Automation examples using a TEMP-1¶

These three examples show you how to put your Apollo TEMP-1 to work in Home Assistant: get an alert when your freezer warms up, know when your food reaches temperature, and run a whole chicken-cooking routine from one dashboard button.

Freezer temperature probe example¶

This example walks you through setting up an automation in Home Assistant with the temperature probe in your freezer. At the end, you'll have an automation that sends your phone a notification when the freezer goes above the temperature you set.

Only the probe goes in the freezer

Only the temperature probe and its wire can withstand the temperatures in a fridge, freezer, and similar places. Keep your TEMP-1 itself in a cool, dry place.

1. Place the temperature probe in your freezer and wait for it to settle around 0°F (-18°C).

2. Once it has settled, look at the probe's history graph in Home Assistant (shown below) and decide on good values for both the maximum and minimum temperatures. In this example, the mini freezer seems to max out at 30°F, so the maximum goes slightly above that range. However, most freezers should not reach above 0°F, so you'll likely need a lower value than this example. The minimums in this example are around -20°F.

3. Convert your values to Celsius, because Max Probe Temp and Min Probe Temp are set in Celsius, then enter them. This example uses a Max Probe Temp of 2°C and a Min Probe Temp of -30°C. Yours will likely be different, especially your Max Probe Temp. These settings control the TEMP-1's built-in buzzer alarm.

Next, create the automation that sends the notification to your phone.

4. Go to Settings → Automations & scenes, click + Create automation in the bottom right, then Create new automation.

5. Click Add trigger → Entity → Numeric state and search for your TEMP-1 temperature probe, such as "temp-1 temperature probe". In the box labeled Above, type the maximum temperature you decided on in step 2. Prefer YAML? Skip ahead to the freezer automation YAML.

6. Click Add action, type "iPhone", and select your phone. If you don't see your phone, or you have an Android phone, type "notify" instead and scroll down until you find your phone in the list.

Still don't see your phone?

You need the Home Assistant mobile app installed on your phone for this step to work. If you don't have it, try another notification instead of your phone, such as a TTS notification on your speakers. This could be a fun way to announce that dinner is ready!

7. Type your message. If you want a title too, check the box for the title and type it in. This example's message is "The temperature probe on your TEMP-1 reached its max temperature and your freezer might be having issues." and its title is "Check the freezer!".

8. Click Save in the bottom right, then give the automation a name and, optionally, a description and a category.

You're done. Your phone now gets a notification whenever the freezer probe goes above your maximum temperature.

Freezer automation YAML¶

If you'd rather work in YAML, here's the finished automation. Use your own entity ID and phone in place of the ones shown.

alias: Freezer Over Max Temp Automation
description: Warning for the freezer when it reaches the max temperature.
triggers:
  - trigger: numeric_state
    entity_id:
      - sensor.apollo_temp_1_temperature_probe
    # in the unit Home Assistant shows for the probe (°F here); use your own entity ID
    above: 30
conditions: []
actions:
  - action: notify.mobile_app_brandons_iphone
    metadata: {}
    data:
      title: Check the freezer!
      message: >-
        The temperature probe on your TEMP-1 reached its max temperature and
        your freezer might be having issues.
mode: single

Food probe example¶

This example walks you through setting up an automation in Home Assistant with the food probe while chicken (or anything else) cooks to 165°F (73.9°C). At the end, you'll have an automation that sends your phone a notification when your food reaches that temperature.

Only the probe goes on the grill

Only the food probe and the wire can withstand temperatures on a grill, in the oven, and similar places. Keep your TEMP-1 itself in a cool, dry place.

1. Set your Max Probe Temp to 73.9°C. Max Probe Temp is always set in Celsius, even if you use °F in the automation below.

2. Place the food probe inside your food once it's on the grill.

3. Go to Settings → Automations & scenes, click + Create automation in the bottom right, then Create new automation.

4. Click Add trigger → Entity → Numeric state and search for your TEMP-1 food probe, such as "temp-1 food probe". In the box labeled Above, type the temperature you want for your food. This example uses 165°F (73.9°C), the temperature it's safe to cook chicken to. Prefer YAML? Skip ahead to the food probe automation YAML.

5. Click Add action, type "iPhone", and select your phone. If you don't see your phone, or you have an Android phone, type "notify" instead and scroll down until you find your phone in the list.

Still don't see your phone?

You need the Home Assistant mobile app installed on your phone for this step to work. If you don't have it, try another notification instead of your phone, such as a TTS notification on your speakers. This could be a fun way to announce that dinner is ready!

6. Type your message. If you want a title too, check the box for the title and type it in. This example's message is "The temperature probe on your TEMP-1 reached its max temperature and your food is ready." and its title is "Check the food!".

7. Click Save in the bottom right, then give the automation a name and, optionally, a description and a category.

You're done. Your phone now gets a notification when your food reaches the temperature you set.

Food probe automation YAML¶

If you'd rather work in YAML, here's the finished automation. Use your own entity ID and phone in place of the ones shown.

alias: Food Over Max Temp Automation
description: Warning for the food when it reaches the max temperature.
triggers:
  - trigger: numeric_state
    entity_id:
      - sensor.apollo_temp_1_food_probe
    # in the unit Home Assistant shows for the probe (°F here); use your own entity ID
    above: 165
conditions: []
actions:
  - action: notify.mobile_app_brandons_iphone
    metadata: {}
    data:
      title: Check the food!
      message: >-
        The temperature probe on your TEMP-1 reached its max temperature and your food is ready.
mode: single

Cook chicken example¶

This example walks you through adding a "Chicken Monitor" button to your dashboard and an automation that runs when you press it. The automation:

Turns the RGB LED green while it's running.
Messages your phone when it starts, when the temperature is reached, and when it finishes.
Turns the RGB LED off at the end.

Thanks to Discord user RalphP for this!

The automation has three triggers, each with its own trigger ID, and one Choose action with an option for each trigger ID. You'll build it in that order.

Create the button¶

1. Create a new toggle helper called "Chicken Monitor". For step-by-step directions on creating a toggle helper, see this guide.

2. Edit your dashboard, add a button card, select Chicken Monitor, and then save.

Create the automation and its triggers¶

Next, you'll create the automation and add its three triggers, each with its own trigger ID.

3. Go to Settings → Automations & scenes, click + Create automation in the bottom right, then Create new automation.

4. Click Add trigger → Entity → State and search for "Chicken Monitor". In the box labeled To, select On.

5. Create a trigger ID for this trigger called "Chicken Monitor On".

6. Click Add trigger → Entity → State and search for "Chicken Monitor". In the box labeled To, select Off. Create a trigger ID for this trigger called "Chicken Monitor Off".

7. Click Add trigger → Entity → Numeric state and search for your TEMP-1 food probe entity, such as "temp-1 food probe". In the box labeled Above, type the temperature you want for your food. This example uses 160°F (71.1°C), because the chicken will rest and reach 165°F once it's removed from the oven or grill.

8. Create a trigger ID for this trigger called "Temp Reached".

Option 1: Monitoring starts¶

Option 1 runs when you turn Chicken Monitor on. It turns the LED green and tells your phone that monitoring has started.

9. Click Add action, search "choose", and select it.

10. Under Option 1, select Add condition, search "trigger id", and select Triggered by.

11. Check State changed to on, the first trigger in the list. It's the trigger you gave the Chicken Monitor On ID in step 5.

12. Still under Option 1 in the Choose action, click Add action, search "light", and select Light: Turn on.

13. Click Choose entity and search for your device, such as "TEMP-1 RGB Light".

14. Click Advanced options, check the box for Color name, then select a color from the drop-down, such as Green.

15. Still under Option 1 in the Choose action, click Add action, search "mobile", and select your phone in the list.

16. Write a custom title and message. The message is required, but the title is not.

17. Check your work. When you're done with this part, Option 1 looks like this:

Option 2: Temperature reached¶

Option 2 runs when the food probe reaches your temperature. It blinks the LED until you turn Chicken Monitor off, and messages your phone.

18. Click Add option at the bottom. Under Option 2, select Add condition, search "trigger id", and select Triggered by.

19. Check Temp Reached, the trigger ID you created in step 8.

20. Still under Option 2 in the Choose action, click Add action, search "repeat", and select Until in the drop-down.

21. Under Until conditions, select Add condition and search "state".

22. Type "Chicken Monitor" and select it, then select Off in the drop-down for the state of the sensor.

23. Click Add action under the Until condition you just created. Be very careful to select the correct Add action button, as shown below.

24. Search "light toggle" in the search bar, then select Choose entity and select the RGB LED for your device.

25. Go down to Add action under Option 2, search "mobile", and select your phone, as you did in step 15. Give it a message and a title, as shown below.

26. (Optional) Add another action here to speak out loud on your smart speakers, such as HomePods. Click Add action and search "TTS". This requires you to have Piper and a few other things already set up.

Option 3: Monitoring stops¶

Option 3 runs when you turn Chicken Monitor off. It turns the LED off and tells your phone that monitoring has stopped.

27. Click Add option (this is now Option 3). Select Add condition, search "triggered by", and choose the "Chicken Monitor Off" trigger ID you created in step 6.

28. Still under Option 3 in the Choose action, click Add action, search "light", and select Light: Turn off.

29. Click Choose entity and search for your device, such as "TEMP-1 RGB Light".

30. Click Add action, search "mobile" as you did above, and select your phone. Give it an optional title and message, as shown below.

31. Click Save in the bottom right, then give the automation a name and save it.

You now have one automation that ties together the button you created in the dashboard and alerts you when your chicken is almost done, with a phone notification, a blinking green LED, and an optional TTS notification on your smart speakers. Thanks again to Discord user RalphP for this example!