The homes in my neighborhood are getting hit more and more frequently by burglars. I have Wyze Contact Sensors on all of my external doors and windows, and they work great. I recently created an IFTTT applet that will flash all of the lights in the house when one of these doors or windows has been opened. However, I have to manually enable the applet each night when I go to bed. Here’s my question: Is there a way to leave an IFTTT applet enabled all the time, and have the sensors only trigger that flashing light response, etc., during certain times, say, between midnight and 5am? That would be SO much better than having to remember to enable the applet each night. Thanks for any help!
IFTTT doesn’t currently have a way to do this, but I’m using apilio.io to create more complex automation using Wyze sensors and other smart devices through IFTTT. It has a bit of a learning curve, but once you wrap your head around the logic it’s pretty powerful.
There have been several threads here discussing apilio.io including one complete walkthrough:
Advanced IFTTT use without an engineering degree. (Step by step guide)
I’ve asked the apilio.io developer to make a way to share working collections of variables/conditions/logicblocks with other users, but until then I would be happy to help sort out the pieces you need if you run into issues.
Thanks for the quick reply. I have the 2nd Gen Amazon Echo Plus, and a couple of Philips Hue motion sensors. While the Hue sensors work fantastic, I would love to support the Wyze product line, if possible. Currently, I can use the Alexa app to create a routine—that stays enabled all the time—to activate those motion sensors only during specified user-determined hours, and set off a good number of different smart devices at the same time, including having Alexa to immediately scream to the household that someone is breaking into the car. If Wyze cannot compete with this functionality, I will just purchase additional Hue motion sensors—before company comes.
Just an FYI - if you set up a IFTTT Platform account (yes, it’s free), you can add some javascript (called filter code) to enable the applet whenever you choose. I have one that, when the garage door opens, the TV room Hue bulbs come on (no, not flash) - but only between the hours of 1800 and 0500.
It’s certainly possible to set up Wyze sensors in a similar configuration using Apilio, but if you’re not comfortable setting up and maintaining rules in Apilio and IFTTT for each sensor then you might find it easier to buy a couple Hue motion sensors ($35? ouch) and use only one system. I had no pre-existing sensors so I have only Wyze + Apilio + IFTTT.
Or, to put it another way, I would absolutely not depend on my Wyze + Apilio + IFTTT setup for critical security. The Wyze-IFTTT link seems to stop working at random for days and then come back on its own, and there is a 4-5 second delay from Wyze trigger to IFTTT action. This highlights why Wyze shouldn’t be depended on as a true security system, but used as a convenient monitoring system
That being said, if you want to start supplementing your existing system with Wyze sensors and don’t mind if there are possible lapses in IFTTT service, you could get 5 Wyze motion sensors for the price of one Hue motion sensor and cover more possible/low risk entry points.
Yes, I did try the IFTTT Platform initially to set time limits, but I found it only allows very limited filtering that’s hard-coded into the applet, so changing or de-activating the schedule was a pain. In the end Apilio worked out best for me, but if you only need to use fixed time-based filtering IFTTT Platform can be a good option.
Yes, I have a lot of those routines set with my Alexa app, Echo Plus, and Hue bulbs. I no longer stumble into a dark garage from the house. And my Hues motion sensor turns on my living room and kitchen lights when I first walk into the living room each morning, and turns them off automatically after 30 minutes if no motion is detected. And the time of day will determine the brightness levels that they operate. Pretty neat stuff, and no script to embed…only the routine through the Alexa app.