Homes and rooms

Groups

Groups control several devices of the same type as if they were one. The type decides what you can do.

A group brings together devices that should be controlled together, wherever they happen to be. All the outdoor lights, all the radiators, all the blinds.

Groups live under My Home.

Groups have a type

This is the part that catches people out: a group isn't a bag you can put anything in. It has a type, and the type determines both what's allowed in and what you can do.

So a dimmer and a blind can't end up in the same group. That sounds restrictive, but it's the whole point — the group can show you a brightness slider precisely because it knows everything in it is light.

If you want to mix: use a scene instead. Scenes don't care about type.

A device can belong to several groups

Unlike rooms. The outdoor light by the patio can sit in both All outdoor lights and Patio, and be controlled from either.

Groups in scenes and voice control

A group can be used as a target in a scene, and it shows up in voice control. Turn off all outdoor lights becomes one command instead of seven.

That's also the practical reason to create groups even when you don't need them right now: they make everything else shorter.