Easy & Effective: The Best 5 Home Assistant Automations for Beginners

Introduction

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on the top five essential home automation setups for beginners using Home Assistant. These automations will enhance the convenience, security, and energy efficiency of your home. Follow the steps outlined here to set up each automation easily.

Chapter 1: Toggle lights when motion is detected or stopped

This automation allows your smart lights to turn on automatically when motion is detected and turn off after motion has stopped.

Steps to Set Up:

1. Prepare Your Devices

   • Ensure you have a motion sensor and smart lights installed.

2. Create a New Automation

   • Navigate to Settings > Automations and Scenes.
   • Click on Create Automation and then Create New Automation.

3. Define Triggers

   • Trigger for Motion Detected
     • Click Add Trigger.
     • Select State and choose your motion sensor entity (e.g., Office Motion Sensor).
     • Set To to "Detected".
     • Click the three dots in the upper corner and select Edit ID; name it "Motion Detected".
   • Trigger for Motion Stopped
     • Click Add Trigger.
     • Select State again and choose the same motion sensor.
     • Set To to "Clear" and enter "5 minutes" in the For field.

4. Define Actions

   • Click Add Action and choose If-Then action.
   • If Condition
     • Click Add Condition and select Triggered By.
     • Choose the "Motion Detected" Trigger ID.
   • Then Action (Turn Lights On)
     • Click Add Action, select Call Service, and choose light.turn_on.
     • Choose the light entity you want to activate (e.g., light group called Office).
   • Else Action (Turn Lights Off)
     • Click Add Else, then Add Action.
     • Select Call Service and choose light.turn_off.
     • Select the same light entity for turning off.

5. Save Automation

   • Give your automation a meaningful name and click Save.

Practical Tips

• Ensure your motion sensor has a good field of view to maximize effectiveness.
• Adjust the delay for turning off the lights based on your usage patterns.

Chapter 2: Toggle lights at Sunset and Sunrise

Automate your home lighting to turn on at sunset and off at sunrise, enhancing convenience and security.

Steps to Set Up:

1. Create a New Automation

   • Go to Settings > Automations and Scenes.
   • Click on Create Automation and then Create New Automation.

2. Define Triggers

   • Trigger for Sunrise
     • Click Add Trigger, select Sun, and keep the event as Sunrise.
     • Click the three dots to edit ID and name it "Sunrise".
   • Trigger for 30 Minutes After Sunset
     • Click Add Trigger, select Sun, and choose Sunset.
     • Enter "30" in the minutes field to trigger after sunset.

3. Define Actions

   • Click Add Action and select If-Then action.
   • If Condition
     • Add a condition for the Triggered By and select the "Sunrise" Trigger ID.
   • Then Action (Turn Off Lights)
     • Select Call Service, choose light.turn_off, and select your light entity.
     • Optionally add a transition effect (e.g., 300 seconds).
   • Else Action (Turn On Lights)
     • Click Add Else, choose Call Service, and select light.turn_on.
     • Choose the light entity to turn on 30 minutes before sunset and set a transition if desired.

4. Save Automation

   • Name your automation and click Save.

Practical Tips

• Consider using this for outdoor lighting to enhance security at night.
• Use a dimming feature for a gradual light change, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Chapter 3: Turn off all devices after everyone has left the house

This automation ensures that all lights and devices are turned off when the last person leaves home, saving energy.

Steps to Set Up:

1. Create a New Automation

   • Go to Settings > Automations and Scenes.
   • Click Create Automation and then Create New Automation.

2. Define Trigger

   • Click Add Trigger, select State, and choose your Home zone entity.
   • Set To to "0" to trigger when no one is home.

3. Define Actions

   • Click Add Action and select Call Service.
   • For turning off all lights, choose light.turn_off and click the three dots.
   • Select Edit in YAML and enter the following:

     target:
       entity_id:
         - all
     

   • Add another action to turn off the air conditioning unit using switch.turn_off, selecting your specific device.

4. Save Automation

   • Name your automation and click Save.

Practical Tips

• Test the automation by leaving the house to ensure all devices power down as expected.

Chapter 4: Turn on the heating when somebody enters the house

Automatically adjust your home heating when someone enters, ensuring a warm welcome.

Steps to Set Up:

1. Create a New Automation

   • Navigate to Settings > Automations and Scenes.
   • Click Create Automation and then Create New Automation.

2. Define Triggers

   • Add a trigger for when nobody is home by selecting your Home zone entity, setting To to "0".
   • Add another trigger for when someone enters by selecting the Numeric State and setting Above to "0".

3. Define Actions

   • Select If-Then action.
   • If Condition
     • Add a condition for the Triggered By and select the "Nobody Home" Trigger ID.
   • Then Action (Set Lower Temperature)
     • Choose climate.set_temperature, select your thermostat, and set a target temperature (e.g., 15°C).
   • Else Action (Set Higher Temperature)
     • Add an action for climate.set_temperature, selecting the same thermostat and setting a higher temperature (e.g., 20°C).

4. Save Automation

   • Name your automation and click Save.

Practical Tips

• Consider integrating geofencing for pre-heating your home as you approach.

Chapter 5: Real-Time Smoke Detection with Instant Notifications

Stay safe with a smoke detector that alerts you via phone notifications in case of smoke detection.

Steps to Set Up:

1. Create a New Automation

   • Go to Settings > Automations and Scenes.
   • Click Create Automation and then Create New Automation.

2. Define Trigger

   • Click Add Trigger, select Device, and choose your smoke detector.
   • Set the trigger to activate when smoke is detected.

3. Define Actions

   • Click Add Action, select Call Service, and choose the Notify service for your phone.
   • Enter a message and title for the notification.

4. Save Automation

   • Name your automation and click Save.

Practical Tips

• Regularly test your smoke detector and ensure it’s connected to the Home Assistant.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can set up five powerful automations that enhance your home’s convenience, security, and energy efficiency. Whether you're turning lights on automatically, managing heating, or ensuring safety with smoke alerts, these automations make your home smarter. For further customizations and more advanced setups, consider exploring additional resources or blueprints available online.