Smart room occupancy that stays active even when you sit still.
The Problem
We’ve all experienced this:
- Lights turn off while you’re reading
- Heating shuts down while you’re working at your desk
- Security arms itself while you’re watching TV
Why? Motion sensors detect movement, not occupancy. When you sit still for a few minutes, they timeout and
trigger automations incorrectly.
The Solution
WIAB combines two types of sensors to track actual room occupancy:
- Motion detected → Room occupied
- Sitting still for hours → Still occupied
- Door opens → Room empty
This state-based approach gives you reliable occupancy detection, not just motion detection.
Quick Start
Easiest way to use WIAB:
- Install WIAB from the Homey App Store
- Add a WIAB device and select your motion sensors + door contacts during pairing
- Add the WIAB device to your room
- Exclude the individual PIR sensors from the room’s activity calculation
- Done!
Result: Homey’s room activity becomes more reliable - no more false “room empty” when you’re sitting still!
Perfect For
- Home office: Lights stay on while working at your desk
- Living room: Heating doesn’t turn off while watching TV or reading
- Bedroom: Proper occupancy state while sleeping
- Any room: Where people spend time sitting still
Key Features
- Combines multiple motion sensors and door contacts into one smart occupancy sensor
- Works seamlessly with Homey’s native room activity feature
- Configurable timers for different room sizes and usage patterns
- Manual pause/resume for special situations (e.g., nighttime routines)
- Full Homey flow integration
- Works with any motion sensor and door/window contact
- Supports multiple languages: English, Nederlands, Deutsch, Norsk, Svenska
Advanced Usage
Flow Cards
When:
- Occupancy turned on/off
And:
- Device is paused
Then:
- Set occupancy state (Occupied/Unoccupied)
- Resume monitoring
Custom Flows
You can also build custom automations using the occupancy state directly in your flows instead of (or in addition
to) using room activity.
Configurable Timers
- T_ENTER (5-60s): Detection window after door events
- T_CLEAR (60-3600s): Auto-empty timeout with doors open
Why “Wasp in a Box”?
The name comes from the behavior of wasps trapped in a container - they remain active and buzzing until they
escape. Similarly, WIAB keeps rooms “occupied” until someone actually exits through a door.
Links & Support
- App Store: Wasp in a Box | Homey
- GitHub: Source Code & Issues
- Documentation: Full README
Enjoying WIAB? If you’d like to support development, you can buy me a coffee
