All good, I am glad it was an easy fix thanks for asking the question and for getting back to us.
Hope you like the blueprint!
Enjoy
Blacky
All good, I am glad it was an easy fix thanks for asking the question and for getting back to us.
Hope you like the blueprint!
Enjoy
Blacky
Yes, thatâs exactly it. Youâve really peaked my interest with the thing that youâre currently working on. Canât wait to hear more.
As an aside, I used to have a lighting automation which took a theme name from a helper as well as text helpers for base names of âambientâ, âmotionâ and âidleâ scenes. If the theme helper was blank - scenes were triggered whose names were in the text helpers. If the theme helper wasnât blank, the scene names was derived as follows _ - if this scene existed it would be activated, if it didnât exist just the base scene name would be used.
E.g.
Base scenes:
Idle: scene.porch_off
Ambient: scene.porch_ambient
Motion: scene.porch_motion
At halloween, the theme helper may contain âhalloweenâ. In addition to the normal scenes, I also had scene.porch_motion_halloween defined. In the evening when it got dark, the usual scene.porch_ambient was activated to give warm low-level light (as thereâs no theme variant of the scene defined). When motion was detected, scene.porch_motion_halloween was activated to turn all the lights green.
At Christmas, the theme helper may contain âchristmasâ. In this instance I have only defined an override scene scene.porch_ambient_christmas to give nice christmassy illumination when not triggered but then activates the normal scene.porch_motion when motion was detected.
I had different lighting automations for different areas of the house which all reacted to the house theme and by selectively creating scenes with the appropriate names I could define overrides or not as needed for each area.
I have stair lights that I turn on very low at night, and then a motion sensor that raises the brightness when it detects motion, dimming it back to the low level after a certain amount of time. Is there a way to have the âoffâ state instead be different to enable this use case?
The âoffâ state in @redmumba post sounds the same as the âambientâ lighting state in my last post where after dark and between certain times the lights come on at a low level brightness.
Some work is required in this upgrade. Please see below on the steps required when upgrading. It is easy and not a breaking change.
New Feature
Trigger Sensor By-pass - Switch"
You can now have multiple by-pass switches
What can this now do?
You can now have multiple By-pass that will disable your automation. It is a good easy way to now enable or disable multiple automation using the one by-pass (helper) and having multiple by-passes you can choose any by-pass that suit you when you turn it ON. It can work like a group or just be a stand alone by-pass. You can also have automations turn a by-pass ON, like my sensor light add on blueprint Example of some by-pass you could now include in your automations are;
Now you have more control over your automations and it will work better with my Sensor Light Add On - Media & Movie Lights - House Alarm Lights - Smoke Alarm Lights & Exhaust Fans + More blueprint. We are also getting ready for more to come in the road map ahead
STEPS REQUIRED WHEN UPGRADING
If you have never selected to use a by-pass then most likely you wonât need to do anything but you may want to check just encase you have selected by-pass in the past.
1 - Upgrade your blueprint.
2 - Go into your automation (the ones using this blueprint). If you have entered in a by-pass then you will see a missing input. If you donât see this missing input then you have never selected it and your all good to go, your done. If you see it then continue on.
3 - Click the 3 dots top right and âEdit in YAMLâ.
4 - We are looking for the words or input called âmotion_bypass: ???â
You have 2 options you can choose from;
Delete this line,(âmotion_bypass: ???â)
Edit the code as shown below but with your entity ID
motion_bypass:
- input_boolean.halway_lights_by_pass
5 - Then click 3 dots and select âEdit in visual editorâ
6 - Depending on what option you have chosen above in step 4 you will see this.
If you deleted the line you will see this. Now you will need to reselect your by-pass.
If you edit the line you will see this. All good
7 - Click save, youâre done. Now just do the same in your other automations using this blueprint.
TIP
If you would like to easily find all the automation that are using this blueprint so you can check your YAML. Go into blueprints and click on the 3 dots next to the sensor light blueprint and select âshow automations using this blueprintâ You then can easily edit them all. See below.
If you like this blueprint? Consider hitting the button in the top post
If you like my blueprints, and would like to show your support or just say thank you? Click Here
Enjoy
Blacky
Back to FAQ: Click Here
If upgrading from Version 4.4 please read the post above.
Bugs Fixes
If you like this blueprint? Consider hitting the button in the top post
If you like my blueprints, and would like to show your support or just say thank you? Click Here
Enjoy
Blacky
Yes, exactly what was said here, @Blacky â also, your blueprints are amazing and I really appreciate your work!
Just wanted to say thank you for this piece of awesomeness!
For personal intrest: is it technically not possible to automate based on whenever a area is active, and then turning on all the lights in an area or is groups just more reliable?
And +1 for the âoption to dim the lights for an interval before Turing them offâ feature.
Thanks again!
Your welcome and thanks for the kind words.
Your welcome and thanks for your kind words.
At that start I did do this. In version 3.2 I removed it as âTargetsâ are complex. Now I can make it work more reliable and it resolved so many things I was facing. I kept âTargetsâ because is is a realy nice way to find your entities and it is realy easy to expand down.
your welcome, glad you like it
I have 5 outdoor hue lights around my house and 2 hue PIR - sensor with builit in light sensor outside. I tried to trigg the automation on low lux around <20 to just have them when itâs dark. The problem is that the sensor is not far away from the lights so when it turns on the lux goes above 20 and then the automation stops triggering. Maybe Iâm doing something wrong but how can a solve my problem?
I also tried to use the sun elevation but the problem is that my garden is a litte hidden buy other houses and itâs very diffrent lighting so I donât think it works for me but I only tried the defualt -1.5 settings.
Also is there some backup if the sensor that detecting the lux is offline can it be trigger anyway like always.
Im running the system on a rpi4 + skyconnect
Blacky, I have an automation turning on a light by way of a motion sensor. Itâs in a hallway, I donât need the light to come on when itâs bright, light coming through the windows, but if the hallway and front entrance is dark, I want the light to come on.
Iâve used the bypass for ambiant light, but it comes on too often when the light is actually sufficient. So which value makes it less likely to come on. Put another way, whatâs the right value if I donât want the light to come on unless it is getting dark.
alias: Front Hall Light on with Motion & Lumens
description: Front Hall Light on with Motion & Lumens
use_blueprint:
path: Blackshome/sensor-light.yaml
input:
motion_trigger:
- binary_sensor.front_hall_motion_and_presence_sensor_motion_detection
light_switch:
entity_id: light.front_door_dimmer_switch_z_wave
time_delay: 3
include_light_control:
- use_brightness
- use_transition
light_brightness: 60
light_transition_on: 1.5
light_transition_off: 1.5
include_night_lights: night_lights_enabled
include_night_light_control:
- use_brightness
- use_transition
night_light_transition_on: 1.5
night_light_transition_off: 1.5
night_lights_conditions:
- sun_enabled
night_time_delay: 3
include_sun: sun_disabled
sun_elevation: -1.5
night_lights_sun_elevation: -1.5
night_lights:
entity_id: light.front_door_dimmer_switch_z_wave
include_ambient: ambient_enabled
ambient_light_sensor: sensor.front_hall_motion_and_presence_sensor_illuminance
ambient_light_options: ambient_light_option_enabled
ambient_light_value: 50
FAQ - Template Sensors?
Below are some template sensors. This is done in the modern configuration way that Home Assistant would prefer. You still can use the Legacy way but HA no longer recommended it. Template have also been added to helpers and a lot of these can now be added that way. See below for more information on Template Helpers. Trigger templates still need to be added to the configuration.yaml file.
If you choose to add your template sensor to your configuration.yaml file for it to take effect you have 2 options.
Every time you change the code, you will need to do one of the 2 options above for the changes to take effect unless you decided to use a template helper.
Even though the heading may reflect a particular type of sensor, the format can be changed to suit your needs.
I have put them under heading Trigger Sensor, but a lot of the same sensors can also be used as a by-pass switch.
If you are adding multiple sensors to your configuration.yaml file you will only need to put the heading template: once at the top followed will all your sensors below this heading. Example;
template:
# Define state-based template entities
- sensor:
...
- binary_sensor:
...
# Define trigger-based template entities
- trigger:
...
sensor:
...
binary_sensor:
...
Using a Template Helper in Home Assistant
To create a Template Helper:
If you have questions or need assistance with templates, the community is a great resource. Feel free to post a new topic in the forum for help.
Icons In Templates
For all the icons you can choose from Click Here
TRIGGER SENSORS
Bee In The Hive Sensor (âThis is a realy nice sensor I loveâ )
The following code lets you create an occupancy sensor, called Bee In The Hive, for rooms like your bathroom, toilet, or any other space. To set it up, youâll need a contact sensor on the door and a motion sensor in the room. After creating the Bee In The Hive sensor, you will need to set up a sensor group⊠click here for instructions if needed. When creating the group, add both the Bee In The Hive sensor and your Motion sensor (but not the door contact sensor). Finally, use this group as the trigger in your blueprint.
The 10 second delay in the code allows the motion sensor time to clear once no one is in the room and the door is closed. You may need to adjust this delay to match your sensorâs reset time. For example, if your motion sensor takes around 1 minute to clear, set the delay to approximately 70 seconds. You might need to test it a few times to find the optimal setting for your setup. To do this, trigger the motion sensor, close the door, and stand outside the room. The light should turn OFF after the set delay time in the blueprint. Alternatively, you can add your sensors to a dashboard to monitor their status in real time, as shown below.
In this example, weâll show how our Queen Bee enters the bathroom for a relaxing bath. The purpose of this sensor is to determine when someone (the Queen Bee) is in the room once the door is closed. Hereâs how it works in different scenarios:
When scenarios 1 or 2 apply and the Queen Bee is in the room, this sensor will stay ON until the door is opened.
The purpose of this sensor is to keep the light ON for as long as the Queen Bee is in the room, no matter how still she sits reading her book in the bath or taking a shower, where the motion sensor might not detect her. When sheâs done, sheâll open the door, and the sensor will turn OFF right away (signaling the Queen Bee has left the hive ). At this point, your automation will function normally, relying on the motion sensor.
I thought Iâd have a bit of fun with the description above. Hope you donât mind!
The reason we need to group the sensors: When you enter the room and trigger the motion sensor, the light will turn ON as usual, based on the blueprint. The added Bee In The Hive occupancy sensor ensures that the light stays ON in situations where the standard motion sensor alone might not. Grouping the Motion sensor with the Bee In The Hive sensor allows the automation to function smoothly, achieving the intended results.
Below is the code for the Bee In The Hive sensor
The items you need to change:
binary_sensor.your_door_sensor_here
- This is your door contact sensor.binary_sensor.your_motion_sensor_here
- This is your room motion sensor.Optional customizations:
"Bee In The Hive"
- The name of your new sensor. Feel free to choose any name you like."occupancy"
) and icon ("mdi:account-box-outline"
) - Customize to fit your preferences."10"
- The time (in seconds) that your motion sensor needs to clear after the door closes if no motion is detected.template:
- trigger:
- trigger: state
entity_id: binary_sensor.your_door_sensor_here
to: "on"
- trigger: state
entity_id: binary_sensor.your_door_sensor_here
to: "off"
for:
seconds: 10
- trigger: state
entity_id: binary_sensor.your_motion_sensor_here
to: "on"
binary_sensor:
- name: "Bee In The Hive"
device_class: occupancy
icon: mdi:account-box-outline
state: >
{{ is_state('binary_sensor.your_door_sensor_here', 'off') and is_state('binary_sensor.your_motion_sensor_here', 'on') }}
CCTV Camera Motion Sensor
The below code is if you would like to add a delay to your cameras motion sensor. This can be handy when bugs are flying around triggering the cameras motion sensor providing false triggers.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: 'CCTV Camera Front Yard'
device_class: motion
icon: mdi:cctv
state: >
{{ is_state('binary_sensor.your_camera_motion_sensor_here','on')}}
delay_on:
seconds: 2
Power Sensor
The below code is if you would like to add a power sensor as the trigger. When it is ON and above 85 watts then your sensor will be ON (Detected). When it is below 85 watts then it will be OFF (clear). This can be useful for when your computer is ON and you would like the lights to stay ON. It can prevent you from waving your arms around to keep the lights ON. This can be used in a group sensors Click Here with your motion sensor. It will make sure the lights stay ON when the computer is ON.
TIP: If your computer go into standby mode, make sure you set the power level between standby power consumption and the power consumption when it is running. Then when you forget to turn the computer OFF and your computer goes into standby mode, your lights will still turn OFF.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: "Work Computer Power"
device_class: power
icon: mdi:laptop
state: >
{% if states('sensor.your_computer_power_sensor_here')|float > 85 %}
on
{% else %}
off
{% endif %}
ON Sensor
The below code is if you would like to add a sensor for your TV when it is ON. It can be anything you like with an ON / OFF state. In this example it is handy to keep the lights ON when the TV is ON. This can be used in a group sensors Click Here with your motion sensor to make it more reliable so you donât need to wave your hands around when sitting still watching TV. It can also create a switch, light, etc (different domain) into a binary sensor so it can be added as a trigger into the automation.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: "Family Room TV"
device_class: running
icon: mdi:television
state: >
{{ is_state('switch.your_tv_sensor_here', 'on') }}
Garage Door Sensor
The below code is if you would like to add a sensor for when you open the garage door.
TIP: Sometimes you can use the button or the remote receiver that has a quick ON / OFF state. This can be useful as every time you open and or close the garage door the light will turn ON for as long as you set the delay time, to then turn OFF the lights. It is best when you also have a motion sensor in the garage and then use a group sensors Click Here. You will then add the group sensor into the trigger in the automation.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: "Garage Door Lights"
device_class: garage_door
icon: mdi:garage-open-variant
state: >
{{ is_state('switch.your_garage_door_sensor_here', 'on') }}
Garage Door Sensor - Auto OFF
The below code is if you would like to add a sensor for when you open the garage door and if the door says open it will automaticity turn OFF after X amount of time (5 minute shown below). This way when you open the garage door your light will turn ON for X amount of time (5 minute shown below) and then turn OFF.
Note: If the door is opened the sensor will go ON. If the door closes the sensor will stay ON until the time has passed.
TIP: When grouped with a motion sensor if your door is opened then garage lights will be ON for X amount of time and then turn OFF if no motion is detected. If your door is open and the lights are OFF then motion will be the trigger to turn the light ON. If the door is closed then motion is the trigger. It is a realy nice way to set up your garage lights.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- trigger:
- trigger: state
entity_id: input_boolean.your_garage_door_sensor
to: "on"
binary_sensor:
- name: "Garage Door Auto Off"
device_class: garage_door
icon: mdi:garage-open-variant
auto_off:
minutes: 5
state: "true"
Inverted Sensor
The below code is if you would like to add a sensor that is inverted. If your actual motion sensor is ON this sensor will be OFF. If your actual motion sensor is OFF this sensor will be ON. We have used a motion sensor in this example but it can be any type of entity that you would like to invert the state of.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: "Inverted Sensor"
device_class: motion
icon: mdi:motion-sensor
state: >
{{ is_state('binary_sensor.your_inverted_sensor_here', 'off') }}
By-pass Person Sensor
The below code is if you would like to add a by-pass to disable your automation when someone is in the zone. This can be used if you would like security lighting to only come ON when no one is in the zone.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
# to track one phone then see below.
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: "By-pass When We Are Home"
device_class: presence
icon: mdi:home
state: >
{{ is_state('device_tracker.your_phone_here', 'home') }}
# If you would like to have more than one phone to track then see below.
template:
- binary_sensor:
- name: "By-pass When We Are Home"
device_class: presence
icon: mdi:home
state: >
{{ (is_state('device_tracker.your_phone_here', 'home')) or (is_state('device_tracker.your_phone_here', 'home')) }}
TV Power Sensor with some Safeguards
The below code is if you would like to add an additional TV trigger with your motion sensor to your automation so the lights will stay ON even when you are sitting still watching TV and your TV is ON. This is if you donât have a TV status in HA. You will need to have a smart plug that measures watts (power). We are also going to add some safeguards in so if you restart HA or just if the smart plug becomes unavailable or unknown for a short time the light will stay ON if the light is already ON. Once you created this template binary sensor you will need to group it with your motion sensor.
We are going to show a different way this time to the above templates. You can adopt this method with any of the templates shown here as long as the template is not a trigger template.
Go to Settings / Devices & Services / Helpers Tab at the top / Create Helper / Template / Binary Sensor / Enter in the name you would like to call it and set the device class to power (You can chose anything you like here) and in âState Templateâ paste the code below replacing the two inputs with your entity IDâs
{% if states('sensor.smart_plug_current_consumption')|float(0) > 50 %}
on
{% elif is_state('sensor.smart_plug_current_consumption', 'unavailable') and
(is_state('light.Your_light_or_switch_here', 'on')) %}
on
{% elif is_state('sensor.smart_plug_current_consumption', 'unknown') and
(is_state('light.Your_light_or_switch_here', 'on')) %}
on
{% else %}
off
{% endif %}
AMBIENT LIGHT SENSORS
LUX / Illuminance Sensor
This sensor is when your sensor reacts to fast and as a result it turns the lights ON and OFF too fast. This can happen when you have cloudy days and you using the ambient (LUX) sensor for day time. By slowing down the reporting time we can get a better reading so the automation works better. If you can adjust your sensors reporting time then it is best to do it there rather than creating this sensor.
What this sensor does;
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- trigger:
- trigger: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.your_sensor_here
below: '10'
for:
minutes: 1
- trigger: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.your_sensor_here
above: '10'
for:
minutes: 1
- platform: state
entity_id: sensor.your_sensor_here
to:
- 'unavailable'
- 'unknown'
- 'none'
for:
minutes: 1
sensor:
name: "Illuminance Sensor"
device_class: illuminance
unit_of_measurement: lx
state: "{{ states('sensor.your_sensor_here') | float(0.0) }}"
LUX / Illuminance Sensor With A Default Value
This sensor is when your sensor keeps going âunavailableâ, âunknownâ or ânoneâ and stops the automation from running. It will report a default LUX value of â0.0 lxâ. Example below of sensor.
The things you will need to change are;
The things you can change to your liking are:
template:
- sensor:
- name: "Lux Sensor With A Default Value"
device_class: illuminance
icon: mdi:brightness-5
unit_of_measurement: lx
state: "{{ states('sensor.your_sensor_here')|float(0.0) }}"
CONCLUSION
More information on template sensors can be found on the official Home Assistant website Click Here
I hope this gives you a better understanding on how we can use template sensors in our blueprints.
If I havenât got the template sensor for you? then please let us know and I will add it.
Enjoy
Blacky
Back to FAQ: Click Here
Back to âThe Settings & Best Practice Guidelinesâ Click Here
Hi Jonas, firstly welcome to the community
In :Ambient Light Sensor - Site Conditions" please enable âYES - My Ambient Light Sensor is affected by the Lightsâ.
I will put this in the above post on how to do this. Just give us some time to set it up.
Blacky
This is best controlled by a illuminance (LUX) sensor so you would use âThe Ambient Optionsâ.
If your LUX sensor is effected by the lights when they turn ON then in site conditions you would select âYES - My Ambient Light Sensor is affected by the Lightsâ. By selecting that the LUX sensor is only considered before the lights are turned ON.
The problem you can face is if your LUX sensor react to fast, by clouds and of the like. I have just added a FAQ for template sensors. More will be added and I will also show some tips on how to make adjusting them easer in the coming days. I just published my first one " LUX / Illuminance Template Sensor". This will create a new sensor using your LUX sensor and slow the reporting down. Donât be concerned by the sensor not updating or if it is accurate as the automation just need to know if it is below or above the setting we choose. So if you are finding that when clouds pass over your lights keep turning ON and OFF due to the LUX sensor this can help.
Have a read of it and if you have any questions just ask Click Here
Blacky
Sorry Harry I didnât realy answer your question.
Each LUX sensor can report slightly different values. Everyone has a different opinion as to what value is acceptable. There is probably a standard that is required and that would depend on what country / state you live in. I would recommend to do some research to find your standard. If this is not a concern to you then you could just watch you sensor and the light level in you hall to determine what value you would like. I would always want the light to come ON more often as having more light is better than not enough light and it will only be ON for the time you pass through. Example; in my hallway, the light always comes ON regardless.
Makes sense
Hi All, thought I would give a shout out and let you know I created some template sensors a few post up that may help you with this blue print.
I have had some requests in the past to create / add a new feature for occupancy. @cirkator suggested it a while back, so I created a template sensor that hopefully will do the trick . I called it âBee In The Hiveâ. You can find out more information on it by Clicking Here.
Hope you like it
Blacky
I am having some family troubles âŠmostly when we have guests as they get confused and stand there pressing the switch repeatedly trying to get it to turn on or off.
At the moment the switch is fully disabled as the light is 100% controlled via the presence sensor.
Maybe it is possible and I jsut dont know, but I think we really need the following:
A way to trigger this on when a switch changes state; but critically to not force the light on permanently. So maybe when the trigger changes state it activates the light for X time. So they âfeelâ like they have done something, and then when they are in the room the presence sensor can take overâŠ
A way to force the light off; so when they leave they can press the button and when we see the switch change state it will turn off the light even though the presence sensor is still active. Again maybe we need to debounce for a minute or so.
One key point in above is that it is not about switch position itself, it is a change in state of the switch. IE: What happens if they just walk in as the sensor does everything, but when they leave they dont see it going off so they press the button.