📬 Mailbox Motion Sensor Automation

This Home Assistant automation notifies you the moment new mail is delivered. A small motion sensor installed inside the mailbox detects any movement – like opening the lid or inserting a letter – and triggers two independent automations:

• ✔️ Marks that today’s mailbox has been opened
• 📲 Sends real-time alerts to your smartphone and Alexa devices

📦 Prerequisites

• A motion sensor inside your mailbox (e.g. Zigbee, Z-Wave, or Wi-Fi)
• binary_sensor.briefkasten_bewegung – the motion trigger
• input_boolean.briefkasten_heute_geoeffnet – flag for daily open tracking
• Optional mobile and Alexa integrations for notifications

🧠 Automation 1: Mailbox Opened Flag

This automation sets a flag to indicate that the mailbox was opened today. You can use this boolean in dashboards, daily summaries, or reset it every night.

alias: Mailbox Opened Flag
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.briefkasten_bewegung
    from: "off"
    to: "on"
condition: []
action:
  - service: input_boolean.turn_on
    entity_id: input_boolean.briefkasten_heute_geoeffnet
mode: single

📣 Automation 2: Instant Notifications

When the motion sensor is triggered, this automation sends push notifications to multiple devices and announces the event via Alexa.

alias: Mailbox Notification
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.briefkasten_bewegung
    to: "on"
condition: []
action:
  - service: notify.mobile_app_iphone_randy
    data:
      message: Die Post war da!
  - service: notify.mobile_app_iphone_von_jessica
    data:
      message: Die Post war da!
  - service: notify.alexa_media_wohnzimmer
    data:
      message: Die Post war da!
  - service: notify.alexa_media_kuche
    data:
      message: Die Post war da!
mode: single

🔄 Optional Daily Reset

To reset the input_boolean.briefkasten_heute_geoeffnet every night, use the following automation:

alias: Reset Mailbox Opened Flag
trigger:
  - platform: time
    at: "23:59:00"
action:
  - service: input_boolean.turn_off
    entity_id: input_boolean.briefkasten_heute_geoeffnet
mode: single

💡 Tips

• Use a weatherproof sensor or enclose it in a protective case.
• Place the sensor at the top of the mailbox for best coverage.
• Combine the flag with a dashboard widget like: "Mail delivered today? ✅"
• You can even trigger a camera snapshot or Telegram alert.