SmartThings Automation Examples: 30+ Ideas to Transform Your Home
SmartThings automation turns ordinary smart devices into an intelligent home that responds to your needs without constant manual control. Whether you want lights that adjust automatically, doors that lock when you leave, or appliances that activate on schedule, automations make your home work for you instead of the other way around.
This comprehensive guide provides over 30 practical SmartThings automation examples organized by category, complete with step-by-step setup instructions. From simple time-based routines to complex multi-device scenarios, these proven automation ideas help you unlock the full potential of your smart home.
If you haven’t set up your SmartThings system yet, start with our SmartThings Hub setup guide and learn how to connect devices to SmartThings before diving into automations.
Understanding SmartThings Automations
SmartThings uses “if-then” logic to create automations, also called routines. The concept is straightforward: IF certain conditions are met, THEN specific actions occur automatically.
Conditions (IF): These triggers determine when your automation runs. Common conditions include specific times, device status changes, location detection, mode changes, and sensor activation.
Actions (THEN): These define what happens when conditions are met. Actions control devices, send notifications, change location modes, run scenes, or trigger other routines.
Multiple Conditions and Actions: SmartThings allows combining multiple conditions using “all” or “any” logic. You can also stack multiple actions within a single automation, creating sophisticated responses to simple triggers.
For complete information about the SmartThings ecosystem, visit our Samsung SmartThings guide.
Creating Your First SmartThings Automation
Before exploring specific examples, understand the basic automation creation process.
Open the SmartThings app and tap your Home icon at the top. Select the location where you want to create the automation.
Tap the plus (+) icon and select “Routine” from the menu. This opens the automation builder interface.
Setting Up Conditions: Tap the plus (+) icon under “IF” to add your first condition. Choose from available options:
Time of day triggers activate at specific times on selected days. Member location uses your phone’s GPS to trigger when you arrive or leave. Device status monitors when devices turn on, off, open, close, or change state. Sunrise and sunset triggers activate based on your location’s actual sunrise and sunset times, with optional offset adjustments.
Adding Actions: Tap the plus (+) icon under “THEN” to define what happens when conditions are met. Select devices to control, notifications to send, location modes to change, or scenes to activate.
Testing and Saving: Use the “Test routine actions” button to verify your automation works correctly before saving. This runs the actions immediately, letting you confirm devices respond as expected.
Name your automation descriptively, such as “Morning Lights” or “Away Mode Lock Doors,” then tap Save to activate it.
Lighting Automation Examples
Smart lighting automations enhance convenience, security, and energy efficiency throughout your home.
Automatic Outdoor Lights at Sunset: Never forget to turn on porch lights again with this simple yet effective automation.
Create a new routine and add a condition for “Sunrise or Sunset.” Select “Sunset” and optionally add an offset to activate lights before it gets completely dark. Common offsets range from 15 to 30 minutes before sunset.
Under actions, select your outdoor lights and set them to turn on. Add an additional action to turn lights off at sunrise or a specific late-night time when they’re no longer needed.
Motion-Activated Lighting: Save energy and add convenience with lights that turn on only when rooms are occupied.
Set your condition to “Device status” and select your motion sensor. Choose “Detects motion” as the trigger state.
Add time restrictions by tapping the three-dot menu and selecting “Additional conditions.” Choose specific hours when this automation should be active, such as only between sunset and sunrise.
For actions, turn on designated lights. Set them to turn off automatically after a specified period without motion, typically 3 to 10 minutes depending on the room’s purpose.
Pathway Lighting at Night: Guide nighttime trips to bathrooms or kitchens safely without bright overhead lights.
Use multiple conditions: motion detection AND time between specific hours (like 10 PM to 6 AM). Set lights to a low dim level, around 10 to 20 percent brightness.
Configure a short timeout so lights turn off quickly after motion stops, conserving energy while providing adequate illumination for safe navigation.
Welcome Home Lighting: Create a warm welcome when you arrive after dark.
Set conditions to require both member location (when you arrive) AND specific time after sunset. This prevents lights from turning on unnecessarily during daytime arrivals.
Turn on entry, living room, and pathway lights. Consider adding a delay to turn off some lights after 15 minutes, while keeping essential areas illuminated longer.
Gradual Wake-Up Lighting: Replace jarring alarm clocks with gradually brightening lights.
Set the time condition for your desired wake time. Select smart bulbs capable of dimming in your bedroom.
Some advanced automations allow gradual brightness increases, though SmartThings’ basic routines activate lights at full brightness. For true gradual wake-up, consider using Smart Lighting automations if available, or connect compatible bulbs like Philips Hue with their own wake-up features integrated into SmartThings.
Security and Safety Automation Examples
Protect your home with automations that enhance security and respond to potential hazards.
Automatic Door Locking: Never worry about unlocked doors when leaving home.
Create an automation triggered by “Member location” set to “Everyone leaves.” This ensures the automation only runs when all household members have departed.
Add actions to lock all exterior doors. Include a short delay of 2 to 5 minutes to prevent premature locking if someone immediately returns for forgotten items.
Consider adding a notification confirming doors locked successfully, providing peace of mind wherever you are.
Open Door Alerts: Get notified if doors or windows remain open longer than expected.
Use “Device status” as your condition, selecting contact sensors on doors or windows. Configure the trigger for “Open” with a time delay, typically 5 to 15 minutes depending on the door’s purpose.
Set the action to send a notification to your phone. The message should clearly identify which door or window remains open, allowing quick action if it was accidentally left ajar.
Garage Door Monitoring: Prevent accidentally leaving garage doors open overnight or when away.
Similar to open door alerts, set a condition for garage door sensor showing “Open” for an extended period. Use longer delays for garage doors, around 15 to 30 minutes, to accommodate normal usage patterns.
Send notifications, or take direct action by triggering a compatible smart garage door opener to close automatically. Always include notifications when automating closures to ensure no one is accidentally locked out or, worse, that a vehicle isn’t in the doorway.
Arrival Announcement: Know immediately when family members arrive home.
Set the condition to “Member location” detecting a specific person’s arrival. Alternatively, use contact sensors on doors if you prefer device-based detection over phone GPS.
Send notifications to other household members announcing the arrival. If you have compatible smart displays or speakers, play audio announcements through those devices.
Window Security Monitoring: Receive immediate alerts if windows open unexpectedly when you’re away or at night.
Create an automation with multiple conditions: window contact sensor shows “Open” AND location mode is “Away” (or time is between specific nighttime hours).
Send high-priority notifications immediately. Consider also turning on interior and exterior lights to deter potential intruders and alert neighbors to suspicious activity.
Leak Detection Response: Minimize water damage by responding instantly to leak sensors.
When a water leak sensor detects moisture, immediately send critical notifications to all household members. Include the specific sensor location in the notification text.
If you have smart water valves, add an action to shut off water supply automatically. This prevents catastrophic damage during extended absences.
Turn on nearby lights to help locate the leak quickly, especially important for leaks in basements or crawl spaces.
Energy Saving Automation Examples
Reduce utility costs and environmental impact with automations that optimize energy consumption.
Thermostat Scheduling: Adjust temperatures based on occupancy and time of day for maximum efficiency.
Create separate automations for different scenarios. When everyone leaves (member location: everyone away), adjust thermostats to energy-saving temperatures, typically 78°F for cooling or 68°F for heating.
Set return-home automations that restore comfortable temperatures when someone arrives, or use time-based triggers 30 minutes before typical arrival times.
Create bedtime routines that lower temperatures slightly during sleeping hours, then warm up rooms before morning wake times.
Vacation Mode: Maximize energy savings during extended absences.
Manually trigger this automation before departing on trips. Include actions to set thermostats to extreme energy-saving modes, turn off water heaters (if safe for your model), disable unnecessary smart plugs powering entertainment systems, and activate enhanced security monitoring.
Consider adding randomized lighting patterns to create the appearance of occupancy, deterring potential burglars.
Window Open Climate Control: Prevent wasted energy when windows are open.
Set conditions for contact sensors on frequently opened windows showing “Open” status for more than a few minutes.
Turn off heating or cooling systems in those zones or rooms. Send notifications reminding household members that windows are open with climate control running.
Reverse the automation when windows close, restoring normal temperature settings automatically.
Appliance Scheduling: Run energy-intensive appliances during off-peak hours when electricity rates are lower.
Use time-based triggers during low-rate periods, typically overnight or mid-afternoon depending on your utility provider.
Turn on smart plugs connected to device chargers, pool pumps, or other appliances. Set automatic turn-off after appropriate run times.
This strategy works best if your utility offers time-of-use pricing with significant rate differentials between peak and off-peak hours.
Standby Power Elimination: Cut phantom power draw from devices on standby.
Create nighttime or away-mode automations that turn off smart plugs powering entertainment centers, computer peripherals, and other devices that draw power even when “off.”
Restore power in the morning or when arriving home. This automation can reduce electricity bills by 5 to 10 percent in homes with many electronic devices.
Convenience and Lifestyle Automation Examples
Enhance daily comfort and streamline routines with automations tailored to your lifestyle.
Morning Routine: Start each day smoothly with coordinated automation.
Set a time trigger for your typical wake time on specific days (weekdays versus weekends often differ).
Gradually turn on bedroom and bathroom lights, start the coffee maker (using a smart plug), adjust thermostats to comfortable temperatures, and open smart blinds or curtains to let in natural light.
If you have smart displays, include weather briefings or news updates as part of the morning routine.
Bedtime Routine: Wind down and secure your home automatically.
Trigger based on time (your usual bedtime) or manually activate when ready to sleep.
Lock all doors, turn off all lights except nightlights, close smart blinds for privacy, adjust thermostats to sleeping temperatures, ensure garage doors are closed, and arm security systems.
Add a delay before some actions, like turning off living room lights 10 minutes after activation, allowing time to reach the bedroom.
Movie Mode Scene: Create the perfect viewing environment with one command.
Manually trigger this scene when ready to watch movies. Dim or turn off overhead lights, turn on accent lighting at low levels, close blinds for better screen visibility, and adjust room temperature slightly for comfort during extended viewing.
If integrated with smart TVs or audio systems, include powering on entertainment equipment and switching to appropriate inputs.
Dinner Time Automation: Set the right ambiance for family meals.
Use time triggers around your typical dinner hour. Dim dining room lights to comfortable eating levels, turn off TVs in common areas to encourage family conversation, and adjust music systems to play background music at appropriate volumes.
For households with varying schedules, create manual triggers instead of fixed times.
Work from Home Routines: Separate work and personal life with designated automations.
Create “Start Work” routines that turn on home office lights, adjust thermostats in your workspace, activate do-not-disturb modes on smart displays in the office, and send notifications to family members that work hours have begun.
“End Work” routines reverse these changes, signaling the transition from professional to personal time and restoring normal household settings.
Laundry Completion Notifications: Never forget wet clothes in the washer again.
Use vibration or power-monitoring sensors to detect when washing machines or dryers complete cycles.
Send notifications immediately, or if you’re away, include the notification in a “return home” automation so you’re reminded when you can actually address the laundry.
For advanced setups, trigger lights to flash or play audio announcements on smart speakers indicating laundry is complete.
Seasonal and Weather-Based Automation Examples
Adapt your home automatically to changing weather conditions and seasons.
Rainy Day Automation: Respond to precipitation forecasts or detection.
When rain is detected by weather sensors or forecasted in your area (requires weather service integration), close smart windows, retract outdoor awnings, send reminders to close manually operated windows, and bring in outdoor furniture if you have motorized systems.
Adjust indoor lighting to compensate for reduced natural light, creating a cozy atmosphere on gloomy days.
Extreme Temperature Response: Protect your home during heat waves or cold snaps.
When temperatures exceed or fall below specific thresholds, adjust thermostats to maintain safe indoor conditions, close blinds during extreme heat to reduce cooling loads, or send alerts to check on vulnerable family members.
For vacation homes, these automations prevent freeze damage or excessive heat buildup during absences.
Sprinkler Weather Intelligence: Optimize irrigation based on weather conditions.
Skip scheduled watering when rain is forecasted or recently occurred. Many smart sprinkler systems include this logic built-in, but SmartThings can provide backup controls.
Extend watering duration during dry periods or reduce it during cooler seasons when evaporation is lower.
Pool and Spa Automation: Adjust pool equipment based on usage patterns and weather.
Run filtration systems longer during hot weather or heavy usage periods. Activate pool heaters before planned swim times, with longer advance heating during cold weather.
Cover pools automatically when rain is detected (if you have motorized covers) to prevent debris accumulation and chemical dilution.
Holiday Lighting: Automate seasonal decorations without daily manual control.
During holiday seasons, activate decorative lighting at sunset and deactivate at bedtime or a specific late hour.
Vary patterns on special dates, like extended hours on the actual holiday compared to the broader season.
Advanced Multi-Device Automation Examples
Combine multiple devices and conditions for sophisticated smart home behaviors.
Comprehensive Away Mode: Secure and optimize your home automatically when everyone leaves.
Use “Everyone leaves” as the primary trigger, with optional additional conditions like time of day to prevent false triggers from brief errands.
Lock all doors, close garage doors, turn off all lights except strategic security lights, adjust thermostats to away settings, arm security systems, turn off appliances like coffee makers or irons (via smart plugs), close smart blinds for privacy, and enable randomized lighting patterns for security.
Set the location mode to “Away” which can trigger other conditional automations specific to absence periods.
Return Home Automation: Welcome yourself back with comfort and convenience.
Trigger when any family member arrives (not just everyone). Include time conditions to behave differently for daytime versus nighttime arrivals.
Unlock the front door (or send notification to unlock), turn on entry and pathway lights (if after sunset), adjust thermostats to comfortable settings before you enter, disarm security systems, and open smart blinds or curtains.
For safety, include a slight delay before unlocking doors automatically, ensuring it’s truly you arriving and not GPS drift causing a false trigger.
Guest Mode: Adjust your home’s behavior when visitors are present.
Manually activate this mode when guests arrive. Disable certain security notifications that might seem intrusive, such as door open alerts for rooms guests are using.
Adjust lighting in guest areas to comfortable levels. Ensure guest bedroom thermostats maintain comfortable temperatures. Keep common areas more accessible by disabling some automations that might seem strange to visitors.
Deactivate guest mode manually or automatically after a specified duration.
Pet Care Automation: Assist with pet routines when you’re away or busy.
Use time-based triggers for feeding times, activating smart feeders at regular intervals.
When detecting motion in specific pet areas combined with your absence, turn on cameras to check on pets remotely.
Control pet doors, opening them during safe daylight hours and closing at night to prevent unwanted animal visitors.
Integrated Security Response: Create layered reactions to security events.
When security systems detect intrusions or forced entry (door/window sensors triggered while in Away mode), immediately send critical notifications to all family members and designated emergency contacts.
Turn on all interior and exterior lights to startle intruders and alert neighbors. Activate cameras to record events. Lock all doors to potentially contain intruders or prevent additional entry points.
If integrated with professional monitoring, trigger alarm company notifications. Sound sirens if your system includes them.
Using Scenes with Automations
Scenes group multiple device actions together for manual or automated activation. They differ from full automations by focusing purely on actions without complex conditional logic.
Creating Effective Scenes: Open the SmartThings app and tap the plus icon. Select “Scene” and name it descriptively, like “Reading Time” or “Party Mode.”
Add actions for multiple devices, setting each to desired states. Test the scene to verify all devices respond correctly, then save.
Triggering Scenes from Automations: In any automation’s “Then” actions, select “Run a scene” and choose your saved scene.
This approach simplifies automation management. Instead of adding 10 individual device actions to an automation, trigger a single scene containing all those actions. Updates to the scene automatically apply to all automations using it.
Popular Scene Examples: “Relax” scenes dim lights to 40 percent, close blinds, and start soft music. “Entertaining” scenes brighten social areas, turn off TVs, and create ambient lighting.
“Focus” scenes optimize home office environments with appropriate lighting and temperature. “Cleaning” scenes turn on all lights at full brightness for thorough visibility.
Location Modes and Conditional Automations
Location modes represent your home’s overall state: Home, Away, or Night. These modes enable sophisticated conditional logic in automations.
Understanding Location Modes: The SmartThings app includes three default modes that reflect typical household states. You cannot add custom modes, but you can change which mode is active.
View or change your current location mode by tapping the Home icon, selecting your location, and tapping “Location mode.”
Mode-Based Conditional Automations: Many automations should only run in specific modes. For example, motion-activated lights might be wanted in Away or Night modes but annoying in Home mode when you’re actively using spaces.
When creating automations, tap the three-dot menu and select “Additional conditions.” Choose “Location mode” and select which modes should allow the automation to run.
Mode-Changing Automations: Automations can change location modes as actions, enabling mode-based automation chains.
A “Goodnight” automation might run at 11 PM or when triggered manually, changing the location mode to “Night.” This mode change then triggers other conditional automations specifically designed for nighttime, creating a cascading effect from one automation.
Similarly, “Everyone leaves” automations should change mode to “Away,” enabling all your absence-based security and energy automations.
Notification Strategies for Automations
Smart use of notifications keeps you informed without overwhelming you with alerts.
Critical Notifications: Security events like forced entry, leak detection, or smoke alarm activation require immediate attention. These notifications should be high-priority and sent to all relevant household members.
Informational Notifications: Less urgent updates like laundry completion, arrival announcements, or appliance status changes use standard notification priority.
Reducing Notification Fatigue: Avoid creating automations that send constant notifications. Use time delays and conditions to prevent repeated alerts for ongoing situations.
Group related notifications when possible. Instead of separate notifications for each door locking, send one notification confirming “All doors locked” after your leaving automation completes.
Notification Timing: Consider whether notifications are needed during specific times. A door-open alert useful during the day might be annoying during active morning routines when you’re frequently going in and out.
Use time-based conditions or mode-based conditions to send notifications only when they’re truly valuable.
Troubleshooting Common Automation Issues
Even well-designed automations sometimes behave unexpectedly. These solutions address frequent problems.
Automations Not Triggering: Verify conditions are configured correctly. Check that device sensors have fresh batteries and are reporting status accurately.
Review your location mode settings. Automations with mode restrictions won’t trigger if the location is in a different mode than specified.
For location-based triggers, ensure the SmartThings app has location permissions enabled on your phone and that you’re logged into the app. GPS-based triggers require active app processes.
Actions Not Executing: Check that target devices are online and responsive. The SmartThings app shows device health status.
Verify hub connectivity for Zigbee and Z-Wave devices. If the hub is offline, local automations may still work, but cloud-based automations will fail.
For devices that are sometimes unresponsive, add delays between actions in complex automations. Rapid-fire commands sometimes overwhelm devices or network capacity.
Delayed Automation Responses: Time-based automations typically execute within seconds of their scheduled time, but delays occasionally occur. Minor delays under 30 seconds are normal due to cloud processing.
Device-triggered automations should be nearly instant for local devices. Significant delays often indicate weak mesh network connections requiring additional Zigbee or Z-Wave repeater devices.
Conflicting Automations: Multiple automations affecting the same devices can create unexpected behavior. Review all automations involving problematic devices.
Use scenes consistently rather than creating redundant automations with identical actions. This prevents synchronization issues where automations fight for control.
False Triggers from Location Detection: GPS-based automations sometimes trigger incorrectly due to location drift. Adjust your geofence radius to be more generous, preventing premature “leaving” triggers.
Add delays to departure-based automations, waiting several minutes after GPS indicates departure before executing actions. This prevents false triggers from GPS inaccuracy.
For more detailed troubleshooting help, visit our SmartThings troubleshooting guide.
Automation Best Practices
Follow these guidelines to create reliable, maintainable automations.
Start Simple: Begin with basic single-condition, single-action automations. Once these work reliably, gradually add complexity.
Name Automations Clearly: Use descriptive names that immediately convey what the automation does. “Turn on porch light at sunset” is better than “Automation 1.”
Document Complex Logic: For automations with multiple conditions or actions, add notes explaining the reasoning. Your future self will appreciate understanding why specific conditions exist.
Test Thoroughly: Always test new automations before relying on them. Use the built-in test function, or manually trigger conditions to verify expected behavior.
Review Periodically: Household routines change over time. Review automations quarterly, updating or removing those no longer relevant.
Consider Family Members: Ensure automations work for everyone in the household, not just your personal preferences. Discuss automated behaviors with family members before implementing them.
Plan for Failures: Critical automations like security features should include backup plans. Don’t rely solely on automated locking; maintain manual lock-checking habits as backup.
Balance Automation and Control: Over-automation frustrates users. Keep manual overrides easily accessible for all automated devices.
Expanding Your Automation Capabilities
As you master basic automations, explore advanced possibilities.
Voice Assistant Integration: Connect SmartThings to Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-triggered automation execution. Say “Alexa, goodnight” to run your complete bedtime routine.
Voice assistants also enable creating routines in their apps that trigger SmartThings scenes, providing additional automation flexibility beyond SmartThings’ native capabilities.
IFTTT Integration: If This Then That (IFTTT) extends SmartThings with connections to hundreds of services. Create automations triggered by emails, social media, weather services, and countless other web platforms.
IFTTT applets can trigger SmartThings scenes or change device states based on external events impossible to detect within SmartThings alone.
SmartThings API: Advanced users can access SmartThings’ developer API to create custom automations beyond the app’s interface limitations. This requires programming knowledge but offers unlimited customization.
Community-Created SmartApps: The SmartThings community has developed countless custom automation apps. Browse community forums and GitHub repositories for specialized automation solutions addressing niche needs.
Compatible Device Expansion: As you add more compatible devices, automation possibilities multiply. Explore our SmartThings compatible devices guide to discover products that expand your automation options.
Seasonal Automation Updates
Review and adjust automations as seasons change to maintain optimal performance.
Spring Adjustments: Update outdoor lighting schedules as sunset times change. Activate sprinkler systems for lawn care. Review security camera positions after winter weather potentially shifted mounting.
Summer Modifications: Extend window-closing automations to preserve air conditioning. Create heat-wave responses for extreme temperature protection. Adjust pool automation schedules for increased usage.
Fall Preparations: Return outdoor lighting to earlier activation as days shorten. Prepare winter security lighting patterns. Test heating system integrations before cold weather arrives.
Winter Adaptations: Add freeze protection automations for exposed pipes. Adjust thermostat schedules for increased time indoors. Create snow-day routines if applicable to your region.
Automating for Different Household Types
Tailor automation strategies to your specific living situation.
Single Occupants: Focus on arrival and departure automations since you’re the sole trigger for location-based routines. Emphasize security automations since the home is frequently empty.
Couples and Roommates: Use “any person arrives” versus “everyone leaves” logic carefully. Consider creating individual automations for each person’s preferences in private spaces while maintaining shared automations for common areas.
Families with Children: Create kid-safe automations that prevent children from accidentally triggering disruptive routines. Use door sensors on off-limit areas with notification alerts. Implement bedtime routines that gently transition children to sleep schedules.
Multi-Generational Homes: Ensure automations accommodate varying schedules and preferences. Provide manual overrides accessible to all family members regardless of technical comfort. Avoid overly complex routines that confuse less tech-savvy residents.
Pet Owners: Integrate pet care automations for feeding, door access, and monitoring. Ensure motion sensors can distinguish between human and pet activity to prevent false triggers.
Vacation Properties: Create arrival automations that prepare the property before guest check-ins. Implement departure automations ensuring proper shutdown. Include maintenance monitoring for extended vacancy periods.
Measuring Automation Success
Track automation performance to ensure they’re providing value.
Energy Monitoring: If your smart plugs or smart home system includes energy monitoring, review consumption before and after implementing energy-saving automations. Quantifiable savings demonstrate automation value.
Notification Tracking: Monitor how often you receive notifications. Too many indicates over-automation requiring refinement. Too few suggests you might be missing useful information.
Manual Intervention Frequency: Count how often you manually override automations. Frequent overrides indicate automations don’t match actual behavior patterns and need adjustment.
Household Feedback: Regularly ask family members about automation experiences. What works well? What’s annoying? Use this feedback to refine routines.
Automation Execution Logs: SmartThings maintains logs showing when automations trigger. Review these periodically to identify patterns, confirm expected behavior, or troubleshoot unexpected activations.
Privacy and Security Considerations
Protect your smart home while enjoying automation benefits.
Account Security: Use strong, unique passwords for your SmartThings account. Enable two-factor authentication if available. Never share account credentials with unauthorized individuals.
Network Security: Secure your home WiFi network with WPA3 encryption and a strong password. Consider placing smart home devices on a separate network segment from computers containing sensitive personal data.
Device Permissions: Review which devices have access to your SmartThings account. Remove any you no longer use or don’t recognize.
Location Privacy: Understand that location-based automations require sharing your location with Samsung. Review and understand privacy policies governing this data usage.
Visitor Considerations: Disable certain automations when hosting guests to prevent security notifications that might make visitors uncomfortable. Guest mode automations provide temporary privacy-friendly configurations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many automations can I create in SmartThings?
SmartThings doesn’t impose a specific limit on automation quantities, allowing dozens or even hundreds of routines. However, system performance may degrade with excessive automations. For optimal performance, keep active automations under 50 and combine related actions into scenes rather than separate routines. Disable or delete unused automations rather than letting them accumulate.
Can automations run without internet connection?
Some SmartThings automations run locally on the hub without requiring internet connectivity, including basic Smart Lighting automations and Smart Home Monitor features. However, most advanced automations require cloud processing. During internet outages, cloud-based automations won’t trigger, though local automations continue functioning. SmartThings doesn’t clearly indicate which automations run locally versus in the cloud.
Why did my automation stop working suddenly?
Common causes include device batteries dying (for battery-powered sensors), hub connectivity issues, WiFi network problems affecting cloud communication, device firmware updates changing behavior, or app updates modifying automation functionality. Start troubleshooting by checking device and hub status in the SmartThings app. Verify devices respond to manual commands before assuming automation problems.
Can I copy automations to different locations?
SmartThings doesn’t provide built-in automation copying between locations. You must manually recreate each automation in new locations. Document complex automations by taking screenshots or writing down settings to simplify recreation. Some third-party tools and developer approaches exist for automation backup and migration, though these require technical expertise.
How do I temporarily disable an automation without deleting it?
Unfortunately, SmartThings doesn’t offer a simple pause or disable function for automations. The primary workaround is changing your location mode to prevent mode-specific automations from triggering. Alternatively, add an additional condition like a virtual switch that you control manually, essentially creating a manual enable/disable toggle for the automation.
Can automations trigger other automations?
Directly triggering one automation from another isn’t explicitly supported, but you can achieve similar results using location mode changes or scenes. An automation can change the location mode, which then triggers other automations configured to run only in that mode. Similarly, automations can run scenes, which can include mode changes, creating chains of automated responses.
Do automations work when my phone is off or away?
Location-based automations require your phone’s GPS signal and active SmartThings app. If your phone is off, in airplane mode, or has a drained battery, location triggers won’t function for your presence. However, other household members’ phones continue triggering location-based automations. Time-based, device-triggered, and scene-based automations operate independently of your phone’s status.
How accurate are sunrise and sunset triggers?
Sunrise and sunset triggers are highly accurate, calculating times based on your exact location coordinates and the current date. These times adjust daily as seasons change. You can add offsets to trigger before or after actual sunrise/sunset. However, automations still depend on cloud processing, so minor delays of 30 seconds to 2 minutes occasionally occur due to server load or connectivity.
Taking Your SmartThings Automations Further
The automation examples in this guide represent just a fraction of possible SmartThings routines. Your unique household routines, preferences, and device combinations create endless automation opportunities.
Start with the examples most relevant to your immediate needs. Master basic automations before tackling complex multi-device scenarios. Pay attention to which automations genuinely improve your life versus those that create more complexity than value.
Remember that successful home automation enhances convenience without sacrificing control. Well-designed automations work silently in the background, noticed only when they fail. Poorly designed automations frustrate users and often get disabled or overridden.
Share your automation successes with family members and the SmartThings community. The best automation ideas often come from seeing how others solve common household challenges in creative ways.
Ready to expand your smart home capabilities? Explore compatible devices and continue building the intelligent home you’ve envisioned. Your journey toward a fully automated home is just beginning.
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