Leaving home while guests are there?

I find myself frequently leaving my home while guests are still there. Is there anyway to allow an exception from the “goodbye” routine from automatically executing?

I’m no expert so take this with a pinch of salt but could you:

Create a new Mode for ‘Guests Active’ which you manually change to and out of. Then your goodbye routine can say only in ‘x x x x x’ modes, not guest active mode?

Or use a Rule Engine version like CORE (I’ve not used it personally, managed to get everything I was using the original from working with new smart lighting updates) to only trigger Goodbye if you have left AND there is no motion in your house for x minutes.

Or bye another presence sensor and when in guest active mode, get them to take the sensor with them and only change if all presence sensors have left (only really useful if you mainly have the same guests over like family.

Hope that’s of some help!

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I was thinking something along the lines of a new mode/routine but didn’t give it much thought. I will try your first suggestion and let you know how it goes. Thanks!

I’ve just created a virtual presence device in my IDE which I add to SHM etc as a person. Then just turn it on if someone there

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I like that solution. How do you turn on the virtual presence? Can it be a widget?

You just click on it on the SmartThings app and it changes its presence, very quick and easy

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You can do this with a combination of routines and modes. This eliminates the need for the virtual presence sensor. Here is an example of what I use:

Guest and Vacation modes stay active indefinitely, Nanny mode is reset at midnight every day.

  • Routine GOOD MORNING: At 7am automatically changes the mode to “Home” (unless mode is Guest or Vacation)
  • Routine GOODBYE: If everyone leaves (based on presence sensor) change mode automatically to “Away” (unless mode in Nanny or Guest)
  • Routine I AM BACK: If anyone returns (based on presence sensor) change mode automatically to “Home” (unless mode is Guest or Nanny)
  • Routine GOOD NIGHT: At midnight changes the mode automatically to “Night” (unless mode is guest or vacation)
  • Routine GUEST HOME: Is triggered manually and change mode to “Guest”
  • Routine NANNY HOME: Is triggered manually Change mode to “Nanny”
  • Routine VACATION: Is triggered manually Change mode to “Vacation”

You can then add other items into the routines (e.g. Set Smart Home Monitor to Away as part of AWAY…) and use the modes as conditions in one of the rule apps (e.g. don’t turn on certain lights automatically if mode is Vacation).

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I have a “Visitors” mode that prevents Goodbye and a number of other automations to run. But I really like @kraegd’s solution too!

I use the same solution as @kraegd and it works brilliantly for when a guest/babysitter is at the house. It is by default off and in all of my “presence” rules and then I just turn it on as needed.

Is there anyway to incorporate the virtual presence into a routine? This way I can have it as a widget.

The virtual presence sensor is treated just like a physical presence sensor (aka your phone or ST presence sensor). It can be used in any way a physical presence sensor can.