Disappointing "local" Smart Lighting instance ( turn off after motion stops)

Same app here, just pick

What do you want to do? = turn off (you picked turn on)
Then
it will ask you “When to turn off” = motion stops

Finally got thru my assumption. Edited my reply to reflect that

No it’s more to it than that. I am turning on with mode restriction, but if I use turn on and then off in the same instance, when the mode changes the light stays on, so I had to break into 2. Turn on with restriction, then turn off without restrictions. The beauty of going the extra mile to make ST run exclusively local LOL

Oh! Light is now on (in my head)!

I actually had that happen once but not with modes. I had setup an outside light to come on with motion but only between sunset and sunrise. Then turn off after 10 minutes. When it was turned on 5 minutes before sunrise, it failed to turn off.

Interesting. Now I might have to go tweak that automation!

Thanks for patiently keeping at this.

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I probably haven’t thought it through enough, but to me the fact that restrictions like mode or time apply separately to the ‘also turn off’ element (something I consider to be counter-intuitive) make it doubly odd that the separate delayed off isn’t also implemented locally.

I suffer from the sunset to sunrise variation on a number of lights. I opted for a single automation running a minute after sunrise to force the lights off but it feels a bit abrupt.

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I have Zwave switches with one connected to my backyard spotlight and a Arlo Camera I’m using as a motion sensor to turn said spot light on overnight. I have the time I want this to happen between sunset + 20 minutes to sunrise - 30 min. I have set this to do this when this switch is set to off. I have set them to go off after motion stops after 5 minutes. So, the lights come on with motion, no matter how I set them to turn off after motion stops once the motion turns them on, they do not turn off as instructed to do. Do I have to create a Separate routine to have the lights go off? The idea is that I want them to come on if someone enters my back yard and then turn off after motion stops. So either in the middle of the night or when I’m away, I don’t have to worry about the spotlights staying on and bothering the neighbors. Haha. Thanks!

I do something similar with the Smart Lighting SmartApp. But I don’t know if it will recognize the camera as a motion sensor.

I’m able to select the camera as the device used to detect motion to activate the switch that the spotlight is connected to.

The Smart Lighting SmartApp can use motion sensors to turn on lights on motion, then turn off X minutes after motion ceases. You do that all within a single Smart Lighting automation.

I’m not sure if it will work in your application.

  • Unsure if the camera can be selected as a motion sensor
  • Unsure if a virtual switch can “stand in” for a motion sensor.

Give it a shot, won’t take you more than a couple minutes to try it out.

This is what I have set up.

You do not have a time off specified in your rule…

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Sorry to resurrect this but I got a little confused reading this.
So Is there a way to have lights turn off after a set amount of time when no motion, locally?

Either through Smart Lighting or an automation?
Thanks.

Smart Lighting: yes

Open the More Options panel to see it

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