Outside Security Lighting and PIR's

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  • Kevin
    Moderator
    • Jan 2004
    • 558

    Outside Security Lighting and PIR's

    Just added an ODI for a power monitoring demo I have this week and then later it will be free again for other use and so I'll be reallocating it for outside floodlights and have a few requirements. I see there is a placeholder but no content in Cortex help for "How to create automated outside lights and zone" and I think Jon implements a similar setup.

    I have 6 outside PIR's and 5 areas of flood lighting that I want to operate independently . The PIR's feed into an ODI. I can switch the floods from IDRANet buttons too.

    1) Specific external PIRs should bring on specific floods for a timed period and the period should be reset for every PIR activation. Some PIR's bring on several/all floods ie they can overlap sometimes.

    2) I want to be able to switch on the PIR's for a different/longer period from an IDRANet button and that time period should be honoured regardless of a PIR trigger expiry that might switch it off earlier.

    3) I would ideally like to be able to double or long press the button to bypass the timer and keep the floods on permanently (don't think I can do this though).

    4) I would like to be able to inhibit the floods so that when say eating outside they don't come on.

    5) The floods should only operate when dark (I have outside light sensor)

    6) Some floods should only operate during certain time periods eg midnight to 6AM or maybe on certain days or when the alarm is set. The buttons should be able to control the lights outside of this time though.

    7) These are outside and so I dont need specific interaction with the alarm object or occupancy. IIRC some changes were made in Cortex to better handle 'outside' but the forum won't allow a search on 'PIR' or 'outside' grrrr. That pending help topic sounds just what I might need.

    8) Ideally I would like automatic Reflex fallback of some of this functionality if Cortex is AWOL.

    9) Some announcement or beep internal to house dependent on alarm set state and time.

    A while back I approached this without thought by turning floods on and then triggering a macro that turned them off after a certain time period but this doesn't retrigger and so always runs a fixed period... The time period activation was an issue hence my adjacent question about gating time periods using a logic connection. I ended up using a combination of Cortex and xAP but now trying to streamline things within Cortex if possible.

    Just about to revisit it... any tips or gotchas ?

    K
    Last edited by Kevin; 7 May 2011, 02:45 PM.
  • chris_j_hunter
    Automated Home Legend
    • Dec 2007
    • 1713

    #2
    'wonder if it's possible to the use the pulse-counting feature with buttons, to give extra possibilities ?
    Our self-build - going further with HA...

    Comment

    • Kevin
      Moderator
      • Jan 2004
      • 558

      #3
      You mean the counters on the inputs of the ODI ... with say a push button attached .. to implement a double press indicator ? Not sure if you can get at reading/setting the counters easily , although could probably construct some commands.

      K
      Last edited by Kevin; 8 May 2011, 02:21 PM.

      Comment

      • chris_j_hunter
        Automated Home Legend
        • Dec 2007
        • 1713

        #4
        yep - in-lieu of your wish for timed button presses, which SFAIK remain a not-possible ...

        anyway, just wondered - we'd give it a go, both timed- & multiple presses are on our wish-list, but we're not yet up & running (before Christmas, hopefully) ...
        Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 10 May 2011, 07:06 AM.
        Our self-build - going further with HA...

        Comment

        • Karam
          Automated Home Legend
          • Mar 2005
          • 863

          #5
          Kevin,

          So say a button press turns on PIRs (presume you mean lights?) for a fixed time period - is it one button to turn on all lights or one button per light (or group)?

          If a PIR triggers towards the end of the fixed period should the fixed period be extended?

          Say a second button press turns on the light/s indefinitely then do you need a third button press to switch off? In other words should a single button cycle through 3 states. Or just relying on light level/operating time automation to switch off?

          You mention inhibiting automation action in different ways: manual eg. if sitting outside example, time based, and light level based. Should the above buttons however always be able to operate the lights (presume so)? Is the manual inhibit triggered via some other source i.e not some kind of 4th state of above buttons?

          9) Do you mean when lights are switched on irrespective of trigger source or just when PIRs trigger?

          Comment

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