Hey everyone,
I wanted to share my recent experience integrating outdoor lighting using a combination of smart sensors and timers. I’ve been experimenting with Homematic for a while now, and while it’s been a great journey, I’ve hit a snag that I’m hoping the community can help me with.
The setup involves multiple garden lights, some controlled by Homematic actuators and others using 433MHz remote-controlled lamp holders managed via a Raspberry Pi. I’ve got a motion sensor integrated into Homematic that triggers the lights when movement is detected, and it works flawlessly. However, I also want the ability to manually turn on all the lights with a single button press, without installing new switches. For this, I’ve repurposed an HM-PBI-4-FM sensor and installed it behind an existing light switch. When the switch is pressed, the lights come on, but when released, they don’t turn off because the script only runs when the switch is pressed. This has been a bit of a puzzle!
I’ve been looking into creating a while-loop in my script that starts when the switch is pressed and stops when it’s released, but I’m struggling with getting the sensor status correctly. The function I found returns the device name instead of the actual status, so I’m not sure where I’m going wrong. Any tips or alternative solutions would be greatly appreciated!
On a different note, I’ve been exploring the capabilities of Nest cameras and their activity zones. I’m curious if anyone has experience with automations triggered by specific zones. For instance, could a Nest camera send separate events for different zones, allowing for targeted lighting automation? This could be a game-changer for my setup!
It’s amazing how much you can achieve with the right mix of hardware and scripting, but there’s always that one hurdle that keeps you up at night. I’d love to hear how others have tackled similar challenges or if there are any tools or techniques I might have missed.
Thanks for your insights and keep up the fantastic work!
Best regards,
[Your Name]