Continuing the discussion from A Message from Alex on Platform Improvements and Our Plan Forward:
Who wants to replicate what @alex has done in his home three years ago…Testimony of how the automation was achieved may include smart app code, recorded videos and reliablility notes.
Maybe @alex and @ben can come up with a prize for those who are successful?!
I don’t have all the gear to make this happen but honestly while reading it I build almost everything in my head with RM and it was pretty easy.
Let’s say all the platform issues are now stable, the biggest Achilles heal right now for this is reliable presence. I suppose people’s implementations of iBeacons may solve some of that?
But it would be a fun exercise nonetheless.
I’ve had most of these examples working in my home before v2 came around and never rebuilt them for the reliability reasons. I am willing to give it another try, but this time documenting the actual reliability issues for each example…
I might try stuff like this again if presence is ever reliable. We have four android phones in the house. One for each person. Mine was the only one that was working everyday it seemed. That was until 4/13. After two days now my phone finally reports correctly. I pretty much had to walk away from any “presence” automations over a year ago.
The biggest challenge for me is the number of people in my house…
Me
Wife
Mom
Dad. (These two live really close and are in and out a lot.
Teenager 1
Teenager 2
Teenager 3
EDIT added a six y/o to the mix
Baby
Dog
Stupid cat 1
Dumbass cat 2
Psycho cat 3
Little bitch cat 4
My house is almost never NOT a three ring circus! !
It can’t be a circus - it’s a ZOO !!
I dislike my 3 cats as well…the dogs, kids, and wife are still ok, for now. Cat’s have drastically limited what I can automate, because cats.
I prefer my cats. They leave me alone to automate as I wish. The wife stops far more of it than they do.
Why would you need this? 
Most of this is doable with currently platform, even without RM. I do wish ST had a better rule engine, its very limiting, hence they need for RM.
edit:
I would also never use automation for physical security like auto open garage doors or unlock doors. I do have rules to secure house though.
Dude… The basement… Movie… Why do You think they need it? ? ? ?
Cause the movie is scary?
Do you have children? Do you enjoy punishing those children? Then you need this. 
I’m just waiting for someone to start using ST to feed their children everyday instead of their pets.
Then I will be impressed.
My children quickly learned to feed themselves. They realized it was either that or starve. 
I strongly believe every human should be self sufficient, by 5.
It’s good to see Ron Swanson on the forums as a supporter of ST!
Ha!!!
How exactly does @alex do this? Without custom code and modifying DTH you cannot flash lights in smartthings. One of the biggest drawbacks of the system when I first learned that smartthings could not flash lights like hue or even IFTTT do.
That statement is 3 years old. Back then, you could flash lights.
I know that custom code is still needed in RM, but flashing is actually built into the GE Link bulbs. So, no DH modifications are necessary. If you want flashing lights for alerts (I use this), just get a GE Link bulb (pretty cheap when on sale now days), and dust off your copy of RM. 
