IFTTT: Tempest <-> TP-Link Kasa - Dusk-to-Dawn Exterior Lighting Control

Developers Third-Party Integrations
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I just wanted to take a moment to share something else we’ve been able to accomplish by having the Tempest PWS.

Our home has four electrical switches by the front entrance doors which controls all the lighting in the front of our home (west corner spotlights, garage sconces, entrance recessed lighting and east corner spotlights). All four of these switches are always left in the “on” position and are controlled by four independent photoelectric switches mounted on the second floor overhang (one for each circuit).

For 26 years, we’ve always left the lights on in the front of our home, for safety reasons. Every time a photoelectric switch becomes defective, however, I’ve got to lug the big ladder out and make my way over to those exterior junction boxes twenty feet up in the air. Not fun, I can assure you.

In the last year, we’ve taken the initiative to change out our most frequently used light switches over to the TP-Link Kasa switches (single poles, three-ways and dimmers, where applicable). We’ve also changed over most of our incandescent and fluorescent lighting over to LEDs.

This evening, I was perusing through the IFTTT site and discovered that I can create an IFTTT applet that will help me to eliminate the photoelectric switches, altogether. This will allow me to have full control, manually, via the Kasa app and via Alexa, of the light switches on these circuits. Since I don’t have the four switches yet (ordered them this evening), I tried this theory out by setting up the applet to control the light in our family room.

IFTTT applet for dusk: “If your WeatherFlow Smart Weather Station’s brightness drops below 150 lux, then turn on Family Room Lights [HS200 (US)]”

IFTTT applet for dawn: “If your WeatherFlow Smart Weather Station’s brightness rises above 150 lux, then turn off Family Room Lights [HS200 (US)]”

To test the dusk applet, I opened the Tempest app this evening and watched the lumens drop. As soon as the screen refreshed and the lumen count fell below the set threshold of 150, it automatically turned on the family room lights. SUCCESS!!! I’m going to test out the dawn applet in the morning, but assume that it will work just as efficiently as the dusk applet did.

I certainly hope this helps a fellow Tempest owner to solve a similar issue.

Meanwhile, we’re loving the versatility of our Tempest! :heart:

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You might want to allow some spread between the on/off so that if the light level fluctuates right around 150 the lights won’t flicker on and off. For example, on at 150, off at 200.

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That is an excellent idea! Although I haven’t seen any fluctuation, it certainly can happen and your point makes perfect sense. I appreciate your input!

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I’m looking at much the same situation and contemplating my hardware/software alternatives. So, your post indicating success with the Kasa switches and IFTTT applet has helped make my decision. I have a photoelectric light mounted high on the house to illuminate the backyard, beginning at dusk and ending at dawn. The light sensor always goes bad so the light often remains on. I also have lights above the garage that are controlled by a programmable switch (I forget manufacturer) to go on roughly at dusk and off roughly at dawn based on my time zone. I’ll be ordering a Kasa smart switch for the backyard light and a Kasa dimmable smart switch for the garage lights and use IFTTT to trigger lights on/off more precisely based on Tempest Lux readings. Thanks!