Illuminance

The illuminance platform allows you to integrate a laptop ambient light sensors into UbiHome. It supports both Linux and Windows systems.

Supported Platforms

Linux

• Uses Industrial I/O (IIO) framework (/sys/bus/iio/devices/)
• Supports auto-detection of light sensor devices
• Fallback support for alternative hardware monitor paths
• Common device locations:
  • /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:deviceN/in_illuminance_raw
  • /sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:deviceN/in_illuminance_input
  • /sys/class/hwmon/hwmonN/device/als
  • /sys/devices/platform/applesmc.768/light (Apple devices)

Windows

• Native Windows Sensor API support using COM interfaces
• Automatic detection of ambient light sensors through Windows Sensor Manager
• Direct sensor data access without external dependencies

Configuration

Enable the platform:

illuminance:
  update_interval: 30s # Default update interval for all sensors

Basic Usage

sensor:
  - platform: illuminance
    name: 'Ambient Light'
    icon: mdi:brightness-6
    unit_of_measurement: 'lx'
    device_class: illuminance
    state_class: measurement

Advanced Configuration with Manual Device Path

sensor:
  - platform: illuminance
    name: 'Ambient Light Sensor'
    device_path: '/sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device0/in_illuminance_raw'
    update_interval: 15s
    icon: mdi:brightness-6
    unit_of_measurement: 'lx'
    device_class: illuminance
    state_class: measurement

Configuration Options

Light Sensor Platform

Property	Type	Default	Description
platform	string	Required	Must be illuminance
name	string	Required	Display name for the sensor
device_path	string	Optional	Manual device path (Linux only)
update_interval	duration	30s	How often to read the sensor
icon	string	mdi:brightness-6	Home Assistant icon
device_class	string	illuminance	Home Assistant device class
state_class	string	measurement	Home Assistant state class
unit_of_measurement	string	lx	Unit of measurement

Global Configuration

illuminance:
  update_interval: 30s # Default update interval for all sensors
  device_path: '/custom/path' # Default device path (Linux only)

Troubleshooting

Linux

1. No sensor detected: Check if your system has a light sensor:

   ls /sys/bus/iio/devices/
   find /sys -name "*illuminance*" 2>/dev/null

   Specify the exact path:

   sensor:
     - platform: illuminance
       name: 'Light Sensor'
       device_path: '/sys/bus/iio/devices/iio:device0/in_illuminance_raw'