Timetable extensions

[pim555]

Hi,

Instead of using the timetable of scheduled on/off functionality I use a custom wizard script that switches a group of lights on at sunset and switches them off at midnight. This runs all the time as it provides some kind of at home simulation. I switch these lights on at sunset and off at a fixed time.

Would like to use the timetable for this purpose and would appreciate if someone can add sunset/sunrise start/end time selection as part of the timetable widget.

Furthermore, since I switch the lights off at midnight, this works most of the time nicely but when staying up late, ideally I would like the program to keep the lights on as long as motion is detected. I think this could be another nice extension; keep the lights on as long as motion is detected on a specified motion sensor.

Cheers
Pim

[Gene]

Hi pim,

you cannot specify variable sunrise sunset in the timetable, but you can specify two fixed values, one valid for standard time and the other for daylight saving time. With the new timetable you can specify to turn off a program if no motion is detected, so instead of switching off everything at midnight you can put a reasonable late time (let's say 3 am) and then the motion activity option will take care of switching all off if no motion is detected.
I'll think of a way of specifying variable time in the timetable, but also don't want to make things more complicated of what they already are

g.

[pim555]

Hi Gene,

I like the sunset as it nicely switches on the lights when it gets dark rather than a fixed (or 2 fixed) times troughout the year.

Using the motion sensor will not work as I want the lights to be on in the configured period. They should be on when I leave home. The functionality I am looking for is some kind of overrun...only when motion is detected within the specified interval of the time table, a time out counter starts to run. If that runs over the end time it will keep the lights on. If new motion is detected within the overrun, the counter resets and starts counting down again. Only when no motion is detected anymore and time is outside of the interval, lights go off.

Cheers
Pim

[Gene]

Pim, I think you can already do something like this by a combination of "Scheduled On/Off" and "Smart Lights"+"Timetable".
All options/Features can be combined.

g.

[dani]

Hi Gene,
On the first version of timetable  I made that, the choice for light and switch were, off/sunrise/sunset/on. But you don't retain that on your amazing version. I think it is easy to reintroduce it.

[Gene]

Ok dani, if you guys agree I can add two more flags under Automatic Off options:
- When crontab expression is matched
- When greater/less than the following crontab expressions

So the user can enter any composite cron expression to set an additional rule for auto-off.
For example for the second flag the user could enter
- greater than: @Sunrise
- less than: @Sunset
with the effect that despite of whatever the program schedule is, it will be set to off when matching those rules.

Additionally also a "Disable" rule field will let the user specify a crontab expression to tell when to disable a program.

Cheers,
g.

[pim555]

Hi Gene,

Yes I think that indeed using schedule on/off (with the addition of sunrise) + smart lights can be used to achieve what I have in mind. I do believe however that set-up becomes a bit scattered across different functions and the user easily looses overview of settings.

From that perspective, would it be possible to create zones for lights/switches. if one can then select zones in the timetable, one can easily set-up above functionality for a group of lights/switches.

Cheers
Pim

[dani]

Hi Gene,
I suppose for "Greater than" : use ">"Expression
                   and "Less than" : use "<"Expression

[Gene]

Yes I think that indeed using schedule on/off (with the addition of sunrise) + smart lights can be used to achieve what I have in mind. I do believe however that set-up becomes a bit scattered across different functions and the user easily looses overview of settings.

I agree and as a solution I've in mind to create a settings overview page where user can see/modify all modules options in one page. This page will have a select menu where the user can choose the option/feature (as it happen with the single module option popup) and for each it will list all modules so the user can apply settings for that particular option to many modules at once.

From that perspective, would it be possible to create zones for lights/switches. if one can then select zones in the timetable, one can easily set-up above functionality for a group of lights/switches.

this is something I am thinking of too. The start of it is the new Zone Sensors program, but I will extend it to work with all kind of modules/widgets and it will also have an overview page.

Cheers,
g.

[Gene]

Hi Gene,
I suppose for "Greater than" : use ">"Expression
                   and "Less than" : use "<"Expression

something like that, still thinking about it.

[dani]

In the same time can you imagine in the ZWave Setup page to set a listbox for all parameters of a Node with possibility to modify Column Value, in case of couse json file give that detail. Generally it is the case of all new module. 

[pim555]

@Gene, sounds great. Looking forward to this new functionality.