If you have a notification, which is only relevant for you when you are at home, it does not make sense to send it, if you are away. Instead, it would make sense to receive it the moment you get home.
To do this, simply add an Wait for a template action before sending the notification, with the following content. This can be done via YAML configuration
If you are currently at home, means the entity status is already in the state home, it will be resolved immediately, otherwise it will wait until your status changes to home.
Suddenly, some weeks ago, devices in my Zigbee network started to become sometimes unavailable and did not respond. This occurred at random times and on random devices. When checking the Zigbee2MQTT logs, it was flooded with MAC channel access failure error messages.
When searching for this error message, this GitHub issue pointed me to the potential issue: Network Interferences (probably Wi-Fi). See also the official docs here.
I have two ZigBee networks in parallel. One using ZHA and the Conbee II stick running on channel 20. And one using Zigbee2MQTT using a Sonoff ZBDongle-P (CC2652P) running on channel 11, which had the network issues. Without further investigation, I thought, let’s check what channel my own Wi-Fi is using and if it is on channel 11, simply change it to something else (which turned out to be a completely wrong approach). In my FritzBox router, the channel selection was configured as “auto”. So no specific channel set. That made sense to me, as the ZigBee issues randomly appeared, so perhaps only when the Wi-Fi switched to a channel, ZigBee was already using.
Without further investigation, I simply set the Wi-Fi channel to 1, so that it does not interact with Zigbee channel 11 (just to mention it here again: this is completely incorrect!). But things got worse, instead of better.
After reading this great blog post about building a stable Zigbee network and seeing the graph from Metageek about Wi-Fi and Zigbee channels, I noticed my issue…
Wi-Fi Channel 11 <> Zigbee Channel 11
By simply looking at the Metageethek graph, I understood why I made things even worse. My newly selected Wi-Fi channel 1 interfered directly with Zigbee2MQTT channel 11. SmartHomeScene is recommending the following channel settings in their blog post:
Zigbee channel 11, Wi-Fi channel 6 or 11
Zigbee channel 15, Wi-Fi channel 11
Zigbee channel 20, Wi-Fi channel 1
Zigbee channel 25, Wi-Fi channel 1 or 6
So I tried switching my WI-FI to channel to 11, which should not interference with ZigBee channel 11. And yes, Zigbee2MQTT was now running fine, but suddenly the MAC channel access failure error messages appeared on ZHA. Seems like the ZHA ZigBee channel 20 was sill too close to WI-FI channel 11. So I thought, why not using a WI-FI channel, which is completely out of the ZigBee range. I switched my Wi-Fi from channel 11 to channel 13, and everything runs smooth since then. Finally, my ZigBee network is “rock solid”! 🙂
Update 19.04.2024: The Zigbee network was now working without issues for a few days, but suddenly my ESP Devices started to drop off the WI-FI network… When searching, I found this blog post, where it’s recommended to avoid channel 12-14 when using ESP devices. As I didn’t want to get into conflict with the Zigbee network again, I changed the channel from 13 to 12 as a test. And after a few days, I can now say that Zigbee and ESP devices are running smoothly. Finally!
Somehow, I’ve only just realized that a badge icon can be used to display another entity status on a template card, even though it’s written in the documentation. I now use it to display the status of presence or motion sensors in the respective rooms.
badge_icon: >-
{{ "mdi:motion-sensor" if states("binary_sensor.0xb4e3f9fffeb689d4_occupancy") == "on" }}
badge_color: >-
{{ "green" if states("binary_sensor.0xb4e3f9fffeb689d4_occupancy") == "on" }}
So far, I have only made backups of my Home Assistant VM via Proxmox to my TrueNAS server. To also have a remote backup, I stumbled over Nextcloud Backup. For the add-on installation you have to add a repository, but after that the setup is straight forward.
A few months ago, I installed a Reolink Doorbell at our front door. Since then, I’ve used it for simple automations like sending a photo when someone is at the door. To capture a photo, I was using the camera.snapshot service. I never used the photos and videos that the doorbell itself recorded and that were stored on my TrueNAS system via FTP. Mainly because I haven’t found a good way to display the captured photos and videos on my Dashboard. But finally I was able to fill the gap with the Gallery Card, which turned out to be exactly what I needed the whole time. By using it, you can simply display the latest images and videos, even when they are stored in some kind of nested folder structure, and it also helps to parse filenames to display them in a more convenient way.
Following a brief overview of what I had to do:
TrueNAS
Create dataset, in my case it’s: data/camera
Share the dataset via NFS
Sharing → Unix Shares (NFS) → Add → Choose your new dataset
Create some folder(s) on your new dataset, for example: /Reolink/Wifi-Doorbell/Recordings (to do that, simply mount the NFS share to your local machine or use the terminal)
Most variables are self-explanatory and also well explained by the galery-card docs, but below a few words about the settings I used, beginning with the path to the media which is provided on the entities attribute.
The first part is a default value: media-source://media_source/ Followed by the usage type and name we have chosen when mounting the NSF share: media/Reolink/ Then we need the directory path: Reolink/Wifi-Doorbell/Recordings
Because we chose in the Reolink settings “Generate subfolder by: YYYY-MM-DD“, the files are stored in a hierarchy like this:
2023
10
11
12
01
02
03
04
05
The gallery-card can automatically parse this, if you provide the following setting: folder_format: YYYY/MM/DD. And because the filenames look like this: Haustuer_00_20231230143626.jpg, you have to add file_name_date_begins: 12 to skip the firs letters, and file_name_format: YYYYMMDDHHmmss to parse the date. With caption_format: HH:mm:ss DD/MM you can define the output, how you want to display the parsed timestamp.
15.03.2025: As the original Gallery Card is discontinued, I switched to a fork.
I recently saw this cool dashboard and the person cards caught my eye. As the dashboard creator also provided all the yaml code and a really helpful guide, I tried to rebuild it. I was already using the mushroom-person-card, so I “just” had to add the little icons (mushroom-chips-card) below it (using the vertical-stack-in-card). To display the network type and the charging status, you first have to enable these sensors in the Home Assistant Companion App on your mobile phone. This is my result:
type: horizontal-stack
cards:
- type: custom:vertical-stack-in-card
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-person-card
entity: person.nico
icon_type: entity-picture
secondary_info: last-changed
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
background: transparent;
}
- type: horizontal-stack
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-chips-card
alignment: center
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
--chip-font-size: 0.3em;
--chip-icon-size: 0.5em;
--chip-border-width: 0;
--chip-box-shadow: none;
--chip-background: none;
--chip-border: none;
--chip-spacing: none;
--chip-font-weight: bold;
}
chips:
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_network_type
content: '{{ states(''sensor.mi_8_network_type'')}}'
icon: |-
{% if is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','wifi')%}
mdi:wifi
{% elif is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','vpn')%}
mdi:network
{% elif is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','cellular')%}
mdi:signal-4g
{% else %}
mdi:network-strength-off
{% endif %}
icon_color: >-
{% if is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','wifi') or
is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','vpn')%}
green
{% elif is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','cellular')%}
red
{% else %}
grey
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_battery_level
content: '{{ states(''sensor.mi_8_battery_level'')}}%'
icon: |-
{% set state = states('sensor.mi_8_battery_level')|float %}
{% if state >= 0 and state < 10 %} mdi:battery-10
{% elif state >= 10 and state < 20 %} mdi:battery-20
{% elif state >= 20 and state < 30 %} mdi:battery-30
{% elif state >= 30 and state < 40 %} mdi:battery-40
{% elif state >= 40 and state < 50 %} mdi:battery-50
{% elif state >= 50 and state < 60 %} mdi:battery-60
{% elif state >= 60 and state < 70 %} mdi:battery-70
{% elif state >= 70 and state < 80 %} mdi:battery-80
{% elif state >= 80 and state < 95 %} mdi:battery-90
{% else %} mdi:battery
{% endif %}
icon_color: |-
{% set state = states('sensor.mi_8_battery_level')|float %}
{% if state >= 0 and state < 20 %} red
{% elif state >= 20 and state < 50 %} orange
{% elif state >= 50 and state < 80 %} yellow
{% else %} green
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_battery_power
content: '{{ states(''sensor.mi_8_battery_power'')}} W'
icon: |-
{% if is_state('binary_sensor.mi_8_is_charging','on')%}
mdi:power-plug
{% else %}
mdi:power-plug-off
{% endif %}
icon_color: |-
{% if is_state('binary_sensor.mi_8_is_charging','on')%}
blue
{% else %}
grey
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: custom:vertical-stack-in-card
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-person-card
entity: person.user2
icon_type: entity-picture
secondary_info: last-changed
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
background: transparent;
}
- type: horizontal-stack
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-chips-card
alignment: center
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
--chip-font-size: 0.3em;
--chip-icon-size: 0.5em;
--chip-border-width: 0;
--chip-box-shadow: none;
--chip-background: none;
--chip-border: none;
--chip-spacing: none;
--chip-font-weight: bold;
}
chips:
- type: template
entity: sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type
content: '{{ states(''sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type'')}}'
icon: >-
{% if
is_state('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type','wifi')%}
mdi:wifi
{% elif
is_state('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type','vpn')%}
mdi:network
{% elif
is_state('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type','cellular')%}
mdi:signal-4g
{% else %}
mdi:network-strength-off
{% endif %}
icon_color: >-
{% if is_state('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type','wifi')
or is_state('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type','vpn')%}
green
{% elif
is_state('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_network_type','cellular')%}
red
{% else %}
grey
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_battery_level
content: '{{ states(''sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_battery_level'')}}%'
icon: >-
{% set state = states('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_battery_level')|float %}
{% if state >= 0 and state < 10 %} mdi:battery-10
{% elif state >= 10 and state < 20 %} mdi:battery-20
{% elif state >= 20 and state < 30 %} mdi:battery-30
{% elif state >= 30 and state < 40 %} mdi:battery-40
{% elif state >= 40 and state < 50 %} mdi:battery-50
{% elif state >= 50 and state < 60 %} mdi:battery-60
{% elif state >= 60 and state < 70 %} mdi:battery-70
{% elif state >= 70 and state < 80 %} mdi:battery-80
{% elif state >= 80 and state < 95 %} mdi:battery-90
{% else %} mdi:battery
{% endif %}
icon_color: >-
{% set state = states('sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_battery_level')|float %}
{% if state >= 0 and state < 20 %} red
{% elif state >= 20 and state < 50 %} orange
{% elif state >= 50 and state < 80 %} yellow
{% else %} green
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: template
entity: sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_battery_power
content: '{{ states(''sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_battery_power'')}} W'
icon: >-
{% if is_state('binary_sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_is_charging','on')%}
mdi:power-plug
{% else %}
mdi:power-plug-off
{% endif %}
icon_color: >-
{% if is_state('binary_sensor.redmi_note_8_pro_is_charging','on')%}
blue
{% else %}
grey
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
Update 15.01.2025: When I migrated my dashboard to the new sections layout, I could get rid of the surrounding horizontal stack and had to adjust some minor things like font size and icon size. I also added the Steps sensor from my mobile phone (chekc here). Here is it, how it looks now:
type: custom:vertical-stack-in-card
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-person-card
entity: person.nocin
icon_type: entity-picture
secondary_info: last-changed
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
background: transparent;
}
- type: horizontal-stack
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-chips-card
alignment: center
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
--chip-font-size: 0.32em;
--chip-icon-size: 0.5em;
--chip-border-width: 0;
--chip-box-shadow: none;
--chip-background: none;
--chip-border: none;
--chip-spacing: none;
--chip-font-weight: bold;
}
chips:
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_network_type
content: "{{ states('sensor.mi_8_network_type')}}"
icon: |-
{% if is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','wifi')%}
mdi:wifi
{% elif is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','vpn')%}
mdi:network
{% elif is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','cellular')%}
mdi:signal-4g
{% else %}
mdi:network-strength-off
{% endif %}
icon_color: >-
{% if is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','wifi') or
is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','vpn')%}
green
{% elif is_state('sensor.mi_8_network_type','cellular')%}
red
{% else %}
grey
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_battery_level
content: "{{ states('sensor.mi_8_battery_level')}}%"
icon: |-
{% set state = states('sensor.mi_8_battery_level')|float %}
{% if state >= 0 and state < 10 %} mdi:battery-10
{% elif state >= 10 and state < 20 %} mdi:battery-20
{% elif state >= 20 and state < 30 %} mdi:battery-30
{% elif state >= 30 and state < 40 %} mdi:battery-40
{% elif state >= 40 and state < 50 %} mdi:battery-50
{% elif state >= 50 and state < 60 %} mdi:battery-60
{% elif state >= 60 and state < 70 %} mdi:battery-70
{% elif state >= 70 and state < 80 %} mdi:battery-80
{% elif state >= 80 and state < 95 %} mdi:battery-90
{% else %} mdi:battery
{% endif %}
icon_color: |-
{% set state = states('sensor.mi_8_battery_level')|float %}
{% if state >= 0 and state < 20 %} red
{% elif state >= 20 and state < 50 %} orange
{% elif state >= 50 and state < 80 %} yellow
{% else %} green
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: template
entity: sensor.mi_8_battery_power
content: "{{ states('sensor.mi_8_battery_power')}} W"
icon: |-
{% if is_state('binary_sensor.mi_8_is_charging','on')%}
mdi:power-plug
{% else %}
mdi:power-plug-off
{% endif %}
icon_color: |-
{% if is_state('binary_sensor.mi_8_is_charging','on')%}
blue
{% else %}
grey
{% endif %}
tap_action:
action: more-info
- type: horizontal-stack
cards:
- type: custom:mushroom-chips-card
alignment: center
card_mod:
style: |
ha-card {
--chip-font-size: 0.32em;
--chip-icon-size: 0.5em;
--chip-border-width: 0;
--chip-box-shadow: none;
--chip-background: none;
--chip-border: none;
--chip-spacing: none;
--chip-font-weight: bold;
}
chips:
- type: template
entity: sensor.daily_steps_mi8
content: "{{ states('sensor.daily_steps_mi8')}} steps today"
tap_action:
action: more-info
Cool template sensor idea I found here, which combines the states of two sensors and display the different combined states. Useful if, for example, you want to combine a door lock and a contact sensor on the same door.
{% if is_state('lock.kellertur', 'locked') and is_state('binary_sensor.kellertur_contact', 'off') %}
Locked
{% elif is_state('lock.kellertur', 'unlocked') and is_state('binary_sensor.kellertur_contact', 'on') %}
Open
{% elif is_state('lock.kellertur', 'unlocked') and is_state('binary_sensor.kellertur_contact', 'off') %}
Closed, Unlocked
{% elif is_state('lock.kellertur', 'locked') and is_state('binary_sensor.kellertur_contact', 'on') %}
Open, Locked
{% else %}
Unknown
{% endif %}
Helpful to check whether a door is really closed when locking it via a smart lock. Because else it could happen, that you would see status “Locked“, although the door is still open. But with this helper, you will get in this situation “Open, Locked“.
To emphasize such a situation even more clearly, you can of course also add some icon colors.
