Home Assistant Vacation Mode Automation with Presence Sensors and IR Control
Vacation mode should do more than randomly turn lights on and off. A useful Home Assistant vacation mode checks whether the home is actually empty, reduces energy waste, keeps local controls available, and still leaves a path for trusted people to enter without breaking every automation.
This guide shows how to build that workflow with LinknLink presence sensors, eRemote HA, HomeClaw, and room dashboards such as iSG Display Max.
Why Vacation Mode Needs Presence, Not Just a Schedule
Traditional vacation mode is schedule-based: lights turn on at night, blinds move at fixed times, and the AC follows an away temperature. That is useful, but it does not know whether someone is still home, whether a pet sitter has arrived, or whether a family member returned early.
Presence-aware vacation mode uses room state as a condition. A battery device like eMotion Air can watch flexible spaces, while eMotion Pro can combine presence sensing with local IR room control. For higher precision rooms, eMotion Ultra can help reduce false empty-room decisions.
Safer away logic
Trigger vacation behavior only when the home has stayed empty for a defined period.
Lower energy waste
Let AC, fans, lights, and media devices fall back to away states when no room is occupied.
Local privacy
Keep the core automation path on Home Assistant instead of relying on cloud-only scenes.
Recommended LinknLink Stack
| Layer | Recommended device | Vacation mode role | Internal link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private gateway | HomeClaw | Run Home Assistant context, local voice direction, and private AI planning for the home. | HomeClaw product page |
| Flexible presence | eMotion Air | Battery-powered presence check for bedrooms, entry areas, guest spaces, or temporary rooms. | eMotion Air product page |
| Presence + IR room control | eMotion Pro | Control AC, TV, or fan behavior when vacation mode and room presence disagree. | eMotion Pro product page |
| High precision presence | eMotion Ultra | Use 60GHz presence sensing where false empty-room automation would be costly. | eMotion Ultra product page |
| Dedicated IR endpoint | eRemote HA | Keep AC, TV, projector, or fan commands local through Home Assistant MQTT. | eRemote HA product page |
| Room dashboard | iSG Display Max | Show vacation status, manual override, camera view, and family-friendly scene controls. | iSG Display Max product page |
Vacation Mode States to Create in Home Assistant
A reliable vacation mode is easier to maintain when it has clear states. Instead of one giant automation, split the logic into helpers that describe the home.
| State | Example helper | When it turns on | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacation armed | input_boolean.vacation_mode | Manually enabled before leaving or via a trusted routine. | Allows away scenes and security checks to run. |
| Home empty | binary_sensor.home_occupied | No trusted phone, no entry motion, and no room presence for a delay. | Confirms the home can enter deeper away behavior. |
| Trusted visit | input_boolean.trusted_visit | Pet sitter, cleaner, or family member enters with permission. | Pauses aggressive away behavior without disabling all automation. |
| Energy saving | input_boolean.away_energy_save | Vacation armed + home empty for a defined period. | AC setpoint, fan, standby power, and lighting routines. |
| Return detected | binary_sensor.return_home | Entry opens, phone connects, or presence appears in key rooms. | Restores normal comfort and disables vacation scenes safely. |
Better rule: vacation mode should never depend on a single sensor. Combine phone presence, entry events, and at least one room-level presence condition before changing the whole home.
Build the Automation in Five Steps
Create a manual vacation toggle
Start with an input boolean, dashboard switch, or Home Assistant scene. Avoid turning vacation mode on automatically from one missed phone ping.
Check real occupancy
Use eMotion Air, eMotion Pro, or eMotion Ultra to confirm key rooms are empty before reducing AC, lights, or media devices.
Route IR commands locally
Use eRemote HA or eMotion Pro for local IR commands so AC, TV, and fans can follow away rules even when a cloud service is slow.
Add trusted visitor handling
Create a temporary visitor state. It should allow lights, hallway comfort, or entry alerts without fully restoring normal home mode.
Restore normal mode carefully
When return is detected, disable away energy saving first, then restore comfort scenes after occupancy is stable for several minutes.
Example Vacation Mode Logic
The exact YAML depends on your entity names, but the decision tree should look like this:
IF vacation_mode is on AND home has been empty for 20 minutes AND no room presence is detected THEN: set AC to away temperature turn off non-essential lights and media run evening presence simulation scenes keep security and alert automations active IF trusted_visit is on THEN: allow hallway lights allow limited AC comfort pause aggressive empty-home shutdown IF return_home is detected THEN: turn off vacation energy saving restore normal room comfort after presence is stable
What to Automate and What to Leave Manual
| Workflow | Automate | Keep manual or confirm first |
|---|---|---|
| Lights | Evening simulation, hallway safety, off-delay after empty rooms. | Full-home “all lights off” if someone may still be inside. |
| AC and fans | Away setpoint, pet-safe temperature, return comfort delay. | Extreme temperature changes without a safety range. |
| TV and media | Turn off standby devices after empty-home confirmation. | Random media playback as a security signal unless volume and timing are safe. |
| Cameras | Dashboard view and local alerts. | Cloud-only camera rules that expose private home context unnecessarily. |
| Doors and locks | Status alerts and reminders. | Automated unlocking without explicit human approval. |
Internal Links for the Full Setup
Vacation mode usually reuses pieces from existing room automation, IR control, and local gateway planning. These guides pair well with this setup:
- Local Control Smart Home Guide for Home Assistant: Presence, IR and RF
- Home Assistant AC Automation with IR Blaster and Presence Sensors
- Home Assistant Room Automation Blueprint with mmWave, IR and RF Control
- Home Assistant Energy Saving Automations with Presence Sensors and IR Control
- Raspberry Pi vs HomeClaw: Home Assistant Gateway Guide
- Meet HomeClaw: The Private AI Gateway for Home Assistant
FAQ
Can Home Assistant vacation mode run locally?
Yes. Use Home Assistant helpers, local presence sensors, MQTT IR control, and a local gateway path so the core vacation mode can run without depending on cloud-only scenes.
Which presence sensor is best for vacation mode?
Use eMotion Air where battery placement matters, eMotion Pro when the same room also needs IR control, and eMotion Ultra where higher precision 60GHz presence sensing is useful.
Should vacation mode turn off the AC completely?
Usually no. A safer approach is an away temperature range that protects comfort, pets, plants, and equipment while still saving energy.
How does HomeClaw fit into vacation mode?
HomeClaw can act as the private Home Assistant and AI gateway layer, helping local automations keep context while sensors, IR devices, and dashboards handle room-level actions.
Can visitors temporarily pause vacation mode?
Yes. Create a trusted visitor helper so selected lights, comfort scenes, and entry automations work without fully disabling the whole vacation profile.
Safety note: do not automate locks, alarms, or access control without explicit review. Vacation mode should help the home behave predictably while you are away, not remove human approval from security decisions.
Build a Local Vacation Mode Stack
Start with HomeClaw as the private Home Assistant gateway layer, then add presence sensors and local IR control where each room needs context.