New Version: Smart lights versus Automations performance

I’m migrating to the new app and a V3 hub.

  1. In the new app, I thought I heard that as Samsung moves more automation to the local Hub it will be the smartApps that will move first. So… I am doing as much as I can in the SmartApps. Anyone else hear this?

  2. At the same time I am trying to speed things up as much as I can, I replaced most non Z-Wave devices and have done what I can to optimize network coverage. My question is, If I use a Aeotec multisensor 6 to trigger an action, like turning on a light, if I have two conditions, motion and Illuminance is that tow call to the sensor or will both happen at once, and do you think it would have a noticeable impact on performance of the automation?

Thanks,

I don’t think that’s a call to the sensor, rather the sensor is sending an updated state for that capability to the hub whenever it changes. Even if you force a Refresh to the device you’re not refreshing a specific capability, but all capabilities of the device (depending upon how the DTH is written). The SmartApp or Automation is watching the change in those capability states to determine when to trigger.

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Correct. So this means if you have an automation that triggers on motion from the sensor but only if illuminance is greater than X, what happens is the trigger - motion gets met, and then the illuminance gets evaluated based on whatever SmartThings knows about the state of illuminance at the time. It’s not polling the device to figure it out - it’s just using last reported data. With this particular device, you can tune how fast/often it sends that data IF you’re not using the stock DTH and its behavior on battery v/ on USB power.

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I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean by this. Smartlighting already runs local, it’s the only thing which does other than some parts of smartthings home monitor. ( and not everything in smartlighting does, but at this point much of it does if the devices are also eligible to run locally.)

https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/209979766-Local-processing

It is likely that official features will run locally before any custom code does, but other than that I don’t think anyone has said anything about what local processing will be.

For now, to maximize local processing, you should be using smartlighting. Does that make sense?

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I didn’t know that. I think I was listening to a utube video from the developers conference and they were talking about the rules engine and local processing in the future, and I didn’t realize some of it was current capabilities.

Any thoughts on my second question?

Thanks,

I believe my second question is answered thanks.

I have all of the multi sensors using usb power, but I use a stock device handler. I’ll go play with it to see if I can speed it up.

Do you know if I can trace the transaction with the ZWaveProducts toolbox?

Thanks

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I’m sorry, I don’t know what this means in this context.

Do you mean the commands sent to devices through the mesh from the hub once it receives it? I’m pretty sure you won’t see much within the hub or the ST cloud, besides what Live Logging gives you in the IDE.

My thought was around being able to trigger the automation and see if I can see what happens and the timing in real time to see how long it takes and by what route. Just to see the speed differences in different approaches. (sort of like in the early web days doing transaction traces to see what causes performance issues) The issue I’m having is a delay in the lights coming on, seems like seconds, probably more like half a second but just wanting to get the lights on before I’m across the room… Even been looking at combining multiple sensors to get a direction established so the light is on when I get there… but bottom line is trying to speed up things and see where the bottlenecks are.

I think they were talking about the new RULES API engine which I believe is different from the new automations engine in the new app.

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If I disable the Smart Lighting app in the new ST app, will it really stop it from running? I believe it does stop it. It’s still listed in the Classic app and there’s no indication that it’s been disabled.

I’m moving some of my Smart Lighting logic to Automations because I want to keep lights outside dimmed when there is no motion and I can do that with Automations and Scenes, while SmartLighting can only “Turn off after motion stops”.

Edit - Confirmed. The Smart Lighting automations no longer run.