Triggers
Triggers define when a smart rule activates. Several smart rules — such as Condition, Delay, and Formula — use a shared trigger system. This page documents how to configure triggers.
Two trigger types are available:
- Device value triggers — monitor one or more devices and activate when a device value meets a condition.
- Time triggers — activate at specific times or during time intervals.
When adding a trigger, you choose one of these types. Some smart rules support only device value triggers; others support both.
Device value triggers
A device value trigger monitors devices and activates based on their values — temperature, motion, switch state, button presses, and more. You configure three things: which devices to monitor, which property to watch, and what condition to check.
Input devices
The trigger needs one or more devices to monitor. Depending on the smart rule, you select devices either on the main smart rule page (shared across all triggers) or directly on the trigger’s own configuration page. All devices in a single trigger must be of the same type.
Value type
Select which device property to monitor. The available options depend on the capabilities of your selected devices. Common value types include:
| Value type | Example use |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Monitor room temperature |
| Humidity | Monitor humidity levels |
| Motion | Detect movement |
| Brightness | React to light levels |
| Reed Contact | Detect door/window open/close |
| CO2 | Monitor air quality |
| Button pressed | React to button presses |
| Value | Monitor numeric values (blinds position, dimmer level) |
Tap Show more in the value type picker to reveal additional options, including statistical aggregations (average, minimum, maximum over a time period) if the device supports them.
Trigger condition
The trigger condition defines how the device value is evaluated. Conditions fall into two categories: state conditions and event conditions. This distinction is fundamental — it affects how the trigger behaves and which additional settings are available.
- State conditions remain active as long as the condition is true. The trigger activates when the condition becomes true and deactivates when it becomes false.
- Event conditions fire once when a specific transition occurs. They do not remain active — they detect a momentary change.
State trigger conditions
State conditions remain active as long as the condition is true. They are re-evaluated every time the device value changes.
Comparison:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Value equals | Value is exactly equal to the threshold |
| Value doesn't equal | Value is anything except the threshold |
| Value is greater than | Value is above the threshold |
| Value is greater than or equals | Value is at or above the threshold |
| Value is less than | Value is below the threshold |
| Value is less than or equals | Value is at or below the threshold |
Range:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Value is within interval | Value is between two endpoints |
| Value is outside of interval | Value is outside two endpoints |
Value availability and errors:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Has value | Device is reporting a value |
| Has no value | Device value is unknown or unavailable |
| Has warning | Device has a warning |
| Has error | Device has an error |
| Has warning or error | Device has a warning or error |
| Has no warning | Device has no warning |
| Has no error | Device has no error |
| Has no warning or error | Device has no warning or error |
Event trigger conditions
Event conditions fire once when a specific change occurs. They do not remain active — they detect transitions.
Value changes:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Value changed | Any value change occurred |
| Value changed to | Value changed to a specific value |
| Value changed from | Value changed from a specific value |
Threshold crossings:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Value rose above | Value increased past the threshold |
| Value rose above or equals | Value increased to or past the threshold |
| Value fell below | Value decreased past the threshold |
| Value fell below or equals | Value decreased to or past the threshold |
Range transitions:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Value fell within interval | Value entered the range |
| Value fell outside of interval | Value left the range |
Value availability transitions:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Got value | Device started reporting a value |
| Lost value | Device stopped reporting a value |
| Got warning | Device entered warning state |
| Got error | Device entered error state |
| Got warning or error | Device entered warning or error state |
| Lost all warnings | All warnings cleared |
| Lost all errors | All errors cleared |
| Lost all warnings or errors | All warnings and errors cleared |
Device-specific events:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Value is | A device-specific event occurred (e.g., button pressed) |
The available conditions depend on the selected devices and value type.
Value and value interval
Depending on the trigger condition, you enter either a single threshold value or a range:
- Comparison and value change conditions require a single value — the threshold or target.
- Range and range transition conditions require two values — the start and end of the interval.
- Value availability, error, and device-specific event conditions do not require a value.
Additional settings
The trigger configuration includes an Additional settings section with advanced options. Which settings appear depends on the trigger condition type and your setup.
All devices must fulfill the state
Visible when more than one input device is selected and the trigger uses a state condition.
- Off (default): The trigger activates when any of the selected devices meets the condition.
- On: The trigger activates only when all selected devices simultaneously meet the condition.
Delay
Postpones the trigger’s activation by a specified time after the condition is first met. The delay behaves very differently depending on the condition category:
- State condition + delay — the condition must remain continuously true for the entire delay period. If the condition becomes false during the delay, the timer is cancelled. Use this to filter out brief fluctuations (e.g., ignore a temperature spike that lasts only a few seconds).
- Event condition + delay — the event is queued and the activation fires after the delay expires, regardless of what happens next. The delay simply postpones the response.
Delay queue
Available only when a delay is enabled on an event condition trigger.
A queue stores pending events, processed in order (first in, first out). You can set the queue size from 1 to 10. If events arrive faster than the delay allows them to be processed and the queue is full, new events are silently dropped.
Minimum duration
Available only for state condition triggers. Once the trigger activates, it stays active for at least this duration — even if the condition becomes false before the timer expires. When the minimum duration elapses, the smart rule re-evaluates the condition: if it is still false, the trigger deactivates; if true, the trigger continues normally.
Use this to guarantee a minimum action time — for example, “when motion is detected, keep the light on for at least 5 minutes”.
Maximum duration
Available only for state condition triggers. After the trigger has been active for this duration, it automatically deactivates — regardless of whether the condition is still true.
Use this for time-limited responses — for example, “keep the fan running for a maximum of 30 minutes”.
Hysteresis
Available for comparison conditions: Value is greater than, Value is greater than or equals, Value is less than, and Value is less than or equals.
Hysteresis creates a dead band around the threshold to prevent rapid on/off switching when a value fluctuates near the boundary.
Modes:
| Mode | Dead band placement | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| +/- | Equally above and below the threshold | General purpose |
| + | Above the threshold only | Heating control |
| - | Below the threshold only | Cooling control |
Example: Threshold = 22 degrees, hysteresis = 1 degree, mode = +/-
- Trigger activates when value drops below 21 degrees (threshold minus hysteresis).
- Trigger deactivates when value rises above 23 degrees (threshold plus hysteresis).
- Between 21 and 23 degrees, the trigger maintains its current state — no switching occurs.
Time triggers
A time trigger activates at specific times or during time intervals, without monitoring any devices.
Time Period
Select how often the trigger repeats:
| Time frame | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Day | Repeats daily |
| Week | Repeats on a selected day of the week |
| Workday/Weekend | Separate times for workdays and weekends |
| Month | Repeats on a selected day of the month |
| Year | Repeats on a selected date of the year |
With the Month time frame, you can select days counted from the start of the month (e.g., day 1, day 5) or from the end (e.g., last day, 3rd day from the end).
Mode
Choose between two modes:
- Instant — the trigger fires at a single point in time.
- Interval — the trigger is active during a time range (from start to end).
Some smart rules do not support interval mode. When that is the case, the mode selector does not appear.
Time configuration
Tap the time picker to set when the trigger fires. Three time modes are available for each endpoint:
| Time mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Time | A fixed hour and minute |
| Sunrise | Relative to sunrise, with an adjustable offset |
| Sunset | Relative to sunset, with an adjustable offset |
When using sunrise or sunset, the offset lets you shift the time forward or backward — for example, “30 minutes before sunset” or “1 hour after sunrise”. The sunrise and sunset times adjust automatically throughout the year based on your location.
For interval mode, you configure both a start time and an end time. Each endpoint can use a different time mode — for example, start at sunset and end at a fixed time.
When using interval mode, the start and end points cannot both use the same sun event. If you set the start to Sunrise, the end’s Sunrise option becomes unavailable (and vice versa for Sunset). You can freely combine a sun event with a fixed time.
Additional display details depend on the selected time frame:
- Day — shows the time. Times past midnight display with a “next day” prefix.
- Week — shows a weekday abbreviation icon and the time.
- Workday/Weekend — labels the entry as workday or weekend, with the time below.
- Month — shows the day of the month (or “first day” / “last day”), with the time below.
- Year — shows the date, with the time below.