FabianPhilips Hue provides us with software updates several times a month, but one important function seems to have been completely forgotten after the demise of Hue Labs in the summer of 2024. At present, there is no option in the Hue app to set a different schedule for sensors at the weekend. This comes as quite a surprise.
Back in the days of Hue Labs, there was a function called ‘Sensing the weekend’. With a little detour, you could set a different schedule or other scenes for weekdays and weekends for a motion sensor. In the meantime, the Hue Secure contact sensor and MotionAware have added further possibilities where a proper schedule would be useful.
Looking back, it’s quite strange that when Hue Labs came to an end, Philips Hue published a long list of Hue Labs features that had already been integrated into the Hue app or were in the works at the time. ‘Sensing the weekend’ was already missing from this list.
How to set motion sensors differently at the weekend
At least with the Hue motion sensor and the outdoor model, you can use third-party apps if you want these sensors to work differently on certain days of the week. The best-known candidate here is certainly iConnectHue, but Hue Essentials and All 4 Hue also offer a suitable function.
However, there are no options with MotionAware, which can currently only be configured via the Hue app. Although the Hue Secure contact sensor can be edited with iConnectHue, the options here are much more limited – unlike the classic motion sensors, the contact sensor uses the new Hue API, which offers only limited customisation options.
Ultimately, it is a little surprising that Philips Hue does not offer the option of configuring its sensors differently on different days of the week. At least for automations, corresponding settings are offered. Or is such a function not of interest to the community? After all, Hue Labs has been defunct for a year and a half now.
I have missed that function for years and never understood why this is absent in de Hue app. A dirty solution is to disable the sensors on Saturday and Sunday in Home Assistant between 06:00-10:00, which suits my needs. But it is not a nice way to do it.