Best way to set Home/Away timers in AHP?

[Geewiz]

As a creature of habit, I've been using AHP for a couple years now to primarily control lights on timers.  I set up all the timers and save an .ahx file as (for instance) Away.ahx

Now, when home, and for WAF reasons, I only want a few of those lights on timers.  So I basically take the Away.ahx file, turn off all the timers I don't want running, save it as Home.ahx, then clear the CM15A and load the Home.ahx file.

This works, but it's a hassle, and I'm thinking there must be a more elegant way to do this.  

Is there a better way?

[HA Dave]

I set up all the timers and save an .ahx file as (for instance) Away.ahx  ........turn off all the timers I don't want running, save it as Home.ahx, then clear the CM15A and load the Home.ahx file.
This works, but it's a hassle, and I'm thinking there must be a more elegant way to do this. Is there a better way?

There most certainly is! Actually there is probability several better ways to do that. I will give you my idea.... others can give you theirs.

Make your home and away timers into macros. Make the macros conditional macros.... so they look to see if a certain module is ON (as a condition before they activate). The certain module that must be ON for the macro to procede..... must be a monitored module.

Say the monitored code is M... and the at home code is 1 and the away code is 2. If you leave (and want the away macros/timers to run) you would turn M2 ON (using a remote)... so the away macros would operate. When you return home you can turn M1 ON so the at home macros run.... (and turn M2 OFF again, using a remote so the away macro don't).

Now... you can create a macro that if M1 is turn ON.... then M2 is turned OFF. And another so That M2 ON turn M1 OFF.

Then.... you can put M1 and M2 macros on timers.... or even motion sensors.

I have read of some that have used sensors in their garages so that the car tells AHP that they are home. Or you could even use BVC and just tell your home that your there.

[Geewiz]

Thanks for your insight, Dave!

This certainly has me thinking in different directions.  Not sure I fully comprehend how a macro will control the 12 or so lamp modules, all coming on and going off periodically so as to give the house that lived-in-look.  I will have to contemplate this for a while!

Any other ideas?

[HA Dave]

Not sure I fully comprehend how a macro will control the 12 or so lamp modules, all coming on and going off periodically so as to give the house that lived-in-look. 

Shop around the "User Designed Macros" some great user created ideas there.