Create a Rule in iMonnit

Rules in iMonnit Software represent an escalation based on configured Conditions that result in a Task being executed (such as a notification or alert via email, text, or voice call).

A Rule has two primary components:

The Condition
and the Task

The Condition initiates the escalation, and the Task is the action executed by iMonnit due to the Condition being met. Generally, the Condition is based on a sensor reading, and the Task is a notification sent to a user.

This article will guide you in creating a new Rule to perform a function based on a Condition.

Scroll to the end of this article to watch a video on Creating a Rule for Sensor reading.

Rules were called Actions in previous iMonnit versions (and called Notifications in the Classic View).

The terms Rules, Actions, and Notifications are often used interchangeably.

Summary of Steps

Log into your iMonnit account.
Select the Rules tab in the left-hand sidebar.
Select the + Create New Rule button toward the top left of the page.
Choose the Rule Type: (Sensor Reading is the most common type of Rule Type).
Pick a Device: Select the sensor you wish to set a Condition.
Select the Condition parameters, then select Save.
Select the Task (for alerts, select Send Email, Text, etc.).
Select the + Icon to add a User in the To: field.
Select the desired recipient User in the list.
Set the delay.
Select Save.
Enter the Subject and message in the Message field.
If so desired, add additional tasks; otherwise, select, Done adding tasks.
Enter a Name for your Rule.
Select Save.
If you wish to add additional devices to trigger the Condition or add other kinds of Tasks, do so; otherwise, select I’m done adding Rules.

Details of Creating a Rule

There are six steps in the Create a Rule wizard:

Create a Rule
Pick a Device
Choose a Condition
Set Up Tasks
Name the Rule
Rule Complete

1. Choose the Rule Type

There are various types of Rules you can create. The following Rule Types can be selected:

Sensor Reading
Device Battery Level
Device Inactivity Status
Scheduled Time
Advanced Rule

The Most common Rule Types are Sensor Reading, Device Inactivity Status, and Advanced Rules.

There are important considerations with these Rules, and you should review the following articles to understand more. Sensor Reading is selected in this example.

2. Pick a Device

This step selects a device to assign the Rule and its subsequent Task. Review the list of compatible devices.

Select a device to advance to the next step.

A single device is selected. However, there is an option to select additional devices later in this wizard.

3. Choose a Condition

The Condition is the event that will prompt the Task to be executed.

A Humidity Sensor is selected in this example of a Sensor Reading Rule. Humidity Sensors report several types of values (Humidity, Temperature, Dew Point, etc.). Since there are multiple datums to select, you would select the desired datum. In this case, Humidity.

After selecting the datum, you will be prompted to enter the Condition threshold.

In this example, the desired Humidity percentage threshold and Notify when reading is: Condition would be selected. (You may also consider selecting a preset in the or choose existing Rule.)

4. Set Up Tasks

The Task is the action that will be executed when the Condition is met. Be sure to have any associated User’s Notification Details configured. The available Tasks are:

Send Email
Send Text (External Delivery is no charge; Direct SMS is a paid feature)
Send Voice Call (Paid feature)
Command Local Alert (visible if a Local Alert was added to the account)
Command Control Unit (visible if a Control Unit was added to the account)
Control Thermostat (visible if a Thermostat was added to the account)
Create System Action

For this example, an email recipient was selected:

Select Send E-Mail.
Select the To: field.

Select the desired recipient.
Select the Delay time.

Add any additional recipients.
Select Save.
Enter the desired text in the Subject field and message area of the Send E-mail pane.
Select Save.
Add any additional desired Tasks, and select Done adding tasks.

5. Name the Rule

Enter a Name for the Rule.
Select Save.

6. Rule Complete

Once reaching this step, the Rule is mostly complete. There are additional configurations you can change, as listed below.

For example, if you need to add more devices to trigger this Rule, this is where to do it.

Add Additional Devices to Rule
Add A Schedule To Rule
Edit Advanced Settings
Create a New Rule

Scheduling a Rule

Once the steps above have been completed, you can go into the Rule and apply a schedule if desired.

It is essential to understand that when a Rule has a schedule, it can only be triggered during the Scheduled active time. However, suppose a Rule is triggered during the active schedule and has a Snooze time set (which default is 60 minutes).

In that case, the notification will continue to send until the Rule is Disarmed or the triggering condition returns to normal.

This can sometimes result in a notification recipient continuing to receive a notification (from the Snooze) outside of the scheduled time.

For more information, see the article Understanding “Before and After” in Rule and Sensor Schedules.

After selecting the Rule:

Select the Schedule tab (Calendar icon toward the top right of the page).
A Month & Day Schedule pane will appear; to schedule the Rule for specific times on days of the week on a repeating weekly schedule, toggle the Rule Schedule Time switch.
A list of days of the week will appear; click the drop-down menu for each day to set the daily schedule. The options include All Day, Off, Between, Before and After, Before, and After.

Important: There are different options in the Notification Time options.

Each day is considered 24 hours from 12:00:00 AM to 11:59:59 PM. Therefore, there are unique considerations when applying a schedule.

If you wish to schedule the Rule as active during certain days of each month and repeat yearly, toggle the Schedule Notification Months and Days switch.

A calendar will appear; select each calendar day (which highlights the day of the month) you wish to deactivate _(Highlighted = Rule Will Not Trigger)_.

Select the Save button.

A message indicating Success! will appear at the bottom of the Month & Day Schedule pane. The Rule will now operate with the configured schedule.

Conclusion

Creating Rules is one of the more common interactions users will have in iMonnit. This article guides you through creating a basic Sensor Reading Rule successfully. If you have related inquiries, contact Monnit Support.