Switch toggle handler to have state reflect physical position

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1

One thing that’s always bugged me about smart switches is that once they’re flipped by an automation, the physical switch doesn’t necessarily reflect the state. So you go into a room, reach out to the switch on the wall to turn the lights on (because you’re a neanderthal who doesn’t have presence detection in every room) and the switch is already up. Egads!

I was able to use esphome’s on_multi_click to provide a way to fix this. If you flip the switch, it toggles like normal (after a very-short-but-still-perceptible delay). If instead you quickly double-flip the switch – from off to on to off, or from on to off to on – the light will be set to the physical position of the switch. So if you find the switch in the “off” position but the light is on, you can quickly (and I do mean quickly) toggle the switch on and back off, and esphome will turn the light off to match.

config

I’m using a Shelly 1L, but that’s not really important. I experimented a little to get the timing acceptable; I wanted the light to come on immediately when the switch is flipped, but a bit of delay is required to enable the “click” states without having the light flash. The double-click action is pretty quick, so you’ve gotta be intentional about it.

output:
    -   platform: gpio
        pin: GPIO5
        id: relay1

light:
    -   platform: binary
        name: "${name_prefix} Light"
        id: light1
        output: relay1
        restore_mode: RESTORE_DEFAULT_OFF

binary_sensor:
    ## reads the state of the #1 connected switch
    -   platform: gpio
        name: "Switch 1"
        id: switch1
        pin: GPIO4
        ## don't really need this added to a dashboard, probably
        entity_category: diagnostic

        ## this multi_click allows resetting the switch, so that the light
        ## reflects the selected position.
        on_multi_click:
            ## [off] on then off: set to off
            -   timing:
                    - ON for at most 0.18s
                    - OFF for at least 0.25s
                then:
                    - light.turn_off: light1
                    - logger.log: reset to off

            ## [on] off then on: set to on
            -   timing:
                    - OFF for at most 0.18s
                    - ON for at least 0.25s
                then:
                    - light.turn_on: light1
                    - logger.log: reset to on

            ## toggle via switch to on
            -   timing:
                    - ON for at least 0.18s
                then:
                    - light.toggle: light1
                    - logger.log: toggle, via switch to on

            ## toggle via switch to off
            -   timing:
                    - OFF for at least 0.18s
                then:
                    - light.toggle: light1
                    - logger.log: toggle, via switch to off
2

I guess the old dumb three way switches must put you into an emotional tail-spin! :laughing:

3

You have no. idea. :joy:

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4

This is way beyond my level of OCD. :crazy_face: I replaced toggles with momentary switches.

Maybe a dumb question, but doesn’t this kind of defeat the purpose of home automation if you need to run around the house putting the toggles in the right position? Ever considered switchbot? You can use two to make a dumb toggle smart AND retain the proper toggle position:

Or… you could create a blueprint that does your double-toggle for you :rofl:

5

See, that seems over-the-top to me. :wink: I do actually like that idea, tho!

I don’t need to, it’s just nice to be able to.

6

If you create a template switch for the UI then you can distinguish HA initiated toggles from hardware initiated ones. Using that you can also create a list of deviant toggle switches. Plus you can template the icon to represent the state of the physical switch. I see endless possibilities…

But seriously, I might adapt this a little to implement other functions on switches like these.

7

In some parts of the world up is off, down is on.

Also those are called two way switches here…

8

I’ve heard that.

And some people drive on the wrong side of the road too. :laughing:

(…notice I didn’t say who that was :wink:)

I do think that “two way” does make more sense than “three way”. But “when in Rome…” even if “Rome” is the US.

9

Thankfully the US and Rome drive on the same side of the road. But what do you mean, which side is right? Right is the opposite of left. :crazy_face:

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10

You can’t get me to fall into that trap. :laughing:

Exactly. Which is why I didn’t use the word “right”. I used “wrong” to indicate the concept of “incorrect”.

And to be 100% pedantic there is no “right” or “left” side of the road. My “right” side is your “left” side if we are driving towards each other.

:thinking:

language is hard…

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

11

And the weirdest thing of all, if both you and the driver coming from the other side drive on the wrong side of the road, you do not crash into each other. So maybe that should be the preferred way? :crazy_face:

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