How to set up a home away mode

[Rotech]

I have heard people talk about the "home away" mode for when they leave home, but can not fully understand how you make a home away mode. I do understand that its a virtual thing, but I quite dont understand its functionalities.

I would appreciate if someone can explain how the virtual home away mode is applied.

thanks

[nightwalker]

It's fairly simple really. All you need is a virtual device, mine is called away. I use that device as a condition in a lot of my events. Based on weather or not it's on or off different events run to control what the house does when I'm not there.

for example this event normally runs when all the conditions are met, notice away mode is off.

Evening Startup 1 Condition
Device: Virtual We Have Guests is OFF AND
Device: Virtual Music Lesson is OFF AND
Device: Living Room Lamps is OFF AND
Device: Virtual Away Mode is OFF AND
Time is 50 minutes before sunset
Everyday


Device Command: UPB Device Link Evening Fade On Value Set set to Activate

Or this one when the away mode device is switched to on.

Evening Startup-Away Mode Condition
Time is 30 minutes after sunset AND
Device: Virtual Away Mode is ON
Everyday


Device Command: Living Room Lamps Dim to 50%
Device Command: Kitchen Under Counter Lights On Delay: 00:00:10


You can take it as far as you want. Most of my events have conditions and away mode is usually one of the conditions.

[MrT]

I have a heater on an appliance module, and travel a lot. I get paranoid that I'll forget to pull the plug before I leave home (and the cats will step on the switch or whatever), so have set an event that turns the heater off every ten minutes when the home is in away mode (set as a recurring timed event with the condition being 'away' is on). It doesn't do any harm if the heater is unplugged or already off, and gives me a bit more assurance that I won't come home to a burnt out shell.

I use it for other things as well, but this is one that really comes to mind when I think of 'away mode'.

[Rotech]

So, basically the virtual home away mode is an additional condition that you can add to an event to let it known your not home. Ok I got that, but what are the methods that every body using to toggle on and off the home away mode?

[MrT]

I've got a keypad on my car keys. A button for secure away, a button for arm home, and a button for disarm (actually, a couple of buttons for most functions). I use ACRF2 to arm and disarm, then run an event that checks the door status (and speaks), tells me to have a good trip - or welcomes me home, turns the lights on or off - depending which way I'm heading etc etc.

You could do all the above using a keypad to toggle any virtual switch you set up. You could also link a virtual device to anything you want - eg house unoccupied (via motion sensors), voice command, door opening and closing (ds10a), car leaving or a combination of any of these etc etc.

[telewizard13]

If the alarm is set (I read the "armed" condition on my Alarm control panel) "Away Mode" is turned on. I can then use that in conditional tests in various events. When I disarm the alarm, "Away Mode" goes to off, HS waits 5 seconds and executes an event to play any new voicemail messages in HS phone.

Do what you can.....automate the rest!

PS: I liked your red muscle car avitar better

[nightwalker]

I also trigger my away mode via HS sensing the alarm is armed in the away mode. One of these days I'll get around to using RFID tags to sense when no one is home and set the alarm which would automatically set the away mode to on.

[Rotech]

thanks guys for the good ideas, now I have to educate my family to the new trend. Thats going to be the hard part, training them how the procedure is going to be. Aim pretty sure there are going to forget to disable it.

PS: I recently purchased the chrysler 300c

[TeleFragger]

PS: I recently purchased the chrysler 300c

NICE.. was wondering why you changed your pic out...


anyway.. I bought the concord 4 alarm and havent installed it yet... I will get it in within a week or 2 now.... my company is downsizing so you know what that means.. I need to free up some bills... and $48 from adt is not needed...

once I get the alarm in (concord plugin is not created yet but in the works) I will use the x10 side of the alarm... I will have a away mode..
when the alarm is set to away.. it will run through the house and shut off all the things I want off, or wife always questions if it is off or on...... like coffee pot and some other things...

then I may try and get a way to shutoff the water to the house.....

I bought the keyfob so we will arm and disarm the house that way so no way to have to educate anyone.....

right now I have the mini timer (alarm clock) and at night I hit 3 off (J3 off) and it just shuts off all the basement lights, garage lights, util, crawl and a few other lights......

[jgary]

This thread leads into someting I am trying to write the script. I have and older home automation program running in my house in Atlanta called ECS. I have at it's core to automate lighting, phone, security, HAVAC etc based upon who is home/asleep/away/vacation.

I want to replicate this in HomeSeer in my Mom's house and then replace ECS in my Home in Atlanta with HomeSeer. I have not yet mastered enough of scripting to do automation based upon who is home and their status very well. I have a base program but it often fails because I have not yet figured out how some functionality.

How ECS triggers is often based upon status changes and when sleep counts equals in counts ect. I have done this in HomeSeer, but it is not fool proof. For instance, if someone is Home, and they press the I am home button again on an X10 key pad, I need the system to ignore the request because they are already home and not increment in in-count by another person. Same goes for going to sleep or waking up.

Then for instance if the In-Count is Now zero, shut out all the lights, turn up the AC, and set the security.

My current quest is how to script in the controls so the counts can not get easily screwed up by someone pushing the wrong button.

Here is a script of going to sleep. It's Trigger is an X10 Button A2 Changed to Off, and A2 Change to ON is the Wake Command.

[Rick Tinker]

Holy Cow Gary, you haven't gotten rid of ECS yet? Mark must be tickled to death that somebody is still running that!

If you can settle on the way you want to send signals, then myself and the others here on the board can definitely assist you in getting those scripts going.

For one thing, if you are going to stick with X-10 and are worried about fat-fingering a controller, then perhaps consider more than one button at a time to indicate something - e.g. 1-2-On for Awake, 1-2-Off for Asleep. Even better, get a WGL W800RF32, Jon Ort's ACRF plug-in, and then you can buy as many of the cheap slim-line X-10 RF switches that you want, and use them for various signals. They are ooober faster than X-10, and each key can be a different function so that with labels on them, you don't have to worry about memorizing X-10 button numbers. They are thin and last a long time on a single quarter sized battery (CR2032 type), and can be stuck pretty much anywhere. I "sealed" one in a plastic bag and then taped it inside the shower in the bathroom so I can control the song selection, volume, and more from there. Twisted for sure, but fun and handy!

The other advantage to these is that they do not require any scripting. X-10 consoles would not either, but it does depend on what you choose as your signaling technique. For example, that previous suggestion of 1-2-On or 1-2-Off could be done with an event where the trigger is a condition, and the conditions are: device 2 changed to On, device 1 is on. You could also do device 2 is on and device 1 is on, but then you would need a 3rd device or some other way to keep the event from re-triggering constantly. (Which I know you are familiar with being an ECS aficionado.)

So figure out what you want your signaling method to be, and then we on the board here can give you lots of help in getting there.

[Steve Q]

So, basically the virtual home away mode is an additional condition that you can add to an event to let it known your not home. Ok I got that, but what are the methods that every body using to toggle on and off the home away mode?

I use the Cheaper RFID tag in my car and my wifes car. When one car is gone Homeseer knows who is away. When both cars are away, the alarm system is automatically armed and the house goes to sleep mode. When either car returns, the alarm is disarmed, and the house wakes up. Very effective, no buttons to remember to push.

Steve Q

[Steve Q]

For example, that previous suggestion of 1-2-On or 1-2-Off could be done with an event where the trigger is a condition, and the conditions are: device 2 changed to On, device 1 is on. You could also do device 2 is on and device 1 is on, but then you would need a 3rd device or some other way to keep the event from re-triggering constantly. (Which I know you are familiar with being an ECS aficionado.)

Rick, This is very clever. I have often pressed the wrong x10 button that triggers a series of events (like "bedtime"). It is very difficult to undo this kind of mistake. So, I like the idea of something like 1,2,ON to trigger certain events. It never occurred to me to try something like this!

Thanks for your expertise! Homeseer is the best!

Steve Q

[Wadenut]

Mine is largely automatic.
Each motion sensor is assigned a number (normally it's unit code as most are on the same HC). As a motion sensor is triggered on, the number is stored as a value in a device "Occupation". The device string also stores a description of the last motion sensor to sense motion.
At the exit door, when that motion sensor turns off, the script checks to see if it was the last one to see motion. This being the case, the device value for occupation is set to zero and the string to "Away". Anything other than a value of zero, indicates occupation.
I then use the value of "Occupation" to make decisions in other scripts: whether or not to run the A/C, to arm the alarm system in away mode, to set back the thermostat during winter, etc.
On returning home, "Occupation = 0" and "Door motion set to on", the system welcomes us home, announces callers, and sets the thermostat to a higher setpoint in winter; provided the alarm has been disarmed... otherwise an alarm is triggered and my cell phone is called.

The "Occupation" device also similarly sets "sleep mode" if the last motion sensor to be set and reset was in the bedroom. This turns out the lights, sets the alarm in Home mode and arms the alarm clock.

[Guest]

I use the Cheaper RFID tag in my car and my wifes car. When one car is gone Homeseer knows who is away. When both cars are away, the alarm system is automatically armed and the house goes to sleep mode. When either car returns, the alarm is disarmed, and the house wakes up. Very effective, no buttons to remember to push.

Steve Q

What do you do if you both go out in the same car together?

Alan