Device Randomly turning on - how to track down?

Ok, this started happening a few weeks ago - I would find random devices (thankfully, mostly lights) on unexpectedly. Reviewing the logs in ST, I just find that they are on - with no cause.

It started with devices on the Bond bridge (ceiling lights) but now spread to other lights, including ZigBee and Z-Wave lights. This happens to random devices, some we use frequently, some we never use. So I do not think this is a delayed actions. I also do not think this is someone turning on wrong thing, as at least some times this is happening when everyone is asleep

From what I see, it is usually a number of devices turn on at the same time, however they have different timestamps - so it seems that the fact that ST thinks they are on comes from it sensing the devices being on - which makes me think it is not turned on by ST directly, however the fact that it affects things that are controlled only via ST (Zigbee/Z-Wave stuff) makes me thing there should be at least some trail as to what is triggering this.

I would suspect things like Alexa, but found nothing in the config, and as far as I can tell, “Hunches” (seems to be a frequent source of such things) are off and nothing in the routines related to these devices.

Any ideas how to track down what is triggering these events and how to make sure I stop this before it migrates to more intense/serious devices?

depending on the device and default configuration,

typically for lights the default power-loss-restore function is to turn on. Probably the manufacture assumed that is a safe-default.

So I’d look for intermittent power. If the interruption is VERY brief then the every light might not detect the power loss. You could try simulating power loss, but I would not use the circuit breaker for many testing cycles - it might not be durable to such abuse.

1 Like

That was an interesting idea, but turned out to be not it. Today I noticed that even my Amazon Glow toy turned on - which is ONLY connected to Alexa - which, I think, let me find the culprit. Alexa, when in “away” mode has this “Away Lighting” thing - where it randomly turns on and off lights. Somehow my Alexa got stuck in AWAY mode. It has a list of devices and the ones turned on are exactly the ones I had trouble with. It is off now, crossing my fingers it is the cause.

2 Likes

good to have a likely answer. Too many people post a problem and never post the resolution.

I got a box fan on another system, it turns on all the time, the HA routine is disabled, there is no scheduled control, yet every time I see on the dashboard, the output is turned on again. The resolution is, it is a manual fan again… and that module is forever damned

Yeah, that was it, not a single issue since I turned it off.

I also had a lightbulb that would be always on for weeks. Like the second it is off, it just turned back on. I could dim it to 1%, fine, but the second I dim it to 0% it jumped to 100%. Checked routines, motion sensors, automations, smartapps, etc - nothing helped… Just turned it off manually and left it off overnight… it never turned back on again - dead as a doornail. Some devices just break in weird ways.