Party / Vacation Mode

[Guest]

I have a few events that are schedule to run daily on fixed time as well as sunset. They worked great until my last party. I have created another event called "Party" which sets up the whole house in party mood, nice dimmed lights etc., trouble is the evening events of bed time still run and basically shut the whole house down.

Was a bit embarrising during the last party when we were all standing there in the pitch black.... my wife lightened the mood just a bit when she yelled "Bed Mode, everyone Out". Anyway, after all the ribbing of my home automation I used my Tivo to turn the lights back on and that was a hit. Hence....

I need a party mode or vacation mode... i.e. when I trigger a manual Party event all else stops until I manually resume things to normal.

Ideas???

[Rupp]

You could create a virtual device called Party Mode and make it a condition any any events that you do not want to trigger if the party mode is on.

[Guest]

Thanks Rupp,

Having a look at that idea, it appears to me that I would have to modify all existing events to check for is Party device ON, is that correct?

Also, what does the offset need to be to not run the event, would it only work to say off set the bed time events by an hour etc or can I shut down each event?

[Guest]

I also noticed that I can run a "Cancel All Events" as an added action inside an event. i.e. Run "Party" dim everything nicely and Cancel all events.

I just don't know for how long or how to resume things to normal?

Thanks

[Rupp]

Yes you would need to modify each event that you want to "effect". This way if party mode is on, the event will not run. If you want them to run at a later time this gets more involved and would probably need a script.

[Guest]

Any help on the above mentioned Cancal All Events idea?

[CJVann]

Just delay the bedtime event until the party is over

Use 2 virtual devices:
1) Party
2) Bedtime (Turns on at your usual bedtime & off at sunrise)

If Bedtime is ON and Party is OFF then run your nightly shutdown Event.

Now your nightly shutdown event runs at the same time every night unless you have guests - then it'll wait until they're gone to shut down.
(Be sure to check "Cannot retrigger for x amount of time" so it doesn't keep retriggering all night)

[anogee]

Instead of a virtual device, since I have UPB, what I did was create a link called "party" and a switch in my kitchen turns it on and off. When I press it, every light in the house gets set to its "party" level, and Homeseer checks if "party" is active before changing the lights or speaking. I turn most speaking off during parties, especially the door open or closed alerts.

[DC]

I use this method to put HS in various states. I have two UPB 8 button controllers that are just used to set various status flags such as:

Home (we turn it off when we leave)
Vacation
Dogs Inside
Rain Delay (for the sprinker system)
Awake
Holiday
Entertaining

I then use the appropriate status flags as conditions in almost all events. For example, different lights are turned on at dusk if we are HOME than if we are AWAY. "Dogs Inside" also controls which lights are on if the dogs are in the house. If it's a HOLIDAY, the wakeup event doesn't turn on the bedroom lights at 5:30 AM. If ENTERTAINING is on, that controls which lights come and also turns on the coffee maker. Security related events behave differently if we are home or away. For example, if we are home and someone comes up the driveway, TTS announces we have a visitor. If we are away and someone comes up the driveway, or triggers one of the outside motion detectors, TTS starts repeating a warning every 30 seconds that you are being video recorded (audible outside the house as well as inside).

This method works very well because whenever I set up a new event, it's very easy to include the appropriate status flag as a condition. If, for example, I create an event that I only want to run if we are not home, it's very simple to do.

[griffined]

In addition to the HOME - AWAY and AWAKE - SLEEP logicals folks have mentioned, I have a few more. (Logical devices whose status can be changed, and is checked by events and scripts)

One is set when only I am away. Since I work from a home office, when I am out of the house, even if someone else is here, I want HS to email me any HSP phone messages, and send an SMS to my cellphone for caller ID's, messages left, and some security events. This also cause some of the lights in my areas of the house to not cut on automatically, since I won't be there.

I have a logical called QUIET that I can set to cut down on the number of TTS messages sent to the HS Speaker apps I have running around the house. Informational message events check this, but warnings and security events do not.

I have a logical called PRIVACY that when enabled, will cut all of my web cams off.

I also use a logical device to store the status of my home office telephone line. If it's off hook (I spend a lot of time on conference calls) I mute some speaker instances, and I also send a message to display on my LEDAM sign board in the den, so I don't hear folks yelling at me across the house, or calling on the intercomm while I'm talking or listening to the phone. When I hang up the line, they see a message, and know they can get my attention.

[Steve Q]

For vacation mode I use a script to disable events I do not want to run while I am away.

I do not yet have an "entertaining" mode. I have been thinking about it but I can't decide which approach is best. I am reluctant to add even more conditions to every event. It seems like this is never ending; I am always finding another condition that I should add to every event! Where is the breaking point? How many conditions can be added to the events before Homeseer starts to choke? I think a better approach might be to have one "don't run" flag and then check only that 1 condition. I think I will create various scripts to set up the "don't run" flags.

What do you think?

Steve Q

[drozwood90]

Steve,

For ease of coding, that's generally what I do.

I create virtual devices that are set as ON or OFF. There are a multitude of scripts that I have that needs to only check for those conditions.

Then I have a set of scripts (I have them organized by room) which looks at those virtual devices. This way I have a few sets of the same type of virtual devices.

Master Bedroom has virtual devices for not blinking the Audrey LEDS, cutting sound etc. while we sleep.

Those virtual devices are then SET from any condition that I have. So, for the Bunny, there is a light that turns on based on it being night, or a light level trip, or time. All I really do is say that it is "night-time" based on ANY of those conditions. This way I can change conditions to my hearts content, as UNTIL the virtual device for night-time is set, the light does not turn on.

It's a small break in the logic, but this way I break it up as a bunch of stuff could happen...I don't know what or care, if this changes to ON then do some stuff.

This way I can also change what happens to specific scripts without worry that I'm impacting other script's. This break allows me to manage the conditions seperatly from the rest of the "what happens" scripts. If I need to change HOW I determine that it is night time (during the Daylight Savings problems) it did not affect the actual scripts themselves and I only had to change one piece of code as opposed to a bunch of scripts all looking for "is it night, has the light/dark sensor tripped, is it after a certain time". They only care that night time is not set or is.

I don't know if that was too much rambling...or if it made sense...let me know I'll try again, however I'm a big fan of consolidation of code, the less there is, the less mess you have when something breaks. It's also easier to put new code in as you re-use a lot of stuff. If you re-use by copying code, and then you discover there was a problem, you need to try to remember all the places you copied the code to and fix it, where in my situation I fix it in one place and all other places are fixed.

It's also handy for displaying things on my custom webpages as all my conditionals are listed in virtual devices (is it night time, is any of the conditions for the Audrey set for a certain LED blink, what things need attention (rotating matress, new water filter, etc.)). Instead of a bunch of if else if else, etc. to have the ASP page display the correct icon or status word on the webpage, I just say hs.devicestring("Q35") or whatever particular conditional I am looking for.

--Dan

[Steve Q]

Dan,

Thanks for the suggestions and examples. What you are doing with virtual devices is similar to what I was thinking. How do you trigger the condition? For example, if you a planning to entertain late, how do you trigger the script to set the various virtual devices? Via an x10 button or just from the computer keyboard? Any advantages one way or the other?

Steve Q

[drozwood90]

Dan,

Thanks for the suggestions and examples. What you are doing with virtual devices is similar to what I was thinking. How do you trigger the condition?

It depends on the condition that I am setting. Each virtual device is set by it's associated "conditions". That is, for the dryer, it has 2 DS10As. One for the dial, one for the door. Depending on the set conditions the Virtual device is set appropriately.

Such as when the door is opened the virtual device is set to OFF.
When the knob is turned the virtual device is set to ON (dryer is running)
When the knob comes back around it is set to UNKNOWN

Then the other event actually controls the blink of the Audrey as well as the message that the Audrey speaks. If it's SET to unknown then it speaks the dryer is finished and the LED starts to blink. If it's set to off, then the LED stops blinking. When it's ON certain webpages display an animated icon of the dryer...drying.

For example, if you a planning to entertain late, how do you trigger the script to set the various virtual devices?

For the entertainment stuff, they look for the sleep time virtual device (at least the automatic ones) look for this virtual device to be set to ON (lights in the whole house...BY room go off if it's sleep time). The Night time is set by an AND to an entertainment virtual device from a custom webpage interface. It won't become night time until
(2:00AM or (DUSK-1hour AND NOT Entertaining))

I also have a sleep virtual device in there that is set when we go to sleep, which will also set the night time to ON.

If I'm up late watching TV, I plan to have a Virtual device set by some custom TV sensors that I am designing. So, if the TV is on, the lights in the hall will not turn off. That is until I get the rest of the house rigged up with motion sensors! Then it won't matter.

Via an x10 button or just from the computer keyboard?

Custom webpage interface for some of the virtual devices, others are set based on a bunch of conditionals from other devices (see dryer example).

Any advantages one way or the other?

I use both based on my application. The only uniform way of interface is the virtual devices. You have to think of the computer not having an "analog" way of thinking. So, if you feed it enough YES and NO data points, you can have it make decisions based on that. So, to make things less complex, I have a BUNCH of datas feed into conditions that sets the virtual device. Then a have a script or event that just looks to that device for it's decision. So, nighttime's setting is rather complex, yet allows for a simple "is it night" decision, with a bit more accuracy then using JUST the sunset feature in HS. I feed into the decision for night time, entertainment status, time, a multitude of sensors, etc. In doing this I account for some sensors tripping on/OFF if they are marginal (it's dusk, a shadow causes one to trip dark then light then dark...so my events don't go ON OFF ON OFF).

So, if any sensor trips, or it's 1 hour before dusk, or I turn on a hall light (as in a human thought it was too dark so it PROBABLY was dusk) then night time is set and other lights go on in the house. Outside lights now work in parallel to the cameras that turn on based on motion.

In the morning all of this is reset based on opening a door to our closet, or it becomes past 10:00am (we slept in).

It took a while to architect it correct, but having "global" house variables has allowed me to create room based code that looks at house "settings" for if they can execute or not (mostly based on motion detectors or door sensors...such as lights in a room or bathroom, heat lamps when you get out of the shower).

Instead of replicating the "if" code for EACH room, now I need only look at...for example "is it night time" to execute lights, or turn on my custom whole house audio system (we use the westminsterchimes code for binging/bonging time throughout the house unless we are sleeping or you are playing audio in that zone (my total cost after buying ALL the parts was about $200USD and a few hours writing some code for a microcontroller and scripts for HS)).

Any other questions let me know.

--Dan

Steve Q

[Uncle Michael]

How do you trigger the condition? For example, if you a planning to entertain late, how do you trigger the script to set the various virtual devices?

Steve Q

Steve,
I don't have quite as elaborate a set of virtual devices as Dan, but I also use several methods.

For example, to let the computer know when we go to bed, we have an X10 keyfob transmitter in the bedroom. That clears our 'UP' flag which, in turn, starts a whole sequence of events. When we get up, I use a lighting scene in the bathroom to let the computer know. (In most cases, it was a matter of tracking what we did, then identifying key things that were unique. Obviously, I didn't find one for going to bed, so I had to invent one.)

For guests, it is the selection of a 'GUEST' lighting scene. For night, I use time vs. sunset and sunrise and a light sensor. For home/away I use the armed state of the security system, but I plan to add CheaperRFID tags soon.