Hey everyone, I’m excited to share my recent project where I set up a smart lighting system for my basement stairs. The goal was to make the lights turn on when someone walks up the stairs but keep them off if we’re watching a movie. I also wanted the lights to stay off if someone is just going to the bathroom at the end of the stairs. Let me walk you through how I achieved this!
First, I purchased a few Iris motion detectors and some Z-Wave switches for the lights. I placed the motion sensors strategically at the top of the stairs and near the bathroom door. The challenge was to ensure the sensors didn’t trigger the lights unnecessarily, especially during movie nights.
I integrated the system with my Plex media server. When a movie is playing, the system knows to disable the motion sensors near the stairs. This was a bit tricky, but I managed to create a rule in Home Assistant that checks if Plex is active and adjusts the sensor sensitivity accordingly.
Another thing I had to consider was the door contact sensor at the top of the stairs. I wanted the lights to come on if the door opens, but only if someone is actually moving towards the stairs. This required some advanced rule setup to combine the door sensor input with the motion sensor data.
After a lot of trial and error, the system works perfectly! The lights come on when needed, and they stay off during movies or when someone is just heading to the bathroom. It’s been a great addition to my smart home setup, and I love how it enhances my daily routine without being intrusive.
If anyone has questions about the setup or needs help with similar projects, feel free to reach out! I’d be happy to share more details or troubleshoot any issues you might encounter.