Security Light Battery Drain w/motion When Light Is Off

[KachinaShadow]

The security lights, while in Home Mode (during daylight hours) are off but lately we've had quite a few really windy days and I've noticed that on those windy days the light on the north side of the house, which has lots of plants that blow around, drains the battery. The light on the south side, where there's nothing but stationary objects, does not show any battery drain.

This only occurs on windy days when there's plenty of motion on that north side...note that the cameras on both sides of the house are also off while in Home Mode and the north side camera battery shows no battery drain due to all of that motion.

[jguerdat]

By "off" do you mean disarmed?

[KachinaShadow]

@jguerdat 

I guess the answer would be yes. I'm assuming that since none of the lights have been added to the Bridge Home Mode that they remain disarmed. The Home Mode also takes place during daylight hours (the light doesn't come on when the wind is blowing) so I would think that there would be no battery drain even if the were added to the Bridges Home Mode.

The corresponding camera has not been added to the Base Home Mode and it does not use any battery with the same motion from the plants blowing in the wind.

Paul

[jguerdat]

Can you provide a screenshot of your Home Mode? If you don't want the lights to turn on when at home why not just use Disarmed?

[KachinaShadow]

@jguerdat 

Screen shot for the lights home mode won't show you anything but that no rule has ever been added to it...it's just blank.

So you're saying that even though the light has not been told what to do during that "Home" time period, and even though it is light outside, it continues to sense motion but just not turn on the light...never thought of it that way but it makes sense 🤔

We're supposed to have 25 MPH winds tomorrow & 35 MPH wind on Thursday so I'll make the bridge "disarmed" during that time period, charge battery to 100% and update you on Friday.

Thanks,

Paul

[jguerdat]

Are you saying you have a mode with no rules in it? I don't know what that would do but I'm surprised you could save it. Instead of using the Home mode for GF Home, try using Disarmed.

[KachinaShadow]

@jguerdat 

"Are you saying you have a mode with no rules in it? I don't know what that would do but I'm surprised you could save it. Instead of using the Home mode for GF Home, try using Disarmed"

Yes...it looks like once you include a mode (like Home) in the schedule that mode stays there regardless of whether there's any devices included in that mode. Normally after you add a mode you would then click on that mode, add a device and then add rules for that device. I had added that mode (Home) to the schedule but never added any devices to it.

If I remove that mode (Home) from that time slot in the schedule then the lights become disarmed for that time period, which is what I did yesterday. Now I'm waiting for the wind to start to see if there's battery usage during that now disarmed daytime (6 AM - 5 PM) slot.

Note that when I had the empty Home mode included in the schedule the status of the lights (Bridge), during that time period, showed "Home" and now that the time slot in the schedule is just blank the status shows "Disarmed".

Paul

[jguerdat]

Interesting. I believe the empty mode was the root of the problem because it was expected that at least one rule would be in the mode. Sounds like this is something that should be disallowed (saving an empty mode) - @JamesC  could this be pushed upstairs?

[KachinaShadow · Accepted solution]

@jguerdat 

So far removing the empty mode and just leaving that time slot blank seems to have solved the problem but I will continue to monitor the situation when we have some more windy days.

I do find it interesting that lights, that are included in active bridge modes (at other times during the night) but not included in that empty mode, would actually be sensing motion thus causing battery drain. In fact I find it unusual that any motion sensing light (which also senses day/night) would even have anything other than the photocell active during times of daylight...this is all too weird 🤔

Paul