Homekit Home App and Triggers

[mstgkillr]

I've installed several Lutron dimmers and on/off switches. I'm also using the Home app to control them and seem to be having a little difficulty with setting up triggers. I want my outside garage lights to come on at sunset and off at sunrise.

First, I tried this...

Trigger -> Condition -> After Sunset -> Before Sunrise and the scene power state to "on"

That didn't work so I tried setting up a trigger and scene to turn on the lights and another trigger and scene to turn off the lights.

Trigger (1) -> Condition -> After Sunset and scene (1) power state to "on"
Trigger (2) -> Condition -> After Sunrise and the scene (2) power state to "off"

Any ideas?

 

[Peepo]

What happens when you use a specific time instead of sunset?

You also need an event to run the trigger. Don't think HomeKit is able to do what you want. The sunrise and sunset are conditions which the trigger will only run if those are met but needs an event to trigger. Only event types are location or characteristic.

 

[amjustice]

Keep in mind that Lutron's scenes are not homekit scenes and triggers so depending on what app you are doing this in it might not be triggering them in HomeKit.

I believe Lutron does their own type of scene that is only in their app and is non-homekit

 

[brianbunge]

I finally got my front porch light trigger to work yesterday using the Home app. I set up two scenes: one titled "porch light on" and one called "porch light off".

Then I setup two triggers:
Porch light on at dusk - scenes: porch light on - conditions: sunset
Porch light off at 1am - scenes: porch light off - time: 1:00am, recurrence: every day

We are in an apartment and the front porch is by our bedroom window so we don't leave it on all night. I set it up after dusk so I'm not sure if that works properly, but the light did turn off promptly at 1am just as I was going to bed.

 

[Peepo]

I finally got my front porch light trigger to work yesterday using the Home app. I set up two scenes: one titled "porch light on" and one called "porch light off".

Then I setup two triggers:
Porch light on at dusk - scenes: porch light on - conditions: sunset
Porch light off at 1am - scenes: porch light off - time: 1:00am, recurrence: every day

We are in an apartment and the front porch is by our bedroom window so we don't leave it on all night. I set it up after dusk so I'm not sure if that works properly, but the light did turn off promptly at 1am just as I was going to bed.

I'd be interested to hear if your dusk trigger works.
I bet it won't because you don't have an event which triggers the event trigger. The condition: sunset only means to run the trigger after sunset. You can add a time trigger and make a specific time, like you did at 1am, but you cannot specify something like sunset or sunrise for a time trigger.

 

[brianbunge]

I didn't get home until around 8pm last night. It was on and there was no one else in the house, so I assume it worked. I'll probably be home before dusk tonight so I can verify for sure.

 

[brianbunge]

Yep, the trigger worked just fine!