Motion is not detected

The Motion is not detected condition passes when one or more motion sensors are not detecting motion. Use it in an automation for turning devices on or off, running security checks or sending alerts if motion is not detected. You can set up an automation to run only if motion is not being detected in a particular area of the house, for example.

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 not detected.
5. Under Targets, select one or more motion entities, 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 motion sensors must be without detecting motion before the condition passes. Leave it at zero for the condition to pass as soon as the sensors stop 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.

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

condition: motion.is_not_detected
target:
  entity_id: motion.sensor_backyard
options:
  for: "01:10:05"

This passes when the sensor motion.sensor_backyard has not detected any motion for 1 hour, 10 minutes and 5 seconds.

Options in YAML

YAML sometimes provides additional options for more complex use cases that are not available through the UI.

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 entity behind that target.

• Entity: one specific motion entity, such as motion.living_room.
• Device: every motion entity that belongs to a device.
• Area: every motion entity in a room or area.
• Floor: every motion entity on a floor.
• Label: every motion entity 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.

Behavior with multiple targets

When you target more than one entity (or select an area, floor, or label that contains several), the Trigger when option controls how the trigger responds:

• Each (any in YAML, default): the trigger fires every time any one of the targeted entities transitions. For example, if you monitor three motion sensors in the living room and someone walks past sensor 1, the automation fires. When they walk past sensor 2 a moment later, it fires again. Every individual event counts.
• First (first in YAML): the trigger fires only on the first transition in the targeted group, then waits until all targeted entities have reset before it fires again. For example, if you monitor the same three motion sensors, the automation fires when the first one picks up movement (someone entered the room). The other two firing afterward are ignored, so you get one notification per “someone walked in” event instead of three.
• All (last in YAML): the trigger fires only after the last targeted entity in the group has fired, meaning all of them are now in the expected state. For example, if you monitor the lights in the living room, bedroom, and hallway, the automation fires only once all three have turned off. This is useful for scenarios like “start the robot vacuum only after every light on the floor is off,” so you know the room is truly empty.

Good to know

• When using the For at least option in your automation, if the sensors detect motion during that time period the condition will not pass and actions will not run. This is useful to make sure no one is at home or in an area before turning devices off, for example.
• In large rooms, motion sensors might not detect people that are quietly sitting in a place. 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.

Automation: close bedroom cover if no one is in the main floor

At the time of day when the sun is directly hitting the bedroom window, if no motion has been detected for 15 minutes in the main floor, close the bedroom cover to assure a refreshing night.

• Trigger: Time (at 17.30)
• Condition: Motion is not detected
  • Target: Sensors main floor
  • For at least: 00:15:00
• Action: Close cover
  • Target: Bedroom

alias: "Close the bedroom cover in the evening if no movement is detected"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "17:30:00"
conditions:
  - condition: motion.is_not_detected
    target:
      label_id: sensors_main_floor
    options:
      for: "00:15:00"
actions:
  - action: cover.close_cover
    target:
      entity_id: cover.bedroom_window

Still stuck?

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

These conditions work well alongside this one:

• Motion is detected: Tests if one or more motion sensors are detecting motion.