Staircase - lights on/off based on motion

Hi guys,

I’m trying to figure out how to implement motion based lightning in my staircase.

My staircase has 7 ‘levels’ which all have rooms connected. For a more visual idea (yes I am redecorating :wink: )

Here you see three levels. So it goes from top to bottom.

The possibilities to hardwire switches is limited due a lack of electric tubes in the various walls. As i’m not fond of the KaKu or Zwave.me remote buttons either, I want to fit motion sensors which control the (KaKu) switches for my ceilings lights.

I could place a motion sensor at either end of a section of stairs to determine direction (up/down) and in this way controlling which lights switch on and which ones do not.

I’m also wondering if it would be useful/workable to throw in a couple of extra flows to tell homey based on a,b & c variables Someone will most likely from level x to level y in a down/upwards direction. Which would probably end in a flowzilla :sweat:

Do you have any inspiration/suggestions/flow ideas/alternative ideas? Shoot!

I’m interested in how you would approach this and what traps or possibilities you see for this situation.

I have the exact same situation. I use 2 motion sensors, 1 upstairs and 1 down stairs.

My flow is like:

If motion sensor upstairs goes on > and motion sensor downstairs is on (so motion is from downstairs to upstairs) > do something

I use a different flow to set a variable Sundown true/false.

Another very useful flow i use is to turn on the kitchen lights when i go DOWNSTAIRS… So if motion downstairs goes on and motion upstairs is on AND the time is between 04:00 and 0700 AND the Sundown variable is TRUE > turn on kitchen lights (also kaku)

I assume you mean 2 sensors for each piece of stairs? So I get 2 sensors on every level but top/bottom levels. One for up and one for down. Which would make 12 sensors over 7 floorlevels. Then I have to figure out a way In placing aqara body sensors to ignore my cat. :grimacing:

There is noooo way to justify 12 fibaro motion sensors to turn some stairlights on/off :rofl:

The idea to use the state of different kaku’s(or lights) in the ‘and’ Secion is very helpful. Hadn’t thought of that.

Every door has to be seen by at least one sensor. For safety reasons you can’t ask people to step on the stairs in the dark. Maybe you can design this with seven sensors?
It doesn’t mean that all the lights have to be on but at least one light up and down around the person.

I’m not sure what you mean with safety reasons. It’s a private house, and usually (when after midnight) we would walk these stairs without lights on anyway.
It’s not desirable that when someone goes for a nightly bathroom visit, the staircase becomes one bright Christmas tree. :wink:

I tried thinking out a way to make this work with 7 sensors. But as far as I can think of, it would either lack up/down direction. I could try to put a sensor in the center of each level to overlook both the upward and downward stairs, and use the state of surrounding sensors for direction. But when I use 1 sensor per level, I and up with placement that will also pick up our cat wandering around.

Even it’s a private house you are still responsible for the safety in your house, something with Bouwbesluit where it says that you need a switch on the beginning and the end of a stairs to make sure there can be light.
Perhaps one Lux is enough in the middle of the night. When you just got up for a bathroom visit then you don’t need much light. The other way is different, when you leave a bright room then One Lux can be quite dark.
For that you can make different flows.

Hi,
I read your transcript about the motion sensors.

Q; Which sensors do you use? The Xiaomi Aqara sensor?

I have a problem to get 2 connected to my homey. One works, but as soon as I try to connect the other one, it states “allready in use”.
How did you manage this, if using this sensor?

Regards,

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