Smart Lighting Automation: Motion Sensor & Door Sensor Integration

General
1

Hi everyone, I’ve been working on creating a more efficient lighting system for my home, especially for the hallway and bathroom. My goal is to ensure that the lights come on when my daughter gets up in the middle of the night but also turn off appropriately based on whether the bathroom door is open or closed. Let me share my setup and the challenges I’ve encountered.

Setup Details:

  • Motion Sensor: Placed in the hallway to detect movement.
  • Bathroom Light: Controlled by the motion sensor.
  • Door Sensor: Installed on the bathroom door to detect if it’s open or closed.

Desired Behavior:

  1. When motion is detected in the hallway, both the hallway and bathroom lights should turn on.
  2. The hallway light should turn off after a period of no motion.
  3. The bathroom light should stay on for an extended period if the door is closed but turn off sooner if the door is open.

Challenges Faced:

  • Initially, both lights turned off after the same period of inactivity, regardless of the door’s status.
  • Configuring the automation rules to differentiate between the door being open or closed was tricky.

Solution:
After some research and experimentation, I found that creating separate automation rules for the hallway and bathroom lights based on the door sensor’s state worked best. Here’s how I set it up:

  1. Hallway Light Automation: - Trigger: Motion detected in the hallway.

    • Action: Turn on hallway light.
    • Turn off after 5 minutes of no motion.

  2. Bathroom Light Automation: - Trigger: Motion detected in the hallway AND bathroom door is closed.

    • Action: Turn on bathroom light.
    • Turn off after 15 minutes of no motion.

  3. Bathroom Light Automation (Door Open): - Trigger: Motion detected in the hallway AND bathroom door is open.

    • Action: Turn on bathroom light.
    • Turn off after 5 minutes of no motion.

Outcome:
This setup has significantly improved the lighting system’s efficiency. The hallway light now turns off promptly when no one is around, while the bathroom light stays on longer when the door is closed, providing ample light for my daughter. When the door is open, it doesn’t stay on unnecessarily, saving energy.

Tips for Others:

  • Test each automation rule individually before combining them.
  • Use the app’s debugging tools to ensure sensors are detecting states correctly.
  • Don’t hesitate to adjust timing settings based on your family’s habits.

I’d love to hear if anyone has similar setups or additional tips to optimize this further! :rocket: