Smart Device Hierarchy?

Good day all!


My smart home is coming along nicely but in stages. I've recently run into the following issue and am wondering if there's a solution.


I have a room with 3-Way smart switches to control a single-circuit ceiling fixture.

This was previously a standard ceiling fan but I've recently upgraded it to a smart ceiling fan and light that's working great.

The problem is that turning off the switch turns off the fan and light, as well it should, but this renders the fan and light "unresponsive", also as it should. So when my wife or kids walk by a turn off the switch and I later say, "Hey Siri! Set the fan to low.", it doesn't work, as it should.


The question is this:

Is there a way to associate these two devices so HomeKit understands their relationship? Is there a device hierarchy of sorts so HomeKit understands:

a) That the unresponsive ceiling fan and light isn't an error if the switch is off.

b) That a request to do anything with this ceiling fan or light requires this switch to be on.

c) The contextual nature of a request. i.e., If this switch is off, everything behind it is also off, so if the request is to the on the "light", HomeKit should understand to turn on the switch, check the status of both the fan and light (because the fan remembers it's previous state), and if the light is on after turning the switch on to leave it that way, but if the fan is on, that it should be turned off.


Does that make sense?

I do see a "Group" option with some devices in HomeKit but it doesn't seem to do this. It seems to just link like accessories so they act as one.


I appreciate any input y'all might have.

HomePod mini

Posted on Jan 25, 2023 12:41 PM

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Posted on Jan 25, 2023 01:18 PM

I don't have anything as complicated as this to worry about, but I think a key factor is that "smart" items should always have power, unless you are power cycling them to reset them. You should be able to set scenes with the different states that you want. E.g. my "going dark" state turns off all of my smart lamps.


tt2

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Jan 25, 2023 01:18 PM in response to Nerfherder

I don't have anything as complicated as this to worry about, but I think a key factor is that "smart" items should always have power, unless you are power cycling them to reset them. You should be able to set scenes with the different states that you want. E.g. my "going dark" state turns off all of my smart lamps.


tt2

Jan 25, 2023 01:45 PM in response to turingtest2

Agree on that front. The 3-way switches I'm using are how I previously controlled the dumb fan but they certainly don't have to stay. I can repurpose them in other, less complex places. That's a great point and thank you for it.

Might be time for some of those purely smart "switches" that don't physically do anything rather send commends.


Unfortunately Hunter doesn't make a 3-way version of their fan control wall switch so I'm going to have to come up with something else and this might just do it.


Thanx a bunch for that!

😁

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Smart Device Hierarchy?

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