Turn on input_boolean when my wife or I get home

Installation Home Assistant OS
1

I have create the input-boolean and I must be missing something because when my wife or I get home the boolean says in the off postion, Here is my automation:

alias: Trigger
  trigger:
  - entity_id: device_tracker.dad_phone
    from: not_home
    platform: state
    to: home
  condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: input_boolean.dad_home
    state: 'on'
  - condition: state
    entity_id: device_tracker.dad_witcher
    state: home
  action: []
- id: '1528491794579'
  alias: Melissa Home
  trigger:
  - entity_id: device_tracker.mom_witcher
    from: not_home
    platform: state
    to: home
  - entity_id: input_boolean.mom_home
    platform: state
    to: 'on'
  condition:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: device_tracker.mom_witcher
    state: home
  action: []
2

You have no action in this automation, that is why the boolean switch is not “turning on”. Try this.

alias: Trigger
  trigger:
    entity_id: device_tracker.dad_phone
    platform: state
    to: 'home'
  action:
    service: input_boolean.turn_on
    entity_id: input_boolean.dad_home
3

Why use the input Boolean? You can use a device tracker group ‘Family’ that switches to ‘home’ if one of you is home.

If you still need that Boolean simply create a template binary sensor whose value is (group.family == ‘home’)

4

I was trying to have a simple switch that turns on / off or home / away. How can I do that with device_tracker?

5

Do you need a switch to force home and away? Or just a boolean sensor that shows it.

If the first, then you shouldn’t use automation. I guess.

If the latter, use my suggestion. Create a group of trackers. The group will be ‘home’ when at least one of the trackers is at home. You don’t need to do anything for that. You can show the group in the UI or create a binary template sensor that changes state when the group changes state.

Easy peasy.

6

HA already creates a group called group.all_devices once you have device tracking set up. This will report as ‘home’ if any of the devices in that group are home as @metbril has said above. You can use the state of that group entity for automations etc.

7

I do not need to be able to turn on / off. I have device_tracker running and it does show underneath the icon home / away / work. I am extremely new to HA and the videos that I am using are from late 2016 to early 2017 so there may be a lot of updates since these were produced. Most of these use the input_boolean toggle to trigger automation so that is what I am trying to replicate. But if I would be better off using the device_tracking feature I will look for references on that.

Groups.yaml

 Home_Status:
  name: Household
  view: yes
  entities:
   - input_boolean.dad_home
   - input_boolean.mom_home
   - device_tracker.dad
   - device_tracker.mom