Smarthings App setup Automation

Im having problems with setting up an automation.
This is what I would like.
Only at night (dawn to dusk) when I’m coming home (close to my house) have my front Entrance lights come on.
I just seem to not get this to work.
I have other automatons setup and works seamlessly.
Please help!

Can you post a screen shot of the routine you created that isn’t working?

2 Likes

With either the Android or iOS SmartThings app, you need to ensure that the app has permission to access your location at all times.

I was having similar problems until i changed that permission setting.

Thanks Brad, yes I have permission setting set to allow always.

I know that works because my thermostat will change to away when I’m far from the house.

I don’t see in the setting up automations for this to work, anything that is saying (coming home).

Example that doesn’t work correctly. The front entrance light comes on when I leave the house location.

Routine I made is to follow.

IF:

Sunset (every day)

Richard Peyton Away from My home (Precondition)

Location mode: Home

Then:

Front Door Entrance: Front entrance: Turn ON

I hope you sorta can understand! thanks

Thoughts:

  • Does the routine actually say sunset to sunrise? Sunset on its own is a specific time trigger.
  • If you are Away from home then you are quite some distance away.
  • How are you setting the Location mode? Only changes to that should make that Routine run.

Typically arriving home would be expressed as you being at home as the only condition. In order for the piston to trigger that must have changed and if you are now at Home you must have been Away before, therefore you have arrived.

I am using similar automation. But I am using life 360 as a presence sensor instead of the Smartthings presence. Life 360 is better and works perfectly vs ST.

Mine is like this:
IF:
ocation mode : Evening (precondition). In my case, the mode is set automatically when it is sunset.

I have 3 members so, in my automation, I have selected option “when any condition below is met” (this is important if there are multiple members). it has following conditions:

David’s presence : present
Mary’s presence: present
John’s presence: present

THEN:
turn on Driveway.

Here’s a similar rule I tried this evening.

I have a 150 meter geolocation radius for my home location.

When i got back home, the hall light was on.

Thanks Brad, I took your suggestion and inputted into my automaton.
I’ll let you know how it turns out in a few days. Many thanks for your help.

1 Like