Look for one for a bathroom exhaust fan and just wire it up to lights instead
this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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Home Automation
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Discussion about general home automation ideas and projects, home automation protocols like Z-wave, Zigbee, Matter, etc, and home automation software and hubs like HomeSeer, Home Assistant, OpenHAB, Homey.
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https://a.co/d/hKla5qi This screws over the switch but it's a single button.
That might be the best option I have until I finish my Hal9000 project.
Why look for something so complicated when you could use a momentary switch that is activated by the door to the closet? Basically like the light in your fridge.
I don't want to have to run wires since our attic is a nightmare (blown in insulation 3ft deep), and I don't want wires just running in the open.
What I'm looking for really isn't super complicated. It could easily be done by Lutron or someone making a few small changes to a motion light since they already have the firmware to select shutoff times.
I know this one isn't ideal but something similar to this?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Light-It-White-Wireless-RC-Switch-30019-308/206857908
What if it was a door activated switch like a fridge so the light only comes on when the door opens?
That.. Isn't the worst idea. My HA server is close to all of them, so I would just have to add a RF blaster.
And I thought about the momentary switch, but it would be a PITA to wire it so that the wires were hidden.
For me, it's a classical case for a Sonoff Basic (or Mini) with Tasmota, then write 1 rule and it is done. The smartness helps "on the outside": I can watch the state in Home Assistant.
The "non-smart" way to do this is a momentary switch and a timer relay module.
Yeah, that's the route I'll take once I start rolling out my Hal9000 project since it's the best spot in each room for the human presence detectors. I was just hoping there was a $5 Chinese switch that would die about the time I was ready to install.
We use simple, cheap motion detector bulb sockets for our closet lights. Open the door light goes on, close the door, light will eventually go off.
Many of our closets have had their doors replaced with curtains, and the solution works just as well.
Even the cheapest motion-detection sockets have a configurable sensitivity and timeout.
While we’re all-in on home automation (conditional everything including heat pumps and lighting) the closets were a case of “simple is better).
Otherwise I second the recommendation for the bathroom fan timer.
I knew I was over thinking things, and the solution would be a super simple product. Thank you!