Integrating Multi-Area Presence Detection in Multi-Switch Environment

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Hi everyone,

I’m seeking guidance on an issue I’m facing with my smart home setup. I have Inovelli smart switches integrated with Home Assistant using ZHA, specifically the model VZM32-SN that includes presence detection capabilities. I’ve installed two of these switches in a two-gang box above my staircase, one to control the staircase lights and the other for the hallway upstairs.

I’ve encountered a problem where having two presence-detection switches side-by-side leads to false positives. After some research, I learned that it’s best to have only one smart switch with presence detection per gang box. To address this, I replaced one switch with a simple dimmer model (VZM31-SN) and disabled the Light on presence behavior attributes.

I set up 2 distinct areas in the switch, and an automation that listens for the zha_event mmwave_anyone_in_area with values greater than 0 in area1 and area2. The idea is to turn on the staircase lights if area1 > 0 and the hallway lights if area2 > 0. While this setup works, it’s not as responsive as the native switch function. I notice a significant delay before the lights turn on.

I’m reaching out to see if there’s a more efficient setup or workaround for my situation. Is there a better way to achieve seamless, responsive control over both areas using presence detection? Or would you recommend sticking to a single presence-sensing switch and foregoing control over both areas?

I appreciate any insights or advice you might have!

Thank you!

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After spending the last 2 days trying to fix the issue, I realized that the delay problem was due to a configuration error on my part. I had accidentally set the delay on the switch to 5 seconds, resulting in the noticeable lag. After adjusting the delay back to 0.2 seconds, everything now works flawlessly. Thank you all for your patience and support! Creating this topic helped me figure out my issue! :slight_smile:

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Nice! I do similar with Z2M and did not notice any delays. I was going to suggest that you look at improving your Zigbee mesh if you were still seeing issues.