HomeKit Trigger automation only if I'm at work?

[zorinlynx]

I have an automation that turns off my air conditioner (Ecobee thermostat) if I leave the house between 07:00 and 09:30 on weekdays. This works great.

I created another automation that turns ON my air conditioner at 16:30 if I'm not at home. this turns it on an hour or so before I get home from work so the house is nice and comfy when I walk in the door.

However, I'd like to change this so that it turns it on if I'm specifically at work. Is there a way to do this? I only get two options, "at home" and "not at home" which seems oddly limited.

The reason is, say I go on a vacation, and turn off the A/C, I don't want it to turn on at 16:30 since I'm not at home!

It just feels like you should be able to set more detailed conditions, but I'm just not finding it.

 

[Itinj24]

You can absolutely set up an automation that triggers when you arrive at work. Whether or not it fires consistently is another story lol. Home app>automation tab>+ button>add automation>people arrive>location (tap where it says “home”)> add any location you’d like.

Conversely, you can do the same for leaving a location using the same steps but switch “people arrive” with “people leave”

It seems like you’ve been using the Time based automation instead of Location based automation. With the Location based automation, you can also select a time condition as well. Hope this answers your question, if I’m understanding correctly.

 

[gwhizkids]

I’m not sure you can do this with the limited set of triggers given to you by the Home app. You might have better luck with the Home+ 6 or Home Assistant (if you have a dedicated device to run it in). I believe those have the triggers you are looking for.

 

[gwhizkids]

You can absolutely set up an automation that triggers when you arrive at work. Whether or not it fires consistently is another story lol. Home app>automation tab>+ button>add automation>people arrive>location (tap where it says “home”)> add any location you’d like.

Conversely, you can do the same for leaving a location using the same steps but switch “people arrive” with “people leave”

It seems like you’ve been using the Time based automation instead of Location based automation. With the Location based automation, you can also select a time condition as well. Hope this answers your question, if I’m understanding correctly.

I believe what is being looked for here is a trigger that says “at (say) 4pm, if I am at work, turn on the A/C but if I am anywhere else, don’t turn it on”. So a simple arrive/depart based trigger won’t do the trick. If, for example, you live 10 minutes from your work location, triggering the A/C to turn on as you depart won’t result in a cool house when you get home as there is insufficient time.

 

[Itinj24]

I believe what is being looked for here is a trigger that says “at (say) 4pm, if I am at work, turn on the A/C but if I am anywhere else, don’t turn it on”. So a simple arrive/depart based trigger won’t do the trick. If, for example, you live 10 minutes from your work location, triggering the A/C to turn on as you depart won’t result in a cool house when you get home as there is insufficient time.

Yes true, but the way I saw it, is if they arrive at work using the location based automation and set a time condition for the AC to turn on at 1630, then the AC would turn on if they’re at work, at 1630 because both conditions are being met. However, if on vacation, and the work location trigger was never met, then the AC would never turn on at all. I never dug this deep in the Home app automations so maybe I’m giving Apple too much credit for this to work the way I’m envsioning it lol. Is that you have to arrive/depart work within that specified time for it to fire?