Hi all… Are there any routine(s) that would only trigger with or to ST device(s) if a power outage occurred? Or push notification sent out from ST hub if power failed and then returned? I frequently have power outages and all 30+ smart bulbs come on Full. Not the best system operation if you are on vacation or at work and all your lights come on. I’d like to find out a automatic reset response “automation” if there is such a thing specific to power outages. Any thoughts? If there isn’t any simple reset that could run on it’s own, how about at least some “notification” pushed out to our phones indicating that a electrical power event occurred and system devices should be check and/or restored to “off”. Thks
What brand of smart bulbs? Philips Hue has a feature to keep the lights off after a power outage.
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There are different solutions depending on the exact brand of bulbs that you have. (First rule of Home automation: “the model number matters.”)
Hue bulbs connected to a hue bridge have a really cool power outage behaviour that lets you specify through the Hue app exactly what each individual bulb should do after power is restored. So you can have the kids’ bedroom come on at whatever setting it was at when the power was cut, but the parents’ bedroom come on to alert them that there was an outage. Or whatever you like.
Most other bulbs, however, will come on at full power.
If you are able to use the classic app, there is a “canary bulb” custom smartapp that can reset your bulbs to off if that’s what you want. But IIRC correctly, you’re in Australia, right? I don’t think that option is available with your system.
You can do the same thing with hardware if you really need the feature, but it’s pretty clunky. Put a smart bulb in a dark area, but keep it turned off. Like inside a closet. Or create a box around it, but of course be aware of fire safety. If the light comes on, you know the power was cut and then restored, so your canary light turned on full. So trigger off that light to turn off all the other lights.
It’s not an elegant solution, but it will work IF the canary bulb reports that it turned on. (Not all models do.)
Alternatively, you can put a light sensor next to the canary bulb and trigger off of that reporting above a certain light level.
So different people manage it in different ways depending on their exact setup.
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If you just want to know power went out and was restored, your hub should already be sending you a push notification that it went offline and then online. But of course that could be for other reasons.
Many people use a plug in device which will notify them when it switches to battery. But you may have to create one yourself by modifying a sensor. For project reports on that idea, go to the quick browse lists in the community-created wiki, go to the Project Reports section near the bottom of the page, and choose the list on “power”.
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I’m using the Smartthings brand bulbs and Sengel color bulbs.
Sengled? I haven’t heard of Sengel.
Power restoration. I need the opposite, that when the power comes on to one separated smart plug that I get a notification from the hub. The hub itself would still have power and may or may not have internet access ( based on generator use)
This would need to be plugged into something on a different circuit and send out a notification when power is restored so the hub could then notify of the change in power state. its to monitor a remote pump when goes on and off.
There are already a number of different threads discussing this kind of project in the forums. You can find them by going to the community – created wiki, looking on the quick browse lists, going down near the bottom of that page for the “project reports” section and then choosing the list on “power.“ 