Hello, I am configuring a Signum in HA for the more complex automations like manually turning on the patio lights and ‘disabling’ the motion sensors so that they don’t turn off the lights while still sitting outside. I ran across a problem with how the control panels like VMBGPOD are configured. I am using the official Velbus integration as I’m using the Signum as the ‘server’. The way the push buttons are set up now is as momentary switches meaning if I use the state of the switch as a trigger for on and off, the lights will only stay on for the duration of the button press. I was wondering if someone else experienced this issue or if I’m doing something wrong… Any help is appreciated! Thanks
I found a workaround. I enabled the binary_sensor for the push button and used the entity as a trigger: from off to on. I’m glad I was able to solve the problem!
I’m a little confused.
The whole point of the Velbus button events is that they show the real state of each button.
The buttons themselves will only ever be
- Pressed (for a few ms.)
- Long pressed
- Released
It’s the relay outputs that react to these button events and toggle their state.
If your outside lights are wired to Velbus relays, I’d assume what you’re aiming for would be the easiest thing in the world with Velbuslink.
Are you outside lights controlled by something else, that needs to be triggered by a Velbus button event? (Or you could map this third party solution to the state of a Virtual Relay channel, which means you can use multiple Velbus button events to trigger it or even lock it off with a Velbus light sensor or PIR)
More information on your setup and expectations are required.
For example
There is a feature in the Velbus PIR called “external override”, which I think does everything you are thinking about.
IE
Normally, the PIR triggers the light for a limited time.
But if the relay channel is manually activated using a button (or anything else), the PIR will take a back seat until the relay is turned off or times out.
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I understand your confusion and what you’re saying is true. VelbusLink works well in that way but I noticed a problem and it could very well be down to my configuration. I have a motion sensor (VMBPIRO) that activates the outside lights (connected to VMBRYNO) as well as a VMBGPOD that have buttons that toggle the same lights. When I was sitting outside in the summer I turned on the lights with the VMBPOD but sometimes they would just turn off. I think it’s because the sensor detected motion so the absence channel was refreshed resulting in the lights turning off. I wanted to circumvent this by locking the channel when toggling the lights with the GPOD but that proved very cumbersome and error-prone so I decided to go the HA route. Because the installation used a Signumv2 that was very easy and now I use a combination of helpers to do exactly what I want. The problem with HA and the buttons is that they are configured as momentary switches so the light only stays on for as long as you hold the button. If you have any further questions, I’d be happy to answer them!
Yes, I understand.
Before you go too far down this road, have a look at the configuration of the VMBPIRO and find the “External Override” tick box
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That’s exactly what I needed 
You are the real expert when it comes to Velbus 
I will leave it as is for now but it’s good that it is documented somewhere on the forum
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