Set device time

Use this action to write the current Home Assistant time to the controller’s real-time clock. Use it to correct a controller whose clock has drifted.

This action requires a Home Assistant administrator account.

Using this action from the user interface

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

To set the device time from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select NeoPool: Set device time.
6. Optionally select the Device to update. With a single controller, you can leave it empty.
7. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this action 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.

In YAML, refer to this action as neopool.set_device_time. A basic example looks like this:

action: neopool.set_device_time
data:
  device_id: abc123device456

Options in YAML

Good to know

• Each write wears the controller’s memory, which has a limited number of write cycles. Only set the time when the clock has actually drifted, rather than on a fixed schedule.
• To decide when to correct the clock, use the Get device time action to read the drift first and only set the time when it exceeds a threshold you choose.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > Tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn 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] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Keep the controller clock in sync

The controller’s real-time clock can drift over time. Instead of a fixed daily overwrite, this automation checks the drift once an hour and only corrects the clock when it exceeds a threshold you choose. This also avoids unnecessary writes to the controller’s memory.

alias: "NeoPool - keep the controller clock in sync"
triggers:
  - trigger: time_pattern
    hours: "/1"
actions:
  - action: neopool.get_device_time
    data:
      device_id: abc123device456
    response_variable: pool_time
  - if:
      - condition: template
        value_template: "{{ pool_time.drift_seconds | abs > 120 }}"
    then:
      - action: neopool.set_device_time
        data:
          device_id: abc123device456

Replace abc123device456 with the device ID of your controller. If you only have one NeoPool controller, you can leave the device_id out of both actions. Raise or lower the 120 in the template to change how much drift you tolerate before the clock is corrected.

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

Explore related actions:

• Get device time: Reads the controller’s real-time clock and reports its drift from Home Assistant.