SmartThings Automation: Turn on Lights with Room Entry

Automating Lights with SmartThings Upon Room Entry

Are you frequently inconvenienced by the need to locate and operate a light switch in darkened rooms? Utilizing SmartThings, you can automate this process, enabling lights to illuminate automatically as you enter a space.

Several methods exist for achieving this automation, contingent upon the smarthome products you currently possess. The automation can be initiated either through a SmartThings open/close sensor or a SmartThings motion sensor.

Setting Up the Automation

For the lights themselves, you can employ a SmartThings Outlet (or a compatible third-party smart outlet) connected to a lamp, or alternatively, utilize Wi-Fi light bulbs such as Philips Hue.

Begin by launching the SmartThings application on your smartphone and navigating to the "Marketplace" tab, located in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

If not already selected, tap on the "SmartApps" tab at the top of the screen.

Next, select "Lights & Switches".

From the options presented, choose "Smart Lights," which is typically the first selection.

Tap on "New Lighting Automation" to proceed.

Within the interface, tap the box labeled "Which lights do you want to control?".

Place checkmarks adjacent to the lights you wish to control. If a lamp is connected to a smart outlet – whether from SmartThings, Belkin WeMo, or another brand – select it from the list. Confirm your selections by tapping "Done" in the top-right corner.

Subsequently, tap inside the box displaying "What do you want to do?".

Select the "Turn On" option, then tap "Done" in the top-right corner.

Now, tap inside the box that reads "How do you want to trigger the action?".

Several triggering options are available; for this setup, we will utilize "Motion" to allow a SmartThings motion sensor to activate the lights. Tap "Done" in the top-right corner to confirm.

Tap inside the box labeled "Which motion sensors?".

Select the desired motion sensor from the list and then tap "Done".

Optionally, activate the toggle switch next to "Turn off after motion stops". This ensures the lights will switch off when no motion is detected.

If you enable this feature, tap inside the box displaying "After this number of minutes".

Enter a duration – 1 or 2 minutes is generally sufficient – or customize it to your preference.

Tap "Next" in the top-right corner of the screen.

To personalize the automation rule, tap the toggle switch next to "Edit automation name".

Tap inside the box labeled "Enter custom name" and input a descriptive name for the automation. Tap "Done" in the top-right corner when finished.

The newly created automation rule will now appear in the list. To remove it, swipe left on the rule and tap "Remove".

Convenience and Application

While this type of automation may not be suitable for every room, it offers significant convenience in spaces like closets or areas where brief access is required, eliminating the need to manually operate a light switch.