Motion is detected

The Motion is detected condition passes when one or more motion sensors are detecting motion. Use it in an automation for turning devices on or off, running security checks or sending alerts if motion is detected.

Using this condition from the user interface

If you prefer building automations visually, Home Assistant walks you through this condition step by step. You pick what to check, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To use this condition in an automation:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. In the And if section, select Add condition.
4. From the search box, search for and select Motion is detected.
5. Under Targets (see Targets), select one or more motion entities, motion devices, an area, a floor, or a label.
6. If you selected more than one target, under Condition passes if, pick Any or All.
7. Under For at least, you can set for how long one or more sensors must be detecting motion before the condition passes. Leave it at zero for the condition to pass as soon as the sensors start detecting motion.
8. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this condition in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required. For how an automation is built in YAML, refer to Automations in YAML.

In YAML, put the settings that are specific to this condition under options. Keep target, if the condition uses one, and general settings such as alias and enabled at the top level, next to condition.

In YAML, refer to this condition as motion.is_detected. A basic example looks like this:

condition: motion.is_detected
target:
  entity_id: binary_sensor.entrance_motion
options:
  for: "00:05:00"

This passes when the entity binary_sensor.entrance_motion has been continuously detecting motion for 5 minutes.

Options in YAML

Targets of the condition

This condition requires a target. The target is the object that Home Assistant will check. You can point the condition at a single entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], a device, an area, a floor, or a label, and Home Assistant will evaluate every matching motion sensor behind that target.

• Entity: one specific motion sensor, such as binary_sensor.hallway_motion.
• Device: every motion sensor that belongs to a device.
• Area: every motion sensor in a room or area.
• Floor: every motion sensor on a floor.
• Label: every motion sensor that shares a label.

You can also select different target types in one condition. For example, you can add a specific entity and an area as targets in the same condition to check both of them at once.

To learn which entities Home Assistant includes for a device, area, floor, or label, and how it handles several entities, refer to Automation targets.

Behavior with multiple targets

When you target more than one entity (or select an area, floor, or label that contains several), the Condition passes if option controls how the results combine:

• Any (default): the condition passes if at least one of the targeted entities matches. For example, if you check three smoke sensors and only one of them detects smoke, the condition still passes. This is useful for questions like “is there smoke anywhere in the house?”
• All: the condition passes only when every targeted entity matches. For example, if you check the same three smoke sensors, the condition passes only once all three report cleared. This is useful for “is the entire house safe now?” checks, so your automation does not send an all-clear while one room still has a reading.

Good to know

• When using the For at least option in your automation, consider that the automation will not run if there is a stop in motion detection during that time period.
• In large rooms, for example, motion sensors might not detect people that are quietly sitting there. If you want to make sure presence is detected, use multiple motion sensors in one area or combine sensors with presence detection.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Go to Settings > Automations & scenes, open an automation, and add this condition. Trigger the automation with and without the condition met, and watch whether it continues or stops.

More examples

Real scenarios where this condition gates an automation. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup. In the visual editor, select the UI options listed in the example or paste the YAML code.

Automation: set the office fan to medium when you are at the desk

When it gets warm, if there is someone working at the office desk, this automation sets the office fan to medium preset mode.

• Trigger: Temperature crossed threshold (25 ºC)
  • Target: Office (by area)
• Condition: Motion is detected
  • Target: Office motion sensor
• Action: Set fan preset mode (medium)
  • Target: Office fan

alias: "Set the office fan to medium on warm days if motion is detected"
triggers:
  - trigger: temperature.crossed_threshold
    target:
      area_id: office
    threshold:
      type: above
      value:
        active_choice: number
        number: 25
        unit_of_measurement: °C
conditions:
  - condition: motion.is_detected
    target:
      entity_id: binary_sensor.movement_office
actions:
  - action: fan.set_preset_mode
    target:
      entity_id: fan.office_fan
    data:
      preset_mode: medium

Still stuck?

To find out why the condition didn’t pass, check it live in the automation editor, and look at the trace of the run. For details, refer to Testing automations. For common problems and their solutions, refer to Troubleshooting automations.

If that doesn’t help, the Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the condition you’re using and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related conditions

Explore related conditions:

• Motion is not detected: Tests if one or more motion sensors are not detecting motion.