set for both? Sorry! it’s just a tad confusing!

[herbert1910 (Herbert)]

Is there a way to use an ambient light sensor as a trigger so that it activates when the lux value drops below 50?

I know there is the Smart Light blueprint, but I would prefer to have this in an automation.

Thx.
Regards Herbert

[Creatier (Etienne Bertou)]

@NW4FUN I can confirm the ambient option prevents the whole automation to switch on lights. Trying to recreate the automation through HA UI, I found that I couldn’t get the ambient light sensor dropdown to populate with light sensor entities.

@Blacky Could there be something that changed in recent HA updates in the way light sensors are exposed. Happy to post traces or screens if needed - your sensor light blueprint always made things so easy.