General

This digitalSTROM application allows you to simulate being present at home. This reduces the risk of burglaries in empty flats or houses by giving the impression that someone is at home during long absences.

Note

When the presence simulation is activated, all timers defined in the Timer app will be switched off as a default. The activities defined within the presence simulation app are prioritized.

General options

First define the period when the app is supposed to be active in the tab 'General'. You have the following options:

If you select the option 'On holidays or while being absent', the presence simulation will be automatically activated as soon as you leave the house and push the leaving home button. This allows you to have your house behave as if you were present also during your short absences.

Furthermore you can define if you want to receive an e-mail whenever the presence simulation is activated and/or deactivated. Enter a valid e-mail address if you want to receive a message and check the correct e-mail setting under 'System / Mail Settings'.

Register absence periods

On the 'Holiday' tab you can register the start and end of your absence period and name the entry, e.g.:

Name: Weekend getaway
From: 24/02/2012, 13:00
Until: 27/02/2012, 09:00

It is recommended to register longer absence periods in this way. In the case of a blackout this option gives you the best guarantee that all settings can be restored correctly afterwards.

Overview of all Actions

Events can be created, edited or deleted. In the list view one can see the saved settings (Name, Initiated Activity, Time, Day and Condition). If the event is no longer needed, it can be temporarily disabled or deleted. The function 'Test Event' will immediately execute the action for test purposes. Conditions will not be considered when testing.

Setting up and editing events

First enter a name for your event.
The tab 'Time of Execution' allows you to set the start time either as time (default setting) or event (sunrise, sunset, dusk and twilight). The timed event can start either exactly at this point of time which is calculated on a daily basis for your position or, as an option, a bit earlier or later. You may select the delay in hours and minutes as well as the later or earlier execution. Furthermore you can also define the earliest or latest point of time.
As an additional option, events can be executed when the simulation starts or ends.

Select the desired weekdays for executing the event on a weekly basis under Day or select a specific date.

Call activities within the whole house related to access (e.g. Leaving home or Door bell), weather (e.g. rain or wind) or security (e.g. panic or alarms).

Select the desired activity and, if applicable, the desired room, the color group and the preset. Switch to the list of all activities by double clicking the selection in the last column or with a click on 'Show all Activities'. An optional delay might be entered for some activities to avoid execution at the same time. 'New Activity' opens an empty entry form; you may change the selected activity per double click in the list or 'Edit Activity'. By using the arrows to left and right you can simply switch between already defined activities or delete a single activity by using the trash icon.

Room state: the activities are carried out only if the defined preset is active in a room. As an example, a single device might be switched off only if the room light is off too.
Die Aktivität wird nur dann ausgeführt, wenn alle definierten Bedingungen erfüllt sind.

Wichtig: werden Markisen oder Jalousien mittels Wetter-Sensoren geschützt, muss das zeitgesteuerte Ausfahren mit den Bedingungen 'Kein Regen', 'Kein Wind' oder 'Kein Hagel' verhindert werden. Falls für Wind eine oder mehrere Gruppen definiert wurde, muss 'Kein Wind' für die entsprechende Gruppe verwendet werden.

Please note that the last activities (e.g. light on) must be switched off when setting up the presence simulation.
More helpful tips

You can make your presence simulation even more effective if follow these suggestions:

Important:
Set up automatic call forwarding for your telephone.

Leaves and foliage should not cover the path or driveway to your house for a longer period of time.

If possible the intercom should be answered.