Home Assistant Guest Mode Automation with Presence Sensors and Local IR Control
Guest rooms are difficult to automate because the people using them do not know your smart home rules. A good guest mode should make the room easier to use, not more confusing. It should keep lights predictable, climate comfortable, privacy intact, and manual control simple.
This guide shows how to build a Home Assistant guest mode using mmWave presence sensing, local IR control, and clear reset rules. It is useful for guest bedrooms, family visits, small rentals, offices with visiting clients, and homes where visitors should not need the main smart home app.
Why Guest Mode Needs Its Own Automation Logic
Normal automations are tuned around the people who live in the home. Guests behave differently. They may leave lights on, change the AC, close the door, unplug a device, or spend time in a room without triggering traditional motion sensors. If the same rules run for everyone, the room can feel unpredictable.
Guest mode solves this by creating a temporary rule set. It keeps comfort automations active, but it reduces aggressive shutoff behavior and makes manual overrides easy. The goal is not to impress visitors with automation. The goal is to make the room feel natural.
Comfort first
Use presence and time conditions to keep lights and climate scenes calm while the room is occupied.
Privacy friendly
Use presence sensors instead of cameras for private rooms, bedrooms, and guest spaces.
Easy reset
Return lights, AC, TV, and fan states to a default scene after the room is vacant for a safe delay.
Recommended LinknLink Device Roles
A guest mode setup does not require every device. Pick the device role based on what the room needs: flexible placement, presence plus IR, dedicated IR control, or a stable Home Assistant gateway.
| Device | Guest mode role | Best use case | Product link |
|---|---|---|---|
| eMotion Air | Flexible presence testing | Battery placement for guest rooms, temporary rooms, rental rooms, and spaces where wiring is inconvenient. | View eMotion Air |
| eMotion Pro | Presence plus IR control | Rooms where one device should detect presence and send compatible AC, TV, fan, or projector commands. | View eMotion Pro |
| eRemote HA | Dedicated local IR hub | Guest rooms with existing IR appliances where Home Assistant needs reliable local control. | View eRemote HA |
| iSG Box SE | Home Assistant gateway | A compact Home Assistant base for local automations, sensors, IR/RF bridges, and room scenes. | View iSG Box SE |
Guest Mode Automation Blueprint
Build guest mode as a few simple states: guest active, room occupied, quiet hours, room vacant, and room reset. This structure is easier to understand than one giant automation.
Create a guest mode toggle
Use a Home Assistant helper such as input_boolean.guest_mode. Turn it on before guests arrive or connect it to your rental schedule.
Use presence as the room signal
Use mmWave presence to avoid false vacancy while a guest is reading, resting, or watching TV. Keep the vacancy delay longer than you would for a hallway.
Add quiet hours
During late-night hours, keep lights dim and avoid loud scene changes. Guest mode should make the room less surprising.
Control IR appliances locally
Use eMotion Pro or eRemote HA to send compatible commands to AC, TV, projector, or fan devices without asking the guest to install another app.
Reset after vacancy
After the room is vacant for 20 to 30 minutes, turn off lights, reset climate scenes, and return media devices to a simple default state.
Example Home Assistant Logic
Use this as a planning pattern and replace entity names with your own sensors, switches, and IR commands.
Trigger: - guest room presence changes to detected - guest room has been vacant for 25 minutes - guest mode turns on or off Conditions: - guest mode is on - optional: time is within quiet hours - optional: room temperature is outside comfort range Actions: - if occupied: set soft lighting scene - if warm: send AC comfort command through IR - if vacant for delay: turn off lights and media - if guest mode turns off: restore normal household automations
Do not over-automate guest rooms. Keep manual switches and remotes usable. Visitors should not need to understand your dashboard before they can turn on a lamp or adjust the room temperature.
Privacy Rules for Guest Spaces
Guest mode is a good place to be conservative. Avoid camera-based automation in private rooms. Use presence, temperature, light level, contact sensors, and simple time rules instead. This keeps the automation useful without creating an uncomfortable monitoring feeling.
If you do need cameras for shared entrances or exterior spaces, keep that system separate from private guest-room presence logic. For local camera workflows, use the Home Assistant local camera dashboard guide.
Guest Room Scene Ideas
Arrival scene
When guest mode turns on, set the room to a welcoming state: soft lamp, comfortable AC mode, clear dashboard shortcut, and simple TV or fan control.
Night scene
If presence is detected during quiet hours, keep lighting low and avoid repeated IR commands. A calm room is better than a clever room.
Vacancy reset
When the room has been empty for a safe delay, turn off lights, stop media devices, and return the AC or fan to a default scene.
Checkout or visit end
When guest mode turns off, restore normal household automation, reset temporary overrides, and clear guest-specific schedules.
Where to Place Presence Sensors
- Start near the main occupied area. In a guest bedroom, that is usually the bed or seating area, not the doorway.
- Avoid fans and moving curtains. Moving objects can make presence tuning harder.
- Test before permanent mounting. eMotion Air is useful for this stage because battery placement is flexible.
- Keep IR line of sight clear. If one device controls AC or TV, make sure it can actually reach the appliance.
Internal Links for a Complete Setup
- Sleep mode automation with mmWave and IR
- Room automation blueprint with mmWave, IR and RF
- Best mmWave presence sensors for Home Assistant
- Best IR blasters for Home Assistant
FAQ
What is Home Assistant guest mode?
It is a temporary automation mode for visitors. It can simplify lighting, climate, media, and reset rules while keeping normal household automations separate.
Can guest mode work without cameras?
Yes. Use mmWave presence sensors, contact sensors, time rules, and local IR control instead of cameras in private guest spaces.
Which LinknLink device should I start with?
Start with eMotion Air if placement flexibility matters, eMotion Pro if you want presence plus IR control in one device, or eRemote HA if the room mainly needs dedicated local IR control.
Is this useful for vacation rentals?
Yes. Guest mode can help reset comfort scenes, reduce wasted energy, and make a room easier to use without forcing guests into a smart home app.
Build a Guest Room That Feels Easy
Start with one guest room. Add presence detection, one simple lighting scene, one IR climate scene, and a vacancy reset. Once that feels reliable, expand the pattern to more rooms.