I’m currently working on a smart home project and I wanted to share my experience and ask for advice. I’ve been trying to set up a motion sensor for my bathroom light, but I’m running into some issues. Let me walk you through what I’ve done so far and where I’m stuck.
First, I wanted the light to turn on only when I manually activate it, not every time someone enters the bathroom. I found a motion sensor (Steinel HP 360 Com1) that can operate in half-automatic mode, which fits my needs perfectly. It turns on with a switch and off automatically or manually. Simple enough, right?
Here’s where things got tricky. If the sensor turns off due to lack of movement (like if I’m sitting on the toilet), it doesn’t reactivate with movement alone. I have to manually turn it back on using the switch outside the bathroom. To solve this, I decided to add a Shelly 1 between the switch and the motion sensor. My plan was to use voice commands (via an Echo Dot) to turn the light back on if it accidentally shuts off.
I managed to get the Shelly 1 working with the switch, but the app control isn’t responding correctly. The state doesn’t update accurately, and I’m not sure why. I suspect it’s a configuration issue, but I’m stuck. I tried adjusting the DIP switch on the motion sensor, and now I can control the light via both the switch and the Shelly app. However, when the motion sensor turns off the light, the Shelly doesn’t detect the change, so I can’t reactivate it with voice commands.
I’m really close to figuring this out, but I need a fresh perspective. Has anyone encountered a similar issue or knows a workaround? I’m open to suggestions, whether it’s adjusting the current setup or trying a different approach altogether. Let me know your thoughts!