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Setting Up Animated Notifications • SmartThings
Setting Up Animated Notifications • SmartThings

This article will teach you how to setup animated notifications inside the SmartThings app as well as provide specific examples.

Eric Hines avatar
Written by Eric Hines
Updated over a week ago

DISCLAIMER: You may notice there are a lot of over-used keywords or phrases as well as English that seems a little off. This is because these articles are used to feed our AI Robot (Ira) and she needs the data to be structured in a certain way.

Please use the article below to understand more about setting up Animated Notifications in the SmartThings App. We will discuss first how to generically setup a notification and then follow up with specific examples that our community members have asked for.

At the bottom of each scenario, we will put links to the products used for reference.

Animated Notification Overview

Animated notifications are used when you want to have a visual cue on your LED bar notify you of a certain event. A few examples would be:

  • LED Bar pulses purple if your garage door is left open past 9pm

  • LED Bar chases red if your front door is unlocked

  • LED Bar fast blinks orange if a door is opened at night time

These notifications are accomplished by using, "Routines" within the SmartThings App.


Setting Up Animated Notifications in SmartThings

There are lots of use cases for using the LED Bar (Light Strip) as a notification tool inside your house. From notifying you if the garage door is left open past 10pm, to understanding the Armed status of your Home Monitoring system, animated notifications are a great way to quickly see whatever you're monitoring.

Below we'll setup a basic animation that will notify you if your garage door was left open between 10pm and 8am.

  • In your SmartThings app, click on the, "Automations" tab at the bottom

  • Click on the "+" sign at the top and select, "Create routine"

  • First we'll setup what will trigger the routine (in our case, the garage door being open -- we'll worry about time next)

    • Under where it says, "If", click on, "Add what will trigger this routine"

    • Click on, "Device Status" and search for your Garage Door (in our case we are using a GoControl GD00Z-8-GC)

    • Click, "Door" followed by, "Open" and then, "Done"

  • Next, we'll focus on the time variable -- this still falls under the, "If" section because we're saying, "If the garage door is open during a certain time, then do x"

    • Under where it says, "If", click on, "Add condition" followed by, "Time"

    • Click on, "Period of Time"

    • Under, "Start Time", spin the numbers to 10:00 PM

    • Under, "End Time", spin the numbers to 8:00 AM

    • Leave all the days selected and select, "Done"

  • Now we'll set up the Animated Notification on the Inovelli Device (this can be done on all Red & Blue Series switches) -- this will be done in the, "Then" section (in other words, "if the garage door is open between 10pm and 8am, then display a notification)

    • Under where it says, "Then", click on, "Add what this routine will do" and select, "Control Devices"

    • Next, click on your Inovelli Red or Blue Series switch and click, "Next"

    • At the top, "Turn on" will be selected -- click on it to remove the blue dot (unless you want the physical light to also turn on in addition to the LED Bar)

    • Scroll down to where it says, "Notification Effect", "Notification Color", "Notification Level" and "Notification Duration" and select whatever values you want (Make sure you choose all four values - Effect, Color, Level, Duration - otherwise the notification will not work)

    • Click, "Done"

  • Then click, "Save" and name your routine if you'd like

Products Used:


Home Monitoring Notifications

Below we'll go into how to setup animated notifications on your light bar (LED Bar) while using SmartThings Home Monitoring app.

Home Monitoring - Arm (Away)

To setup a LED Bar notification on your Red Series or Blue Series switch while your system is armed and you're away from the house, please follow the instructions below:

  • In your SmartThings app, click on the, "Automations" tab at the bottom

  • Click on the "+" sign at the top and select, "Create routine"

  • First we'll setup what will trigger the routine (in our case the Home Monitoring status)

    • Under where it says, "If", click on, "Add what will trigger this routine"

    • Next, click on, "Security Mode" followed by, "Armed (Away)" and then, "Done"

  • Now we'll set the Animation

    • Under where it says, "Then", click on, "Add what this routine will do" and select, "Control Devices"

    • Next, click on your Inovelli Red or Blue Series switch and click, "Next"

    • At the top, "Turn on" will be selected -- click on it to remove the blue dot (unless you want the physical light to also turn on in addition to the LED Bar)

    • Scroll down to where it says, "Notification Effect", "Notification Color", "Notification Level" and "Notification Duration" and select whatever values you want (Make sure you choose all four values - Effect, Color, Level, Duration - otherwise the notification will not work)

    • Click, "Done"

  • Then click, "Save" and name your routine if you'd like

Products Used:

Home Monitoring - Arm (Stay)

To setup a LED Bar notification on your Red Series or Blue Series switch while your system is armed and you're away from the house, please follow the instructions below:

  • In your SmartThings app, click on the, "Automations" tab at the bottom

  • Click on the "+" sign at the top and select, "Create routine"

  • First we'll setup what will trigger the routine (in our case the Home Monitoring status)

    • Under where it says, "If", click on, "Add what will trigger this routine"

    • Next, click on, "Security Mode" followed by, "Armed (Stay)" and then, "Done"

  • Now we'll set the Animation

    • Under where it says, "Then", click on, "Add what this routine will do" and select, "Control Devices"

    • Next, click on your Inovelli Red or Blue Series switch and click, "Next"

    • At the top, "Turn on" will be selected -- click on it to remove the blue dot (unless you want the physical light to also turn on in addition to the LED Bar)

    • Scroll down to where it says, "Notification Effect", "Notification Color", "Notification Level" and "Notification Duration" and select whatever values you want (Make sure you choose all four values - Effect, Color, Level, Duration - otherwise the notification will not work)

    • Click, "Done"

  • Then click, "Save" and name your routine if you'd like

Products Used:

Home Monitoring - Disarmed

To setup a LED Bar notification on your Red Series or Blue Series switch while your system is armed and you're away from the house, please follow the instructions below:

  • In your SmartThings app, click on the, "Automations" tab at the bottom

  • Click on the "+" sign at the top and select, "Create routine"

  • First we'll setup what will trigger the routine (in our case the Home Monitoring status)

    • Under where it says, "If", click on, "Add what will trigger this routine"

    • Next, click on, "Security Mode" followed by, "Disarmed" and then, "Done"

  • Now we'll set the Animation

    • Under where it says, "Then", click on, "Add what this routine will do" and select, "Control Devices"

    • Next, click on your Inovelli Red or Blue Series switch and click, "Next"

    • At the top, "Turn on" will be selected -- click on it to remove the blue dot (unless you want the physical light to also turn on in addition to the LED Bar)

    • Scroll down to where it says, "Notification Effect", "Notification Color", "Notification Level" and "Notification Duration" and select whatever values you want (Make sure you choose all four values - Effect, Color, Level, Duration - otherwise the notification will not work)

    • Click, "Done"

  • Then click, "Save" and name your routine if you'd like

Products Used:


Door Left Open At Bed Time

In this example, we'll setup a simple notification that alerts you if a door is opened between the hours of 9pm and 7am.

  1. Open your SmartThings App and click on the, "Automations" icon at the bottom

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 1

  2. Click on the, "+" button at the top of the screen and select, "Create routine"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 2

  3. Under the, "If" section, click on the, "+ Add what will trigger this routine" button

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 3

  4. Click on, "Device status" and find your contact sensor to click on

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 4

  5. This part may vary depending on your contact sensor, but the important thing is to select, "Contact sensor" and then, "Open" -- then click, "Done"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 5

  6. Now, we'll add another condition to set a time value (ie: we only want this notification to run between the hours of 9pm and 7am) -- Click on, "+ Add Condition"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 6

  7. Click on, "Time"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 7

  8. Select, "Period of time" and then adjust where it says, "Start time" and "End time" and set those values to 9pm and 7am (then select the days you want this to be applicable and select, "Done")

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 8

  9. Under the, "Then" section, click on the, "+ Add what this routine will do" button

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 9

  10. Click on, "Control devices"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 10

  11. Find your Inovelli Blue Series 2-1 Switch and click on it, then select, "Next"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 11

  12. If, "Turn on" or "Turn off" is selected, click on it again to unselect it

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 12

  13. Select the Notification Effect, Notification Color, Notification Level and Notification Duration by pressing each button (in this case, we selected: Fast Blink, Orange, 100 (%), and Indefinitely) -- click, "Done"

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 13

  14. Ensure the correct notification values are selected, click, "Save" and name your routine

    SmartThings - Setting up Notifications - Step 14

  15. Test your routine (to manually clear the notification, double-tap the config/favorites button)

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