Since HA 21.8 - Unclear readings from the power outlet monitoring

Configuration
1

Hi all,

since one of the latest updates, every now and then my HA announces that my washing machine would be ready, although it hasn’t been switched on at all.

My automation is quite simple:

trigger:
  - platform: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.tplink_1_current_consumption
    below: '5'
    for: '00:05:00'
condition: []
action:
  - service: notify.mobile. 
...

I could understand that due to ‘something’ the value could rise above 5W, but it worked just fine for months and just last night I had three messages on my mobile phone.

Did something change to trigger this behavior?

Thanks,
Fridolin

2

Check the automation trace to see why it triggered. In the Configuration / Automations menu find your automation and click on the clock icon on the right.

3

Thanks, but somehow I don’t know how to read it:

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It just tells me that it’s been triggered a couple of times, so the value has been below 5 for some time, but I cannot see, whether there has been an unexpected spike bevor or it’s been triggered by something else. How do I read that to gain more details?

4

It also tells you the states that triggered it. Click on the trigger circle then Changed Variables:

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1 Like
5

Thanks a lot - understood.

If I’m reading this correctly, the sensor has been unavailable. I don’t know why, because I did not change anything, but at least this is was the log say, or:

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6

So your sensor is dropping out and becoming unavailable.

It is thus changing from unavailable to 0. Which is changing to below 5, so it triggers.

You should do two things:

  1. Find out why your sensor has become unreliable. Which integration is it?

  2. Add this condition:

condition:
  condition: "{{ trigger.from_state.state not in  ['unavailable', 'unknown', 'none'] }}"
7

It’s the TP-Link Smart Home integration. I heard, this has been changed recently, but I don’t know, what specifically. It’s just weird, because it’s a WiFi device and the network here is pretty solid.

But introducing this condition is a nice workaround, to deal with this issue.
Thanks a lot.