Advanced Switches

Home Assistant integration for smart plug session tracking with energy monitoring and scheduling.

What it does

Turns any switch with power/energy sensors (smart plugs, Shelly relays, in-wall switches) into a smart device tracker:

• Detects when device is running (active) or in standby
• Counts sessions/cycles and tracks energy per session
• Shows daily and total statistics
• Optional: Only allow operation at certain times (schedule)
• Optional: Control via binary_sensor (e.g., EPEX Spot tariff)
• Optional: Auto-off after X minutes

Use cases: Washing machine, dryer, sauna, air compressor, pump, etc.

Requirements

A smart plug with:

• Switch entity
• Power sensor (W)
• Energy sensor (kWh)

Installation

HACS: Search for "Advanced Switches" → Install → Restart HA

Manual: Copy custom_components/advanced_switches to your config folder → Restart HA

Setup

Settings → Devices & Services → Add Integration → "Advanced Switches"

Choose operating mode:

• Simple Mode - Two states: OFF / ACTIVE (e.g., compressor, pump)
• Standby Mode - Three states: OFF / STANDBY / ACTIVE (e.g., washing machine, sauna)

Parameters

Simple Mode

Parameter	Default	Description
Active Threshold (W)	50	Power above = active
On Delay (s)	3	Wait before OFF → ACTIVE
Off Delay (s)	5	Wait before ACTIVE → OFF
Min Active Duration (s)	10	Shorter cycles are ignored
Power Smoothing (s)	0	Moving average (0 = off)

Standby Mode

Parameter	Default	Description
Standby Threshold (W)	5	Power above = standby
Active Threshold (W)	1000	Power above = active
On Delay (s)	3	Wait before state changes
Active/Standby Delay (s)	5	Wait for ACTIVE ↔ STANDBY
Session End Grace (s)	120	Prevents false session ends
Min Session Duration (s)	60	Shorter sessions are ignored
Power Smoothing (s)	0	Moving average (0 = off)
Session End on STANDBY	off	See below

Session End on STANDBY

Controls when a session is counted as complete:

Setting	Behavior	Use Case
OFF (default)	Session continues during ACTIVE↔STANDBY cycling, ends only at OFF	Sauna, oven (heating cycles)
ON	Each ACTIVE phase is a separate session	Washing machine, dishwasher

Example - Washing Machine (ON):

Load 1: STANDBY → ACTIVE (30min) → STANDBY = Session 1 ✓
Load 2: STANDBY → ACTIVE (45min) → STANDBY = Session 2 ✓
→ 2 sessions counted

Example - Sauna (OFF):

ACTIVE (heating) → STANDBY → ACTIVE → STANDBY → ... → OFF
→ 1 session counted (entire usage)

Schedule (Optional)

Parameter	Default	Description
Enable Schedule	off	Turn on scheduling
Start Time	06:00	Allowed from
End Time	22:00	Allowed until
Days	Mon-Sun	Allowed days
Control Sensor	—	Optional binary_sensor (e.g., EPEX Spot)

Outside allowed times: switch turns off and blocks.

Control Sensor: You can select a binary_sensor to control when the switch is allowed. When the sensor is OFF, the device is blocked. Use this for dynamic electricity tariffs (EPEX Spot), presence detection, or any custom automation logic. Works standalone or combined with time schedule — if both are configured, both conditions must be met.

Auto-Off (Optional)

Turns off the switch automatically X minutes after it was turned on.

Parameter	Default	Description
Enable Auto-Off	off	Turn on auto-off
Minutes	60	Turn off X minutes after switch turns on

Power Smoothing

For noisy sensors (e.g., washing machine fluctuating 0.3-3W in standby):

• Set Power Smoothing to 30-60 seconds
• Smoothed value is used for state detection
• Peak power still uses raw values

Created Entities

Main:

• sensor.<name>_state - off / standby / active / blocked
• binary_sensor.<name>_active - true when active
• binary_sensor.<name>_on - true when on (standby or active)

Statistics:

• sensor.<name>_sessions_total - total count
• sensor.<name>_sessions_today - today's count
• sensor.<name>_energy_today - kWh today
• sensor.<name>_energy_total - kWh total

Last Session:

• sensor.<name>_last_session_duration
• sensor.<name>_last_session_energy
• sensor.<name>_last_session_peak_power

Current Session:

• sensor.<name>_current_session_duration
• sensor.<name>_current_session_energy
• sensor.<name>_current_session_peak_power

Averages:

• sensor.<name>_avg_session_duration
• sensor.<name>_avg_session_energy

Schedule:

• binary_sensor.<name>_schedule_blocked
• binary_sensor.<name>_schedule_turned_off

Auto-Off:

• sensor.<name>_auto_off_remaining - countdown ("in 59 min" / "Inaktiv")

Other:

• sensor.<name>_smoothed_power - diagnostic

Example Configs

Washing Machine:

• Standby Threshold: 1W
• Active Threshold: 10W
• Session End on STANDBY: ON (count each wash cycle)
• Power Smoothing: 30s

Sauna:

• Standby Threshold: 5W
• Active Threshold: 1000W
• Session End on STANDBY: OFF (heating cycles count as one session)
• Session End Grace: 120s

Compressor (daytime only):

• Active Threshold: 50W
• Schedule: 07:00-20:00, Mon-Fri

License

MIT