FabianToday, I would like to address a question that has been asked several times and has certainly been answered in eight years of Hueblog. However, it recently popped up again in our community, and my father-in-law also asked me the following question a few days ago:
How can you turn on a Philips Hue lamp or the Hue Smart Plug at the touch of a button and have it turn off automatically after a certain amount of time?
Unfortunately, the timer function in the Hue app is not helpful
At first, you would probably think of the timer function, which is hidden in the automation section of the Hue app. However, this works quite differently and causes a lamp to light up as soon as the set time has elapsed.
We get closer to the solution with the “Go to sleep” automation. However, there are a few details to consider:
- The selected lamps either simulate a sunset or are slowly dimmed.
- Only 5-minute increments from 5 to 60 minutes are possible
- The automations created only work if the light is already switched on
The last point in particular poses a major problem in relation to the original question. There is no way to switch on the desired lamps or smart plugs with the same automation or the same button press. In the Hue app, you would need at least two button presses.
With iConnectHue, there are significantly more options
For this type of automation, I recommend a configuration via iConnectHue. First, search for the desired switch in the device settings and then select a button. You can assign two actions to this button using the plus symbol:
- an action to turn on the desired devices
- a timer that turns the light off again after the desired time
With iConnectHue, you can not only assign the start and end to a button, but also set the time completely freely using the slider. Values such as 3 minutes or 27 minutes are absolutely no problem.
Philips Hue could definitely learn a thing or two here. It would also be great if the official app allowed you to assign two or more actions to a single button.
I have been missing a timer function for the Hue plug via push button for years. I use Plejd instead for this purpose.