Skip to main content

📮 Letterbox Post Notification

This automation setup is designed to notify you whenever someone posts mail in your letterbox, but it does not notify if you're simply checking the mail yourself. We use an Aqara Door Sensor on the letterbox door to detect when it opens, which indicates that either mail is being posted or you're checking the mail.

How It Works​

  • When Mail is Posted: The door sensor triggers the notification when it detects that the letterbox door has been opened, signaling that someone has posted mail. You'll receive a notification on your mobile device that mail has been received.

  • When You Check the Mail: If you open the letterbox yourself to check the mail, no notification is triggered. This is achieved by ensuring the system checks that the main door is closed before sending a notification. This helps avoid unnecessary alerts when you open the letterbox yourself.

Automation Overview​

Here's how the automation is set up:

Trigger​

The automation is triggered when the letterbox door opens, which is detected by the Aqara door sensor (binary_sensor.letterbox_contact).

info

Trigger Condition: When the letterbox door opens, it indicates that someone is either posting or checking the mail. 📬

Condition​

Before sending a notification, it checks that the main door (binary_sensor.main_contact) is closed. This ensures that the notification only triggers if someone is posting mail, not when you're checking the post yourself.

tip

Important: The system avoids sending notifications when you open the letterbox to check the mail, as the main door will be open in that case. 🚪

Action​

Once the condition is met (the main door is closed), the automation sends notifications to your mobile devices.

  • Notification for You: You will receive a message: "Info: Post Received" 📨 on your phone.
  • Notification for Others: If desired, the notification can also be sent to others (e.g., family members or housemates) to keep them informed.
alias: Post Notifications
description: "Notify when mail is received, but not when checking mail."
triggers:
  - entity_id:
      - binary_sensor.letterbox_contact
    to: "on"
    trigger: state
conditions:
  - condition: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.main_contact
    state: "off"
actions:
  - data:
      message: "Info : Post Received"
    action: notify.mobile_app_your_device
mode: single

Summary of Actions​

  • The letterbox door sensor triggers the automation when opened.
  • Main door check ensures the system doesn't notify when you're checking the mail.
  • Notification sent to mobile devices with the message "Post Received" if someone else is posting the mail.
warning

Note: This automation relies on your main door sensor being accurate. If the door sensor is not properly calibrated, it could result in missed notifications. ⚠️

By setting up this automation, you'll have a smart, efficient notification system for your letterbox that only notifies you when mail is delivered, avoiding unnecessary alerts while you're checking the mail yourself. 📱📬