homelab-docs/AUTOMATION-WELCOME-HOME.md

Welcome Home Automation

Overview

Automatically turns on lights when you arrive home after sunset, creating a warm welcome.

Status

• Created: 2026-01-14
• State: Active (enabled)
• Entity ID: automation.welcome_home
• Last Triggered: Never (newly created)

How It Works

Trigger

• Activates when person.hutson enters zone.home (100m radius)
• GPS tracking via device_tracker.honor (Honor phone)

Conditions

The automation only runs when it's dark:

• After sunset (with 30-minute early start) OR
• Before sunrise

This prevents lights from turning on during daytime arrivals.

Actions

When triggered, the following lights turn on:

Light	Brightness	Purpose
Living Room	75%	Main ambient lighting
Living Room Lamp	60%	Softer accent light
Kitchen	80%	Task lighting for entry

Climate Control Note

No climate/heating entities were found in your Home Assistant setup. To add heating control in the future:

1. Integrate your thermostat/HVAC with Home Assistant
2. Add a climate action to this automation (see customization below)

Customization

Adjust Trigger Distance

The home zone has a 100m radius. To change this:

# In Home Assistant UI: Settings → Areas → Zones → Home
# Or via API:
curl -X PUT \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"latitude": 35.6542655, "longitude": -78.7417665, "radius": 150}' \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/config/zone/zone.home"

Add More Lights

To add additional lights (e.g., Office, Front Porch):

HA_TOKEN="your-token-here"

# Get current config
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/config/automation/config/welcome_home" > automation.json

# Edit automation.json to add more light actions
# Then update:
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @automation.json \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/config/automation/config/welcome_home"

Add Climate Control (when available)

Add this action to the automation:

{
  "service": "climate.set_temperature",
  "target": {
    "entity_id": "climate.thermostat"
  },
  "data": {
    "temperature": 72,
    "hvac_mode": "heat"
  }
}

Use a Scene Instead

To activate a predefined scene instead of individual lights:

{
  "service": "scene.turn_on",
  "target": {
    "entity_id": "scene.living_room_relax"
  }
}

Available scenes include:

• scene.living_room_relax
• scene.living_room_dimmed
• scene.all_nightlight

Testing

Manual Trigger

HA_TOKEN="eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiIwZThjZmJjMzVlNDA0NzYwOTMzMjg3MTQ5ZjkwOGU2NyIsImlhdCI6MTc2NTk5MjQ4OCwiZXhwIjoyMDgxMzUyNDg4fQ.r743tsb3E5NNlrwEEu9glkZdiI4j_3SKIT1n5PGUytY"

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "automation.welcome_home"}' \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/services/automation/trigger"

Check Last Triggered

curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/states/automation.welcome_home" | \
  python3 -c "import json, sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['attributes']['last_triggered'])"

Disable/Enable

Disable

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "automation.welcome_home"}' \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/services/automation/turn_off"

Enable

curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HA_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "automation.welcome_home"}' \
  "http://10.10.10.210:8123/api/services/automation/turn_on"

Monitoring

View in Home Assistant UI

1. Go to http://10.10.10.210:8123
2. Settings → Automations & Scenes → Automations
3. Find "Welcome Home"

Check Automation State

The automation is currently: ON

Troubleshooting

If the automation doesn't trigger:

1. Check person.hutson GPS accuracy (should be < 50m)
2. Verify zone.home coordinates match your actual home location
3. Check automation was triggered during dark hours
4. Review Home Assistant logs for errors

Related Documentation

• Home Assistant API
• Personal Assistant Integration
• Smart Home Control

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements:

• Add motion sensor override (don't trigger if motion already detected)
• Integrate with calendar (different scenes for work vs personal time)
• Add climate control when thermostat is integrated
• Create "leaving home" automation to turn off lights
• Add notification to phone when automation triggers
• Adjust brightness based on time of day
• Add office lights during work hours

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Created: 2026-01-14
Last Updated: 2026-01-14