Hi everyone, I wanted to share my experience with tracking the time my nanny spends at our house using smart home automation. The goal is to accurately calculate her working hours based on her phone’s network connection. Here’s how I approached it:
First, I set up an automation that logs the time when her phone connects to our network. This is done using an input_datetime.first trigger. To ensure we only track the time between her first arrival and last departure each day, I added an input_boolean.not_here_yet condition that resets at midnight.
Similarly, I configured an automation to log the time when her phone disconnects, storing it in an input_datetime.last. This helps in calculating the total time she spends in the house each day.
I then created a template sensor sensor.nanny_hours to compute the time difference between input_datetime.last and input_datetime.first. This sensor also resets to zero after midnight to avoid overlapping days. Finally, I used a history sensor to sum up the total hours since the start of the month.
While this setup works, I’m curious if there’s a more efficient way to achieve this, perhaps using just a template sensor with triggers. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
This project has been a great way to ensure fair payment and has also helped me understand the capabilities of smart home automation in managing everyday tasks. It’s amazing how technology can simplify even the most mundane aspects of life. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!