I would like to turn on mood lighting automatically when I’m taking a shower, what’s the best way to detect that?

  • I’ve considered humidity sensors, but that will take a while to kick in and not immediately when the shower starts.
  • I’ve also considered a water leak sensor but those are not meant to be trigger every day for a long time like 10-15 minutes. That would kill the battery, right?
  • Smart valves can kind of work, but it feels like overkill because I don’t care about the valve functionality.

I would prefer the solution to be battery powered (don’t want to be messing with too many cables around a shower), but I can’t seem to find one.

  • Ravi@feddit.orgEnglish
    13·
    13 days ago

    Without trying something similar yet, here are some ideas:

    • motion sensor on top of your shower
    • trying to detect the vibration of the water flow
    • a simple switch that you hit before you get into the shower

    Also think of other times you “use” the shower, like cleaning it. Some methods will also be triggered then.

    • batshit@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      1·
      13 days ago

      Good ideas, let’s see

      motion sensor on top of your shower

      That’ll detect my shower area motion not when shower in on. When I am cleaning the shower or sitting in a bathtub I don’t want mood lighting or other automations to be triggered.

      trying to detect the vibration of the water flow

      Vibration sensor can work but it’s a ceiling shower so I’ll have to see if I have enough space. This is the closest to a viable solution given my situation.

      a simple switch that you hit before you get into the shower

      Yeah that’s a fallback option, but I try to automate my home whenever I can and not perform manual tasks. I know my groggy morning self is forgetting to even hit this simple switch.