#How to detemine if room is already bright enough?

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

echo crest
#

Ive set up presence lights at my house but I like to work in the concept of "bright enough already". So it only turns on the lights if you need them.

I used to use these Aqara Zigbee light sensors here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqara-Light-sensor-T1-Zigbee-3-0-brightness-sensor-smart-induction-Light-Change-Controlled-By-Aqara-home-homekit/5834175728 (sorry for the Walmart link, I can't find them on aqaras website anymore). But they didn't really work very well. I had to do tons of manipulation on the data to get it stop jumping around so much and try to get a usable data point and even then it was kind of a crapshoot.

I tried a software solution this time, using this HACS component to guess outside illuminance and base it on that: https://github.com/pnbruckner/ha-illuminance/ . But I'm not really happy with those results either.

Anyone have a sensor they like for this use case?

dense trail
rain sun
#

I use aquara or apollo presence sensors for this (they both have LUX + mmWave support).

I have automations to turn lights on based on a minimum LUX level + someone in the room (measured with a mmWave sensor). Once the lights are on, they only turn back off if the mmWave sensor no longer detects presence.

echo crest
#

But this was part of what made them so flaky I think since the lights themselves increase illuminance

rain sun
#

that 100% will happen

echo crest
#

Maybe I should just try what I have and switch to that logic. All my mmwave sensors and motion sensors do report in illuminance right now

echo crest
dense trail
#

I have 3 on Z2M work fine.