Groups and Scenes 2

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 the scene 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 devices 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 using rules from other rule building apps or using a compatible voice assistant.

Create a New 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 can create a smoother transition into your scene by entering the number of seconds you desire in the set scene transition time in seconds field.
7. Next, notice the Ignore activate switch off toggle. The default is to shut all scene devices off when the scene is turned off. Toggle this switch on if you do not want the devices to turn off when the activation switch is turned off. The default is that the entire scene will turn off when the switch is turned off
8. 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 - Select specific times, Sunrise/Sunset, a combination.

   Only on certain days of the week - Restrict to specific days

   Only when mode is - Restrict by mode, for example Evening

   Only when illuminance is Select an illuminance sensor and light level

   Switch to disable scene Select a switch you would like to use to disable the scene when it is in the On position. Toggle Disable when off switch to on if you want the switch to disable the scene when it is in the off position.

Now that your devices are selected you need to capture the state of those devices as you want them in the scene. If you go into your the Devices page in your Hubitat Web Interface, you'll notice two new devices have been added. One is the name of Scene you just created. The the other is the name of the scene you created followed by "capture." You can use this second device to capture the state of your devices to build your scene.

Capture the Scene

1. Start by adjusting all of the devices in your scene to the level you desire. Turn off the devices you want off, turn on the devices you want on, set dimmers and colors to create the perfect setting.
2. With your devices set, go to your devices list in the Hubitat Web Interface and click on the [Scene Name] Capture device you just created. When the device opens, click the on button. Your scene is now captured. To make capturing a scene easier, you can add the [Scene Name] capture device to your Hubitat™ Dashboard as a momentary button, then turn it on from the dashboard to capture the scene. You could also add it to your Alexa device list, then say Alexa, turn on [Scene Name] Capture to capture your scene.
3. You can adjust your scene capture settings at any time simply by adjusting your devices, the following step 2 to turn on the [Scene Name] Capture device.

Activate the Scene To Activate a Scene you will use the newly create Scene device. The Scene device can be used as a button or switch in other automations, including Simple Lighting, Motion Lighting, Button Controller or Rule Machine, or it can be placed in a Dashboard. You can also activate your scene using Alexa. If the scene Switch is turned off, all of the member devices are turned off. There is an option for a Scene when activated to push a button of a button device, such as a keypad. This is useful for activating scenes (phantom buttons) in a Lutron system.

Cloning a Scene

Often times in a room, you may want to use the same devices to created different scenes. Perhaps in an office you may want to use the same lights, but with a dimmer setting in the evening. This is where cloning comes in so handy. You can clone a scene you already have, give it a new name and a new capture device will be created with the same devices as the original scene. Then you can adjust the device settings, turn on the newly created capture device and voila, your new scene is set.

Here's how set up your cloned scene:

1. Open the Groups and Scenes app in your Hubitat Web Interface.
2. Select the scene you would like to clone from the aptly named Select a Scene to Clone drop down menu. A copy of scene will be created as a child app in the Apps page.
3. Click Done
4. You will now be back at the Apps page. Scroll down to the Groups and Scenes app and look for the [Scene Name] copy app that was just created. Click on it.
5. When you are in the scene, click Get Clone Values. This will populate the scene with all of the devices and settings from the cloned app.
6. Rename your scene
7. Now you have the opportunity to remove or add devices and change your restrictions. When you are satisfied with your new scenes setting, click done.

Now that your scene is created, follow the instructions for capturing and activating your scene in the above section.