Hi everyone! I’m really excited to share my recent project with you! I’ve been working on automating my home’s lighting system using two Aqara FP2 presence sensors. My goal was to create a seamless lighting experience that adjusts based on where people are in the house. It’s been an amazing journey, and I wanted to document my process and share some tips for those who might be tackling something similar.
First, let me give you a quick overview of my setup. I have a main floor that’s divided into three zones: the living room, kitchen, and dining area. Each zone has its own set of lights. Additionally, I have stairs leading up and down, which I also wanted to incorporate into the automation. The idea was to have all lights dimmed to a base level when someone is present, with the specific zone where presence is detected set to a higher brightness for better visibility.
I started by setting up the Aqara FP2 sensors in key locations throughout the house. These sensors are fantastic because they can detect presence in a wide area and even differentiate between zones, which was perfect for my setup. I paired them with Homey to handle the automation logic.
The initial challenge was getting the sensors to communicate properly with Homey. After some trial and error, I realized that ensuring the sensors were within range and properly configured was crucial. Once that was sorted, the next step was creating the automation rules.
I decided to use variables to simplify the logic. Here’s what I came up with:
- Someone on the Floor? – A yes/no variable to track if anyone is present on the main floor.
- Is it Dark? – Another yes/no variable to determine if the lights should be on based on the time of day.
- Sensors Active? – A variable to control whether the automation is enabled or disabled.
The logic was straightforward: if someone is detected and it’s dark, the lights should dim to a base level. The zone where presence is detected should then adjust to a higher brightness. However, as I tested the system, I encountered some unexpected behavior. The lights would flicker and change brightness constantly, which was frustrating!
After some research and reaching out to the community, I realized that the issue was with how the presence detection was being handled. The FP2 sensors were triggering multiple times as people moved around, causing the lights to adjust rapidly. To solve this, I added a delay to the automation to ensure that the system didn’t react too quickly to movements.
Another tweak I made was adjusting the brightness levels. I found that a base level of 30% was too dim, so I bumped it up to 50%. The active zone brightness was set to 80%, which provided a nice contrast without being too harsh.
Testing the system after these adjustments was incredibly satisfying. The lights now transition smoothly, and the flickering issue is a thing of the past. It’s amazing how a little bit of fine-tuning can make such a big difference!
I’d love to hear from anyone who’s tackled a similar project or has tips for improving the system further. Automation can sometimes feel like a puzzle, but seeing it all come together is incredibly rewarding. Thanks to everyone who’s shared their knowledge and experiences in this community—it’s been a huge help!
Cheers,
[Your Name]