Hello everyone! I’ve been exploring the world of smart lighting automation and custom scenes with my Hue lights, and I wanted to share my journey and some tips I’ve picked up along the way.
First, I started by setting up a simple rule to dim my living room lights to 40% brightness at 8 PM. The goal was to create a cosy evening ambiance without abruptly changing the light level if the lights were already dimmed. However, I noticed that the rule wasn’t considering the current brightness level, which meant the lights would always dim to 40%, even if they were already below that threshold.
After some research and experimentation, I discovered that adjusting the rule to include a condition based on the current brightness solved the issue. Now, the lights only dim if they’re above 40%, maintaining the perfect balance for my evening routine.
Another exciting project I’ve been working on is creating custom colour scenes using the Ikea Tradfri bulbs. Initially, I found it challenging to replicate specific colours using the colour wheel in the IDE. However, by exploring the Hue app and Alexa integration, I learned that setting colours through voice commands provided more consistent results. For instance, saying, “Alexa, set the living room lights to sunset,” gave me the perfect warm glow I was aiming for.
I also stumbled upon a fantastic feature in the Hubitat ecosystem that allows forOccupancy-based lighting adjustments. By integrating motion sensors, I can ensure that lights automatically adjust based on activity, enhancing both convenience and energy efficiency.
For anyone looking to dive deeper into smart lighting, I recommend starting with simple automations and gradually experimenting with more complex scenes. The community here is incredibly supportive, and there’s always something new to learn!
If you have any tips or tricks for customising lighting scenes, I’d love to hear them. Happy automating! 