Groups and Scenes

Groups and Scenes are two distinct ways combine devices for simplified automation.

Groups let you select a collection bulbs, dimmers and switches that you would like to act together as if they were a single device. This means they will all turn on/off, change level, and change color together using a single "group device" in our rule-building apps or in Alexa. In addition to making rules easier, the Zigbee Group Messaging option allows you to group zigbee lights together to eliminate the "popcorn effect" when you turn them on.

Scenes are used to capture a group of devices in their unique states. Once that scene is captured, Hubitat Elevation can activate to return those the devices back to this captured state when you desire. This new scene is turned into a virtual device that is activated using rules or Alexa commands.

How to Create a new Group

1. Open the Groups and Scenes app in the Hubitat Web Interface.
2. Click Create New Group
3. Give your new group a name. This is the name you will use to control the group via your smart speaker so make it easy to understand.
4. Use the drop down menus to select the devices you'd like to include in your group. You can include bulbs, dimmers and/or switches.
5. Use the toggle to select if you would like to Enable Zigbee group messaging. This option groups together all Zigbee devices into a Zigbee Group. This feature allows all of those grouped Zigbee devices to turn on or off together simultaneously -- no popcorn effect -- or to dim together simultaneously. The Group may have non-Zigbee devices in it as well, and these will turn on or off or dim at the very same time, but possibly with some popcorn effect.
6. Once your group options are selected, click done. Your new group will now be available as a device in our rule-building apps.

How to create and capture a Scene

Creating a scene is a multistep process. The first step is to select the device you want in your scene using the app. Next you will need to set and capture those devices. Finally you will be able to activate the scene .

1. Open the Groups and Scenes app in the Hubitat Web Interface.
2. Click Create New Scene
3. Give your new scene a name. This is the name you will use to activate the scene via your smart speaker so make it easy to understand.
4. Use the drop down menus to select the devices you'd like to include in your scene. You can include bulbs, dimmers and/or switches.
5. If you would like a button to be pressed when you activate a scene (which you can configure using the Button Controllers app or Rule Machine), select it here.
6. You have the option to add restrictions to your Scene. This limited the Scene to only being active during certain modes or conditions. Your restriction options include:

   Only between two times

   Only on certain days of the week

   Only when mode is

   Only when illuminance isSelect an illuminance sensor and light level

   Switch to disable scene Toggle Disable when off switch to on if you want the switch to disable the scene when it is in the off position.

7. Once your devices and restrictions are selected, click done.

similar to groups in that all of the devices in the scene act as a single device in our rule building apps. However, scenes are used to set each device in the scene in a specific, unique state.