Understanding the interactions between automations and scenes
Sometimes an automation conflicts with a scene, and they may apply different instructions within a limited timeframe. In these situations, any new action triggered by a change in instructions—whether manually, using Neviweb, or following the activation of a scene or automation—will take precedence over the previous one. The automations will resume at the next scheduled event.
Scenario 1
You’ve set up a timer automation so that the kitchen lights are on at 70% brightness at 6:00 AM, Monday through Friday. As you get out of bed, you notice a message from your employer informing you that the office is closed due to water damage. Since you’re already up, around 6:50 AM you activate your “cook” scene to raise the kitchen lights to 90% brightness. However, you’ve also set up another timer automation to turn those same lights off at 7:00 AM, the time you leave for the office. Because the 7:00 AM automation is the last action, it will activate as usual to turn off your lights.
Solution: To avoid this situation, disable your 7:00 am time automation and reactivate it in the evening so that it is ready for the following days.
Scenario 2
You created a time automation so that the living room lights are 70% bright at 6:00 AM, Monday through Friday. However, you took a few days off and have the opportunity to sleep in. Thanks to another time automation, your living room lights turned off at 7:00 AM, your usual time leaving for the office. The living room lights will remain off until the next automation. On the other hand, if you activate your “movie” scene during the day to catch up on TV, your lights will turn on at 20%. Since the “movie” scene comes after the 7:00 AM automation, it takes precedence and remains active until the next scheduled time.
Tip: Add your “cinema” scene to your favorites. It might come in handy in the days to come.
Note: When creating a time automation, always make sure to create an automation to turn a device on and an automation to turn that same device off.
Scenario 3
You had dinner with friends and returned home at 9:59 PM. Thanks to your presence automation activated by geofencing, the exterior and living room lights were on and the ambient temperature was 22°C. By the time you parked the car and unlocked the door, all the lights had turned off and the set temperature had dropped to 17°C. The “Goodnight” automation that you had programmed for every weeknight at 10:00 PM had activated, even though you had just arrived home.
Solution: To avoid this situation, you must choose between using time-based automations (scheduling for Wi-Fi and Mi-Wi products) or presence-based automations (geofencing). It is not possible to use both types of automation for the same device.
Scenario 4
You’re having friends over for dinner, and to impress them, you’ve decided to activate your “Dinner” scene at 7:10 PM. The dining room lights dim to 50%, the living room lights also dim to 20%, and the wine cellar lights open to showcase your extensive wine collection. However, you had previously scheduled a timer automation for 7:30 PM that turns the living room lights up to 80% and the dining room lights off. Since the 7:30 PM automation occurs after the scene activated at 7:10 PM, it takes precedence and runs until the next scheduled automation. (See the diagram below.)
Solution: To avoid this situation, disable your automation for the evening before activating your scene.