Dusk/Dawn in R83

[eldaria]

So just upgraded to the new R83, very nice to see that Securifi finally added (some of) the Home automation stuff promised during Kickstarter.
And I was so happy to read this when I opened the web Interface.
Rules allow you to schedule devices and trigger actions based on certain events. For example you can keep you porch lights on from dusk to dawn, ...

This is exactly what I wanted. Well I would like some more advanced for example (When sun goes down turn on porch light until midnight, then activate only on movement for 1 minute, and at 6AM stay on until sun goes up(if not already up))

But when I go in and try to create a rule. There is no way of setting a rule to dusk or dawn or sunset and sunrise, only fixed times. Well I guess you could use a fixed time, it depends on where you live, but where I live sunrise can be anything between 03:30 in June to 08:45 in December and sunset is anything between 14:47 in December to 22:08 in June. So as you see using a fixed time for setting the porch light is useless to me.

It should be pretty easy to implement a rule based on sun up and sun down and I just dont get why you did not include this, it has been requested since long back.

You could go the easy route and use an API to ask the internet.
http://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/d/docs?d=data/astronomy

Or use an algorithm to calculate it.
http://williams.best.vwh.net/sunrise_sunset_algorithm.htm

[Ashok]

@ eldaria,

We are working on this, however, I am not sure if this would happen soon may take some time.

[andersos]

Yes this is very important here up north in the land of midnight sun. Please make a nice solution.

[SecureComp]

So just upgraded to the new R83, very nice to see that Securifi finally added (some of) the Home automation stuff promised during Kickstarter.
And I was so happy to read this when I opened the web Interface.
Rules allow you to schedule devices and trigger actions based on certain events. For example you can keep you porch lights on from dusk to dawn, ...

This is exactly what I wanted. Well I would like some more advanced for example (When sun goes down turn on porch light until midnight, then activate only on movement for 1 minute, and at 6AM stay on until sun goes up(if not already up))

But when I go in and try to create a rule. There is no way of setting a rule to dusk or dawn or sunset and sunrise, only fixed times. Well I guess you could use a fixed time, it depends on where you live, but where I live sunrise can be anything between 03:30 in June to 08:45 in December and sunset is anything between 14:47 in December to 22:08 in June. So as you see using a fixed time for setting the porch light is useless to me.

It should be pretty easy to implement a rule based on sun up and sun down and I just dont get why you did not include this, it has been requested since long back.

You could go the easy route and use an API to ask the internet.
http://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/d/docs?d=data/astronomy

Or use an algorithm to calculate it.
http://williams.best.vwh.net/sunrise_sunset_algorithm.htm

It's not the API that's the issue, if you look closely at your Almond+ you'll notice that you have Weather available on the LCD interface, now how do you suppose they are getting that? Wunderground API perhaps? 

So getting the location and sunrise/sunset data is easily accomplished. Integrating that with Rules and Scenes takes a little more work.  Stay tuned, I have a good feeling about this feature. 

[eldaria]

"It's not the API that's the issue" - Exactly it is Securifi's unwillingness to try and be a great Home Automation platform.

I have pretty much given up on using the Almond+ for Home Automation, it had so much potential but it became painfully clear that it is not on the roadmap of the leadership in Securifi to make the Almond+ a great platform for building cool Home Automation systems.

I'm just hoping that eventually they will open up a REST API with full access to connected sensors, so we can at least use it as a gateway to Z-Wave and Zigbee devices and use other platforms to build the software on since Securifi is not up to the task.

 

[SecureComp]

"It's not the API that's the issue" - Exactly it is Securifi's unwillingness to try and be a great Home Automation platform.

Your opinion. Yes an API would be helpful, in lieu of that many of us have been using the SDK.  An API has been promised to be delivered after R83 was dropped. (delivered)

And no, it's not "the issue" unless you choose to make it so. Time and Weather are currently being reported to the LCD interface. A little bit of DIY digging yields the source to be the Wunderground API, therefor the acquisition of the Sunrise/Sunset data for your router, your location is a simple matter as it is already collecting and processing much more than that.

The implementation of dynamic start / stop times to be used by Scenes and Rules is the coding that remains.

Yes community based coding/support would help move things along but that is different than a "delivered feature" and opens up a whole new can of worms support wise. Even so, the API has been promised.

I have pretty much given up on using the Almond+ for Home Automation, it had so much potential but it became painfully clear that it is not on the roadmap of the leadership in Securifi to make the Almond+ a great platform for building cool Home Automation systems.

I have not given up on using the A+ for Home Automation and have several very successful implementations, some moderately complex. R83 and the updated apps will only improve those installs. Give R83 a try, you might like the enhancements.

I'm just hoping that eventually they will open up a REST API with full access to connected sensors, so we can at least use it as a gateway to Z-Wave and Zigbee devices and use other platforms to build the software on since Securifi is not up to the task.

 

An API has been promised and after the public soak of R83 I anticipate seeing progress. It has never been mentioned that the API would be REST compatible (though REST isn't even a standard) but it would be nice.

[BikerBob]

I too would really like to see Dusk/ Dawn be a priority HA feature.

[mr23]

I too would really like to see Dusk/ Dawn be a priority HA feature.

Sure makes sense to add, I'd like that too.