Elk Armed Away – Need to turn on devices or programs – I can’t find a way to accomplish this

[zorax2]

My simple goal is that while I’m on vacation or away from home, I’d like to have some lights turn on (in my case I’m trying to set lights to turn on at specified times each day while I’m gone).

I thought this would be very easy to accomplish but having tried every approach I can think of, I can’t get anything to happen when the Elk’s Armed Status is “Armed Away”.

Can anyone provide a way to accomplish this goal?

 

None of these methods worked with screenshots below as I don't know how to insert them within the message:

1. My first try was what I thought would be the easiest simply using armed status as a trigger.

2. My second try was to set a rule within Elk to turn on output 80 to use to start a program.

3. My third try was trying to use a state variable to activate a program.

I use the Elk to trigger a lot of activities such as turning on a light on/off when a door is opened/closed. I’m able to arm and disarm within the Elk Module using the ISY Admin Console to “Set Armed Status”.  From my perspective, everything with the Elk Module is working properly.

I've also attached a screenshot of my Elk status in armed mode:

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[Jimbo.Automates]

Your first example should work perfectly. This is simple example I previously posted of a program on IoX to lock the locks when the Elk is armed or disarmed.  The node "Home" is my main area.


Lock Example - [iD 01F7][Parent 020F][Enabled]
If
        'Alarm-Elk / Home' Armed Status is Disarmed
Then
        Set 'Locks / Garage Door Inside Lock' Unlock
Else
        Set 'Locks / Garage Door Inside Lock' Lock



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[zorax2]

@Jimbo.Automates Time for your laugh of the day...

As you wrote, my first example should have worked perfectly yet didn't. Your example showed a similar syntax to what I was using so I was puzzled. My next step was to go through every single program folder to check for anything related to arming / disarming.

Here's the shocker and reason things weren't working, the top hierarchal folder "My Programs" had an IF: "Home Armed Staus is Disarmed" which only allowed any of my programs to run when disarmed. Oh my! I have no idea as to when that If statement was added. If the system was in "Armed Away" status, it meant I was gone away from home and therefore had no idea that my programs weren't running as intended.

Somewhat obvious to me now is that we rarely armed our alarm system over the years since our kids were growing up and someone was always home.  Now that we'll soon be empty nesters, we'll be arming our system regularly and it's good to know all my programs will run properly.

Thank you very much for your reply as it prompted me to dig further!

[Jimbo.Automates]

Haha. I studied your first picture for a while trying to see the error. Just glad it was something simple

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[RPerrault]

i have a sunset program that turns on several lights every night.  i turn most off at a set time and one that turns off at sunrise - every night - no one knows if you are at home or away and there is an ambient level of lighting to navigate the house.

but if you want to do it your way, i'd enable a sunset program when you arm your system and disable it when you disarm the security system.

that way, your lights are not on during the day when you don't need them and no one outside the house knows they are on

i'd also manipulate the turn off a time to turn off program when the system is armed/disarmed

 

[dbwarner5]

Further to RPerault, I use variable timers to turn lights on / off all evening as if I was there. 

Random Inside programs - [ID 0009][Parent 0112]

If
        (
             From    Sunset 
             To      Sunset  +  4 hours  (same day)
        )
    And (
             From    Sunset 
             To      11:47:00PM (same day)
        )
 
Then
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / K Area Cans Three Way' On
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Laundry Three Way' On
        Wait  27 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / LL Runway Three Way' On
        Wait  2 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Upstairs Hallway Three Way' On
        Wait  45 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / K Area Cans Three Way' Off
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / LL Runway Three Way' Off
        Wait  27 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'FR Fireplace Cans' On 30%
        Wait  27 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Mbath Cans EARLY EVENING' On
        Wait  9 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Mbed Cans Three Way' On
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Laundry Three Way' Off
        Wait  10 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Upstairs Hallway Three Way' Off
        Wait  27 minutes 
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Mbath Cans EARLY EVENING' Off
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Mbed Cans Three Way' Off
        Wait  16 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'FR Fireplace Cans' Off
 
Else
        Set 'Main Level Dim' Off
        Set 'MBed Evening' Off
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Upstairs Hallway Three Way' Off
        Set 'FR Evening' Off
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / LL Runway Three Way' Off
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Mbath Cans EARLY EVENING' Off
        Set 'Three Way Lighting / Upstairs Hallway Three Way' Off
        Set 'Main Level Nightlight' On
        Wait  7 hours and 27 minutes  (Random)
        Set 'Main Level Nightlight' Off
        Set 'Outs Front Evening' Fast Off
        Set 'Outs Back Evening' Fast Off
        Set 'Pole barn spotlights' Fast Off
 

[zorax2]

Thank you both @RPerrault and @dbwarner5 for the great suggestions!

[dbwarner5]

5 minutes ago, zorax2 said:

Thank you both @RPerrault and @dbwarner5 for the great suggestions!

just to be clear, the random program is in a folder that is only enabled when my elk is armed away via a tracking variable. 

[zorax2]

@dbwarner5

Does the program operate something like this in terms of logic?

1. Tracking variable or armed status from Elk module indicates that system is armed.

2. Your random light program runs the "Then" part of the program (within the hours shown - I assume with the option to run it daily checked to keep the program running until you return).

3 Tracking variable or disarmed status from Elk Module indicates that system is disarmed.

4. Your random light program runs the "Else" part of the program and turns everything off.

 

[dbwarner5]

@zorax2   Sort of.. If the elk is armed away, then that sets a variable RANDOM =1, which enables the folder that the program above is located in. 

That program runs the THEN beginning every day at sunset, and then with the AND in the IF, it will stop  and run the ELSE at whichever time happens first: 11:47pm or sunset plus 4 hours. We are in northern Michigan so sunset can happen at 5 pm or 1030pm!! 

The ELSE runs all night long , stopping 7 hours later.. 

When my elk is disarmed, the RANDOM variable gets set back to 0