I recently encountered an interesting issue with my group of smart bulbs, and I wanted to share my experience and solution with the community. Hopefully, this can help others who might be facing a similar problem!
So, the setup: I have seven ecosmart bulbs grouped together. I use them in my bathroom, and I wanted to automate their brightness and color temperature based on the time of day. It seemed straightforward, but there was a catch.
When I set up the automation, the bulbs would turn on at the correct brightness, but the color temperature wasn’t changing as expected. They would stay at their previous setting, even though the group device showed the correct value. For example, in the morning, they should switch to a cooler 6500K, but they remained at the warmer 2702K from the night before. This was a bit frustrating, especially since manually setting the color temperature worked perfectly.
After some research and trial and error, I figured out what was happening. It seems that the color temperature command was being sent too quickly after the bulbs were turned on. The bulbs needed a bit more time to fully initialize before they could process the color temperature change. To fix this, I added a small delay—just a couple of seconds—between turning the bulbs on and setting the color temperature. This simple adjustment solved the problem entirely!
Now, the automation works like a charm. In the morning, the bulbs turn on, dim to 50%, and then set to 6500K for a bright, energizing start to the day. At night, they switch to a warmer 2702K for a cozy, relaxing ambiance. It’s such a small tweak, but it makes a big difference in the overall user experience.
If you’re dealing with similar issues, I encourage you to experiment with delays in your automations. Sometimes, giving devices a moment to breathe can make all the difference. Let me know if you have any questions or if this tip helps you out!
Happy automating! 
