Random Schedule

This topic describes the common questions about the random schedule feature to help you troubleshoot problems.

What is the minimum time interval to set a random schedule?

The minimum interval is 30 minutes.

Why is the random schedule task not run?

• If the initial state of the device is OFF, the start time and end time will be the same. The random schedule will be an instant event.
• If the start time is later than the end time, the scheduled task spans two days. Otherwise, the task should be run on the current day. If you schedule a one-time task, the task will not be run. If you schedule a weekly recurring task, the task will be run the next week.

How many random schedule tasks can I set?

You can set up to 16 random schedule tasks. Otherwise, you will be prompted that your scheduled tasks have reached the upper limit in the mobile app.

Why is there always an offset between the execution time and my local time?

Check if the time offset is the same for all scheduled tasks. For example, you schedule a task to be run at 08:00, but the actual execution time is 12:00. Then, the possible cause could be the wrong time zone setting.

The time zone used for scheduling tasks can be the phone’s time zone or the device’s local time zone. The device’s time zone is set to the time zone on your mobile phone during device pairing by default. When you schedule a task, the device’s time zone takes precedence over the phone’s time zone. If the device’s local time zone is not specified, the time zone of the country or region of the app account takes precedence over the phone’s time zone.

Why does the random schedule task fail?

The four timer-dependent features include the countdown timer, random schedule, recurring schedule, and inching switch (automatic off after a certain time) are mutually exclusive.

1. Check if you set another timer-dependent task for a data point (DP).
2. Check if you schedule a DP to be executed at the same time period with the random schedule task.
3. If the random schedule task conflicts with a new schedule, it can be canceled to enable the new schedule. The mobile app will confirm the cancellation with users.

Why does the actual execution time lag behind the specified time?

• If your device is not connected to the internet, it cannot sync the local time with the server time, which causes time drift. This is why the countdown timer lags seconds or minutes behind an authoritative time.
• Way too many tasks can cause a timer error in the SDK.

Why is the number of random schedule tasks limited to 16?

The size of one random schedule task is 6 bytes and becomes 8 bytes after base64 encoding. Therefore, the size of 16 tasks is 144 bytes, which is the maximum data length.

• If a device has only one channel, up to 16 tasks can be set.
• If a device has multiple channels, the total tasks are up to 16.

Why is the random schedule icon greyed out before the task ends?

The random schedule task is ON 2 to X minutes after the start time and is OFF 2 to X minutes before the end time. You can calculate the X by the formula: Interval ÷ 2 − 2.