I am currently using @bangali awesome rooms app. It works well however there is one issue I can’t solve in real world use. Curious what others are doing to address it.
When I have a room state set I use a combo of motion sensor, switches, and virtual switches to determine the state of a room. However, this is an issue when there hasn’t been motion for x amount of time (because the motion sensor is on another side of the room), a switch is off (light) because it is day or a virtual switch for a AV activity isnt turned on (because the tv or AVR wasn’t turned on). My kid might be in the room playing with their toys and not close to the motion sensor, didn’t turn on a light or the tv. In this case the room will get set to unoccupied because none of the triggers are going to be triggered. But the truth is the kid is in the room but there isn’t a way to have the occupancy of physically being in the room tracked (without motion sensors all around every room which isnt practical).
So in this case what other ways can I have the rooms app look for clues that someone is in the room?
Depending on the age of the child, a pressure mat can be good. Some people use these under sofa cushions, you can also use it under a play area. It’s just that if you also have a dog and you are using one on the floor then the dog will likely also trigger it depending on the size of the dog.
Otherwise, a motion sensor Low to the floor but still safe from child or Pet can work well. Some people put one under a sofa or on a shelf of the entertainment center. (But not behind glass) some people put one of these underneath the desk, for example, to catch the movement of their legs while they are sitting at the desk.
People often face challenges with motion sensor lighting in the bedroom because of people lying quietly in bed reading, which can be hard to distinguish from sleeping. So you might find some of those ideas helpful: