App request: Timed stairwell illumination

I would like an app to temporarily illuminate a dark stairwell. The trigger should be a button on MiniMote and/or saying “Alexa, Stairwell.” The response is that certain set of three lights switches “on,” then after two minutes, “off.” The “off” function cannot be triggered by just any action that turns any of the lights on; it should only work with this app. Sounds simple, but I have yet to find it.

Check out CoRE, you can build a rule that will do this.

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Smart Lighting almost does what you want, I brl6, if the trigger is a Motion or Contact Sensor rather than a Switch.

If so, then you can just create a Virtual Contact Sensor and add Capability Switch to it, so it can be manually (or Alexa or SmartApp) triggered.

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The standard smart lighting feature will do this as long as you use a virtual switch as a timer.

There’s a how to article in the community – created wiki that explains exactly how to do this.

Because you’re going to apply the timer to the virtual switch rather than individual switches it won’t affect anything you do with the individual switches through other methods. :sunglasses:

So you going to create a virtual switch called “stairwell”. You’re going to set up the other switches to follow that virtual switch. You’ll put the virtual switch on a timer so that it automatically turns itself off after a couple of minutes. And there you are.

You turn on the virtual timer with “Alexa, turn on stairwell.” The other switches will come on because they are following that virtual switch. The virtual switch will turn itself off after X minutes. The other switches will turn themselves off, again because they are following the virtual switch.

Now you can refer to that virtual switch via any SmartThings method (smartLighting automation to set up a minimote button press, routine, other smartapp, etc.) and it will start your timer.

But when you turn the other switches on in any other manner, there’s no timer effect to worry about.

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=How_to_create_a_virtual_timer_for_a_light

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Actually, there is an app that will do exactly what you want, minus the Minimotes button… But I’m sure that can be added…

Check it out…

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@bamarayne

Echosistant can give you a group timer on a minimote? I thought it only affected echo requests.

From the first post in this thread:

The trigger should be a button on MiniMote and/or saying “Alexa, Stairwell.”

not yet… but it can certainly be added… that’s why I said minus the minimote…

but voice controlled timed lighting is already built in to the app.

Version 3 has expanded on the voice control of Alexa… he can set up a profile to do exactly what he wants (minus the minimote for now)

He walks toward the stairs and says, Alexa, tell the stairs to turn on. The lights come on and however long he wants they will stay on… and then turn off.

not a rule builder, just better control

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