How to edit location modes?

SmartApps & Automations
1

The new ST app has “location mode” with “Home”, “Away” and “Night” as options. How can I edit these modes? I’m not able to find them anywhere in the app. I want to edit them so I can control what happens in each of these three modes.

2

are you looking to edit the name of them, create new ones, or change the current mode for your house?

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3

I’m assuming something happens (or can happen) during these modes. So I want to control what happens. Unless I’m misunderstanding them. They sound like “Scenes” to me but I don’t see them under scenes. Perhaps if you tell me how I can change their name create new ones, I might figure it out.

4

Modes are kinds like “filters” or “states” for you house. You can use them to trigger things to happen or to restrict things from happening. You can set the mode in the following ways:

  1. tap the elipses menu in the upper right from the home screen > manage location. here you can set the Mode manually.
  2. as part of a scene. Tap + in the upper right> scene and create a scene. You can add a mode change as part of the scene. For example, my “Goodbye” scenes shuts off everything in the house and changes the mode to Away. Similarly, my “Welcome Home” scene changes the mode to Home
  3. As part of an automation. Tap + in the upper right > Automation. Here you can have certain conditions on the IF side that trigger the mode to change on the THEN side.
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5

Jimmy, thanks for the response. In #2, you setting goodbye to turn off everything. This is done in the scene itself. Then the scene also changes the mode to away, correct?

So what is the point of changing the mode to away since all the work is being done by the scene, what is the point of changing the mode?

6

because I also use the mode to restrict things from happening. i.e. I don’t want lights to turn on in Away mode from my dog walking around.

Similarly, I have two lighting automations for our bathroom. After sunset and mode = Home, motion in the master bath turns lights on at 80%. But after sunset and mode = Night, then turn on at only 5%.

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7

It’s just a ‘state’ you can use it to filter events or trigger them. I personally use mode changes to trigger a WHOLE host of events: (that I drive through a few SmartApps such as Rooms Manager and WebCoRE)

Case 1: Fun with Scenes

  1. I have a timer that (assuming the home isn’t in Pause mode) rotates at certain times of day through: Home - Awake, Home - Morning, Home, Home - Evening, Night, Night - Late, I also have two ‘special’ Modes: Away and Pause
  2. depending on these modes certain things can happen OR I have branches that changes what scene is selected to happen for instance:
    Occupancy sensor in master bedroom switches to occupied:
  • If the home is in ‘Home’ mode - it picks the MBR: Home: Occupied scene and runs it.
  • If the home is in ‘Night’ mode - it picks the MBR: Night: Occupied scene and runs it instead.

Case 2: Auto Secure
I use modes to determine what SHOULD be happening and automatically apply those. For instance: It’s night and all my doors are closed. The Security system SHOULD be on and armed in Stay mode.

  • I have webCoRE wait 15 minutes past the closing of any of my external doors IF the system is in Night, Night - Late or Home - Wake and if the security system reports ready I arm the system. (which trickles down a lock event on those doors) and I alert through Alexa only if it fails.

Why the complexity? My wife can edit the scenes in the app - I don’t want her to have to learn WebCoRE, but how often have you had or wanted different things to happen based on what’s going on, time of day, weather conditions, Arbor day, etc. Smart homes aren’t about just being able to switch a few lights on or off - it’s about automation. :wink: Now I get my automation and she can change things she wants without calling in a support ticket.

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