Window sensor states

Better Thermostat expects the configured window sensor to behave like a binary sensor:

• on, true or open — window is open, heating pauses
• off, false or closed — window is closed, heating resumes
• unknown or unavailable — Better Thermostat assumes the window is open as a precaution

If the sensor reports anything else, Better Thermostat raises an invalid window sensor state repair issue and ignores the state change.

Common causes

• The configured entity is not a binary sensor — for example a numeric sensor, an input helper with custom values, or a template that returns something other than on/off.
• A group helper that aggregates non-binary entities.

How to fix it

1. Check the sensor’s actual state under Developer tools → States.

2. Use a binary_sensor (device class window/door/opening), or a group of binary sensors:

   group:
     livingroom_windows:
       name: Livingroom Windows
       icon: mdi:window-open-variant
       all: false
       entities:
         - binary_sensor.openclose_1
         - binary_sensor.openclose_2

3. If you template your own sensor, make sure it only ever renders on or off.