Vibration is detected

The Vibration is detected condition passes when one or more vibration sensors are detecting vibration. Use it in an automation to act only while something is shaking or running, such as holding off a quiet-hours routine while an appliance is still working, or sending an alert if a machine is running when it should not be.

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 Vibration is detected.
5. Under Targets (see Targets), select one or more vibration 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 sensors must be detecting vibration before the condition passes. Leave it at zero for the condition to pass as soon as the sensors start detecting vibration.
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 vibration.is_detected. A basic example looks like this:

condition: vibration.is_detected
target:
  entity_id: binary_sensor.dishwasher_vibration
options:
  for: "00:05:00"

This passes when the entity binary_sensor.dishwasher_vibration has been continuously detecting vibration for 5 minutes.

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 vibration entity behind that target.

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

• With the For at least option, the timer resets if the sensor stops detecting vibration during that period. This helps confirm a machine is really running before acting.
• A vibration sensor reports movement, not what caused it. In a busy spot, brief vibrations from nearby activity can make the condition pass, so choose the sensor placement and For at least value to match.

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: remind you if the dishwasher is still running at bedtime

At bedtime, if the dishwasher’s vibration sensor shows it is still running, this automation sends a reminder so you can decide whether to wait up or leave it.

• Trigger: Time (at 22:30:00)
• Condition: Vibration is detected
  • Target: Dishwasher vibration sensor
• Action: Send a notification message
  • Target: My device (notify.my_device)

alias: "Remind if the dishwasher is still running at bedtime"
triggers:
  - trigger: time
    at: "22:30:00"
conditions:
  - condition: vibration.is_detected
    target:
      entity_id: binary_sensor.dishwasher_vibration
actions:
  - action: notify.send_message
    target:
      entity_id: notify.my_device
    data:
      message: >
        The dishwasher is still running.

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:

• Vibration is not detected: Tests if one or more vibration sensors are not detecting vibration.