Feature request: Simple Timer

[Andrew]

I have had a lot of times I want to, for example, turn a light when I need it and keep it on only for 10 minutes, or an hour, then shut it off - without having to program a specific on/off time.

I'd like to see a "countdown" feature that makes this possible.

[InsteonNut]

Hi Andrew,

If you have the iOS version of MobiLinc, this is supported in the Resource Manager plug-in. Simply go into the device details->Resource Manager and enable the Day and/or Night settings for the device to auto turn off after being left on for X mins or X hours. You can also have this react to a motion sensor as well at night. So, for example, only at night, when motion is detected in the room, turn the light(s) on for X min/hours and then auto-turn off.

Wes

[Andrew]

Hi Wes - 

Yes, I have the resource manager... this isn't really like a device timer, since it needs to be customized by time. The time settings are clunky.

It has four steps... and you MUST select a time for two of them. It would be great if it just had "Turn on for X minutes, then turn off."

[Sub-Routine]

Like this?

Light Timer - [ID 002F][Parent 0077]

If
        Control 'Basement / Stairs' is switched On
 
Then
        Wait  10 minutes
        Set 'Basement / Stairs' Off
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

[InsteonNut]

Hi Andrew,

Maybe I don't follow your scenario, but if you turn on Day Settings for the device you only pick for how long the device is ON for before it either dims and turns off or just turns off completely. 

There is a timer section, but that's only if you want the device/scene to turn on with a scheduled time or react to sunset/sunrise.

Wes

[Andrew]

Here's an example of what I'm looking for:

I turn on my dining room light with the switch. I get my stuff ready for work, get my lunch ready in the kitchen, and take care of a few other things.

I feed the fish in the dining room. I have to leave, but want the light to turn off in 5 minutes.

So... I open my app, select the light, and choose "turn off in..." ... choose "5 minutes", hit ok, and leave.

Obviously, it can't only be 5 minutes from when I turn it on. I'm not that fast

[Scottmichaelj]

I have had a lot of times I want to, for example, turn a light when I need it and keep it on only for 10 minutes, or an hour, then shut it off - without having to program a specific on/off time.
I'd like to see a "countdown" feature that makes this possible.

Why not do this in a program? For example make a double fast click off beep the switch and then it waits “X” minutes and turns off. I have this setup in my house, no need for ML to do this.

[Andrew]

Well... Maybe I'm at the shore, and want to turn on my landscaping lights back home for 35 minutes just for the heck of it... then later, I want to turn on my garage lights because my son's friend is going to pick up his bike around midnight, and I want to turn it on at 11:30 for an hour. Maybe I don't feel like repeating these every night.

I can already simply turn a light on with Mobilinc. A simple countdown-to-off timer makes far more sense than trying to pre-program or re-program everything that might come up.

Doing this from my phone while out & away seems like the way to do it.

That said, I see on the Mobilinc forum that this idea was proposed in 2014, so I guess it's not going to happen.
 

[Scottmichaelj]

12 minutes ago, Andrew said:

Well... Maybe I'm at the shore, and want to turn on my landscaping lights back home for 35 minutes just for the heck of it... then later, I want to turn on my garage lights because my son's friend is going to pick up his bike around midnight, and I want to turn it on at 11:30 for an hour. Maybe I don't feel like repeating these every night.

I can already simply turn a light on with Mobilinc. A simple countdown-to-off timer makes far more sense than trying to pre-program or re-program everything that might come up.

Doing this from my phone while out & away seems like the way to do it.

That said, I see on the Mobilinc forum that this idea was proposed in 2014, so I guess it's not going to happen.
 

The worst case is you could do a folder of just "TIMERS" for the lights you want, with a couple time delays, then you can always just go into "Programs" on ML and run them individually. With the more important ones you use daily could be put on you "Dashboard". However I do understand your point, you want a simple timer to use timer on any device that you want, and to be able to set at any intervals you need, at that specific time.

[InsteonNut]

13 hours ago, Andrew said:

Here's an example of what I'm looking for:

I turn on my dining room light with the switch. I get my stuff ready for work, get my lunch ready in the kitchen, and take care of a few other things.

I feed the fish in the dining room. I have to leave, but want the light to turn off in 5 minutes.

So... I open my app, select the light, and choose "turn off in..." ... choose "5 minutes", hit ok, and leave.

Obviously, it can't only be 5 minutes from when I turn it on. I'm not that fast

Thanks Andrew, that makes perfect sense. There are two challenges with supporting this under our currently offering:

1. Either the app must be running in a state where it can execute code/logic after some period of time (iOS does not allow apps to randomly run in the background)

2. Or, the on-the-fly-setting would need to be converted to a program and written to the ISY. Do-able, but then there needs to be a way for the app to clean up these one-time use programs at some point in the future.

There's been a lot of work we're doing behind the scenes here in support for the next round of major features of MobiLinc and MobiLinc Connect. Something like your request is actually possible with where we're taking the MobiLinc Connect service. I don't have any announcements today, but I'll keep this under consideration as we push forward.

Wes

[Andrew]

Thanks!

[larryllix]

Thanks!

Just write a few programs on ISY that count down and trigger your devices off. Stuff the state variables with any number of minutes you want.

It doesn't take a remote control smarts to do this. It belongs where the smarts are...in ISY

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[Andrew]

6 minutes ago, larryllix said:

Just write a few programs on ISY that count down and trigger your devices off. Stuff the state variables with any number of minutes you want.

It doesn't take a remote control smarts to do this. It belongs where the smarts are...in ISY

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
 

How do I do that if I'm not home? 

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Andrew,

Do you have remote access to your ISY?

With kind regards,
Michel

[Andrew]

Hi Michael - 

Well, I can get to it via MobiLinc HD, but haven't tried any other way. (Is there another way?)

[larryllix]

14 hours ago, Andrew said:

Hi Michael - 

Well, I can get to it via MobiLinc HD, but haven't tried any other way. (Is there another way?)

There are a few ways to manage ISY remotely but I can't talk much about that as I have never needed to do that.

VPN is probbly one of  the best methods but takes a proxy server service somewhere. You would need program writing access with the admin console.

[rpsa]

I too wanted a simple timer.  It took a bit of learning but it turned out to be relatively simple. 

I have garage lights controlled from two KLPs using a scene.  One KPL is the load switch.  The other is just a button.  Both are Controller and Responders to the scene “Garage Inside Lights”.  That is just a way to mimic a two-way switch.

I have sensors on my garage doors.  I wrote a program that will first test is the garage lights are off.  If they are off, then turn on the garage lights when any one of the three doors was opened.  I put in some sunrise and sunset ranges as follows:

If
        Status  'Gar G-2-1 Inside Gar Lts Load' is Off
    And From    Sunset  -  3 hours
        To      Sunrise +  3 hours  (next day)
    And-(
       |     Control 'Gar Door 1 Red-Sensor' is switched On
       |  Or Control 'Gar Door 2 White-Sensor' is switched On
       |  Or Control 'Gar Door 3 Blue-Sensor' is switched On
       -)
 Then
        Set Scene 'Garage Inside Lights' On
 Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 So, I wanted to change the program so that the lights would turn off after a set period.  I tried changing the THEN action to be:

Then
        Set Scene 'Garage Inside Lights' On
        Wait  10 seconds
        Set Scene 'Garage Inside Lights' Off
 Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 That did not work.  The lights would come on but not automatically turn off.  If turns out that the WAIT command does not just pause then continue through the remaining Actions (Set Scene 'Garage Inside Lights' Off).  Nooooooooooo.  At the end of WAIT the program starts back at the top of the IF statement.  And since at this point the lights are on, the IF is false and ELSE is executed instead of THEN.    Just how the WAIT command works was a major light bulb ON moment for this novice.

So, instead, I created another program with the same THEN actions:

If
        Status  'Gar G-2-1 Inside Gar Lts Load' is Off
 Then
        Set Scene 'Garage Inside Lights' On
        Wait  3 minutes
        Set Scene 'Garage Inside Lights' Off
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

This program must remain DISABLED. Otherwise if the lights are turned off, the program would turn them on.  Then (I think) after waiting the designated time, it would reevaluate the IF and since the lights would be on, it would skip to Else and leave the lights on. 

I then revised the original program to call this timer program and to start at the IF condition:

If
        Status  'Gar G-2-1 Inside Gar Lts Load' is Off
    And From    Sunset  -  3 hours
        To      Sunrise +  3 hours  (next day)
    And-(
       |     Control 'Gar Door 1 Red-Sensor' is switched On
       |  Or Control 'Gar Door 2 White-Sensor' is switched On
       |  Or Control 'Gar Door 3 Blue-Sensor' is switched On
       -)
 Then
        Run Program 'Gar Lts Timer' (If)
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 Success!

[MWareman]

@rpsa

 

You discovered what most end up considering a feature once they learn about it. If the program triggering conditions change while a wait (or repeat) is active, the program will reset. This is described in the manual if you want to read more about it...

 

If your case, the status of your garage lights is a triggering condition in you ‘If’ - and you change it’s State in the ‘Then’ immediately before the ‘Wait’. That satisfies all that is needed to stop the wait and reevaluate the ‘If’ using the new device state....