Can I limit presence sensing to a specific time period

[egburr]

I've been using presence sensing for a while now to turn some lights on when I approach my house. However, that is pointless (and wasteful) during the day when those lights are not needed. Is there any way to limit this to a specific time period, such as 8pm to 6am?

[jigenmu8]

Yes, it is possible to limit the operation of presence sensing for your lights to a specific time period, such as 8pm to 6am. This can be achieved by utilizing additional automation rules or conditions in your presence sensing setup.

The specific steps to configure this may depend on the home automation system or devices you are using for presence sensing. However, here's a general approach you can follow:

1. Identify the home automation system or devices you are using for presence sensing. This could be a smart hub, motion sensors, or other smart devices integrated into your setup.

2. Access the settings or configuration options for your presence sensing setup. This is typically done through a mobile app or a web-based interface associated with your home automation system.

3. Look for options related to scheduling or time-based rules. This may be labeled as "Automation," "Rules," or similar terminology.

4. Create a new rule or automation that limits the activation of lights based on time. Set the rule to activate the lights only between 8pm and 6am.

5. Configure the specific lights or light groups that should respond to the presence sensing during the specified time period.

6. Save and apply the rule or automation settings.

By following these steps, you can ensure that the lights triggered by presence sensing are active only during the desired time period, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption during daylight hours.

It's important to note that the exact steps and terminology may vary depending on the specific home automation system or devices you are using. Refer to the user manual or documentation provided by the manufacturer for detailed instructions specific to your setup.

[egburr]

I am using the Google Home app on my Google Pixel 7 Pro: Automations tab, under Household Routines, the built-in "Home" routine. That is the only place I have found a presence sensing option. I can't find any scheduling or time-based rules options there, which is why I'm asking here.

[UnkKit]

I'm here over a year later searching for the same thing, did you ever find a solution?

[egburr]

Sadly, no. 

I just have the lights turn on at dusk and off at dawn, and gave up on presence sensing.

[UnkKit]

I figured out how to do it.  It’s only possible in the script editor though. 

Script editor

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #

# Lines starting with “#” are comments and will be ignored by the automation.

# Indentation determines hierarchy within the script.

# Visit g.co/home/script-editor-docs for full documentation.

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ #

metadata:

name: Welcome Home Lights at night

description: Turn on lights when someone comes home after sunset

automations:

# “starters” and “actions” are required; “conditions” are optional.

# Use Ctrl + Space to see autocomplete suggestions.

# ---- STARTERS ---- #

# Starters describe events that will start the automation.

# To add more than one starter, duplicate the "- type" section under "starters".

# If you add multiple starter events, any one of them happening will start the automation.

starters:

- type: home.state.HomePresence

state: homePresenceMode

# [available operators: is, isNot]

is: HOME

# ---- CONDITIONS ---- #

# Conditions are optional. Delete this section if it’s empty.

# Conditions will prevent an automation from starting if the conditions aren’t met.

# See g.co/home/script-editor-docs for documentation about how to use logical operators like “and”, “or”, and “not”.

condition:

type: time.between

# Optional. Accepts either clock time (10:00:00 AM, with seconds optional, or in a 24 hour format), or 'sunrise' or 'sunset', with an optional offset ('sunrise+10m', for instance)

before: sunrise

# Optional. Accepts either clock time (10:00:00 AM, with seconds optional, or in a 24 hour format), or 'sunrise' or 'sunset', with an optional offset ('sunrise+10m', for instance)

after: sunset

# ---- ACTIONS ---- #

# Actions will start when a starter event takes place and all conditions are met.

# Actions will start in the order they appear in the script and with any delay specified.

# To add more than one action, duplicate the "- type" section under "actions".

actions:

- type: device.command.OnOff # Turn the device on or off.

# Whether to turn the device on or off.

on: true

devices: Living Room Lights - Living Room

[UnkKit]

Sorry formatting got messed up and it’s might have removed some lines. But you can Google for it too. 

[val7]

I’m using my phone as presence sensing device. How can I use the time dependent automation with my phone