Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Home Assistant is already an incredibly powerful tool for home automation. But when it comes to fine-tuning and automating your devices, the scheduler component takes the possibilities to a whole new level. Imagine being able to use a schedule to determine exactly when your heating comes on, when the lights go on or when your blinds go up and down. Does that sound good? Then read on!
For detailed instructions and an explanation of all configuration options, I recommend the YouTube video linked below. In this video, every single setting is explained in detail so that you receive comprehensive instructions for the exact setup. You can find any code from the video in this article so that you can use it directly without having to type it in.
What is Home Assistant?
Home Assistant is an open source platform for home automation that aims to connect and centrally control all devices in the home. It is designed to provide a unified user interface and simple, flexible control for a variety of smart home devices from different ecosystems. Here are some points in favor of Home Assistant:
- CompatibilityHome Assistant supports thousands of devices and services from various manufacturers, including lighting, air conditioning, heating, cameras, weather sensors, voice assistants and more.
- Local controlUnlike many commercial smart home platforms that rely on cloud services, Home Assistant runs locally on your network. This means increased privacy and reliability, as your smart home devices work even without an active internet connection.
- Automation and scenesOne of the main features of Home Assistant is the ability to create complex automations and scenarios. For example, you can have lights switch on automatically when it gets dark or turn on the heating when the temperature falls below a certain level.
- Simple user interfaceHome Assistant offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to monitor and control devices. This interface is fully customizable.
- Integration with voice assistantsHome Assistant can be integrated with voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to enable voice-controlled control of your smart home devices.
- Open source and community-drivenSince Home Assistant is open source, it is supported by an active community that is constantly developing new integrations and improving existing ones.
- Data protection and securityAs a locally running platform, Home Assistant has the advantage that the data remains within its own network. This protects privacy and increases security compared to cloud-based solutions.
In summary, Home Assistant is a powerful and flexible solution for those who want to design their own smart home and control their devices centrally, regardless of the manufacturer or ecosystem.
What is the scheduler component?
The Scheduler component by Niels Faber is an extension for Home Assistant that allows you to create detailed schedules for your smart home devices. In contrast to standard automations, which are often complicated and not very flexible, the scheduler offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to create schedules for different devices - without any programming knowledge.
To install the Scheduler component, all you need to do is install the extension via the HACS (Home Assistant Community Store). Once installed, you can access the new function directly via the Home Assistant Dashboard. There you will find an intuitive user interface that guides you step by step through the creation of your schedules.
It is also recommended to Scheduler Cardalso from Niels Faber, directly via the HACS and have a perfectly suitable map for the dashboard. There you can display the desired schedules and activate and deactivate them directly if required.
Installation of HACS and integration of Scheduler in Home Assistant
Step 1: Installing HACS in Home Assistant
Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) is a custom add-on for Home Assistant that provides access to a variety of custom integrations and plugins developed by the community. How to install HACS:
- Check requirements: Make sure that your Home Assistant is ideally up to date.
- Download Execute script: Open a terminal for the Docker container version or the core version.
- Docker: Dial into the container with:
docker exec -it homeassistant bashor (similar) - Core: Switch to the user who is running Home Assistant
- Execute the following command for both variants:
wget -O - https://get.hacs.xyz | bash -
- Docker: Dial into the container with:
- Restarting the Home Assistant: After the files have been copied, restart Home Assistant.
- Integrate HACS into Home Assistant: In the Home Assistant interface, go to "Configuration" > "Integrations" > "Add" and search for HACS. Add it and enter your GitHub token if prompted.
For the supervised version, please refer to the Documentation of HACS itself to read about the installation.
Step 2: Add scheduler & scheduler card integration via HACS
Once HACS is installed, you can simply add the Scheduler & Scheduler-Card:
- Open HACS: Go to HACS in the Home Assistant interface.
- Search for integrationClick on "Integrations" and use the search function to search for "Scheduler".
- Install Scheduler & Scheduler-CardFind Scheduler & Scheduler-Card in the list and click on "Install". This will add the integration to your Home Assistant.
- Restarting the Home Assistant: Start Home Assistant again to apply the changes.
- Configure schedulerAfter restarting, you can set up and customize Scheduler via "Configuration" > "Integrations" in Home Assistant.
Conclusion
With these steps, you have successfully installed HACS in your Home Assistant and added the Scheduler integration and Scheduler Card. This powerful combination opens up a world of additional features and customizations that have been and are being developed by the Home Assistant community. More blog posts and videos on useful integrations to follow. If you don't want to miss out, subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Schedules for your heating
With the Scheduler component, you can control your heating so that it heats exactly when you need it. Imagine waking up on a cold winter morning and your home is already pleasantly warm. This is no coincidence, but the result of a clever schedule that you created in just a few minutes.
This is how it works:
- Select the radiator or underfloor heating you want to control.
- Set the times at which the heating should be switched on and off.
- Select the desired temperature for the respective time windows.
- You can also set conditions for when the schedule should only take effect, e.g. only when the outside temperature reaches 10 degrees, see the YouTube video.
The scheduler then does the work for you and ensures that your heating runs exactly according to your specifications.
Automate your lighting
Light has a major influence on our mood and our daily rhythm. With the Scheduler component, you can ensure that your home is always perfectly lit - and completely automatically.
For example, you can set the lights in your living room to come on every evening at sunset or the lights in your bedroom to dim gently when it's time for bed. The scheduler allows you to create individual schedules for each room and each light. And best of all, you can even activate different scenes depending on the time of day or day of the week.
Roller blinds that move by themselves
Who wants to remember to raise the blinds every morning or lower them in the evening? With the scheduler component, you can regulate this fully automatically. You simply specify when you want your blinds to move and the scheduler takes care of the rest.
A typical use case could look like this:
- The blinds in the bedrooms are raised automatically at 7 o'clock in the morning.
- In the evening at sunset, the blinds are lowered throughout the house to ensure privacy.
This not only ensures comfort, but also saves energy by using the sun's natural heat or keeping it outside.
Other devices and scenarios
The Scheduler component is incredibly flexible and can be applied to many other devices in your smart home. Whether it's a coffee machine, garden sprinkler or your alarm system - with a schedule, you have everything under control. You can even create complex scenarios in which several devices are controlled simultaneously, for example to trigger a "good morning" scene in which the lights come on, the coffee machine starts and the blinds go up.
Tado Auto-Assist made unnecessary
A well-designed schedule in Home Assistant can completely replace Tado Auto-Assist while giving you more control and flexibility. While Tado Auto-Assist is handy when it comes to automatic heating control, you can use Home Assistant and the Scheduler component to implement exactly the same functions - and more.
With your own sensors for window open detection, for example, you can control your heating just as efficiently as Tado can. When a window is opened, Home Assistant can automatically turn down the heating and turn it up again when it is closed. You can find an article and video about this here: Leave home safely: Automatic open window checks with Home Assistant & sensors
In addition, the schedules in Home Assistant allow you to work with conditions so that you can control your heating even more precisely and individually. For example, you can set the heating to only come on when you're at home, without having to tell Tado your location, and it's colder than a certain temperature outside. This way, you don't just replace Tado Auto-Assist, you get a customized system that fits your lifestyle perfectly.
YouTube video implementation
Conclusion
With the Scheduler component for Home Assistant, you get a powerful tool that allows you to make your home even smarter and more convenient. Its ease of use and wide range of options make it a must-have for every Home Assistant user who wants to take their automations to the next level. Try it out and experience how your home behaves exactly as you want it to - completely automatically.
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