Period of time-condition seems to prevent a routine from triggering

Have you already used any other channel?

Ah okay. I’m sorry, I should have noticed this sooner. I don’t own a hub so there is no hardware for the driver to install to. I guess because of that I can’t even see it. I thought since the smartthings app works so well for me just with alexa and virtual buttons I would be able to install this virtual calendar in my smartthings account aswell. So I guess I won’t be able to use your method.

1 Like

Correct, If you don’t have a Hub mo you can use edge drivers

I think I thought of a way that seems to work aswell without any hubs or drivers. (I tested it with a simple message and it did it’s deed.)

  1. I made a virtual switch on my smartthings account.
  2. I made two rules: At 10am → switch on; at 9pm ->switch off.
  3. Main rule: If status away AND virtual switch on → then vacuum on

So in OP’s case:

Rule 1: IF 3pm, THEN switch on
Rule 2: IF 8am, THEN switch off
Rule 3: IF switch on AND temp below threshold, THEN heater on

That way the time period is an equal condition to the main trigger and not a pre condition. So the routine will be triggered as soon as both conditions are met. (Whereas in the previous routine (in my understanding) it will only be triggered when the temperature sinks below the marking point while it was in the time frame. If it was already too low before 3pm it would have not been triggered.)

Please tell me if this works for you. It does seem too simple a solution for it to work perfectly so I’m still a little suspicious but I can’t see a fault in it. And in my simple test it seemed to work really well. I’ll see tomorrow if it actually did with my own routines.

Yes, it should work too.

Try to generate presence out before and after the switch goes to On to see if it goes well with the two different triggers

The difference is that 3 automations are needed instead of one, but that’s correct

I tried it with IF location away AND switch on THEN message and timed the switch-on-routine to a minute in the future. It worked with me being already away (1 condition already met) and finally triggered by the switch that turned from off to on. I’ll see when I go home and leave again if it also works the other way around with me leaving as the final trigger and the switch being already turned on.

Edit: it works.

@Binero,

You can simulate presence in automations replacing it with other virtual switch and try many times.

Away = Off
House = On

1 Like

I still don’t understand why the native Smartthings time-window as a pre-condition is not working. I have a couple of Automations that run during the off time period.

If I am traveling in a different Timezone I would expect that this would not have any effect on the timing at the hub, but it seems that the automations are running based on the Timezone of my IOS device running the app and not based on the Timezone of the hub. I have not done any extensive testing to verify as I would find it almost laughable if a device with so many users would have a bug this big, but it is the only explanation that I can find for an automation to run at a time that does not meet the pre-condition time window.

Does anyone have any insight?

I also have the issue that automations are not running when they are supposed to and wondering if anyone has been able to get the stock application to work of if we need to use the after market app.

The explanation that the start of the time window is not a trigger is helpful and that has answered some of my questions.

Thanks!