One of the most powerful features in GrowVPD Pro is the ability to create automation rules that work across every brand you own. An AC Infinity controller can drive its own Cloudline fan from a live VPD reading, a Bluelab Pulse can push a pH drift alert while a Vivosun GrowHub opens a CO2 outlet during the photoperiod, and a simple Tuya smart plug can sit between any temperature sensor and a dumb oil heater for a cold-night safety net. GrowVPD Pro pulls all of it into one dashboard.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know about setting up automation rules, from basic concepts to advanced configurations.

What Are Automation Rules?

An automation rule is a simple cause-and-effect instruction: when a certain condition is met, perform an action. GrowVPD Pro checks your rules every 15 minutes in the background using Android's WorkManager, so your automation keeps running even when the app is closed.

Each rule consists of three parts:

  1. Sensor input — which device provides the data (temperature, humidity, VPD, CO2, PPFD, soil moisture)
  2. Condition — what threshold triggers the rule (e.g., VPD rises above 1.5 kPa)
  3. Action — what device should do when the condition is triggered, and what it should do when the condition is restored
Key advantage: GrowVPD Pro communicates with each brand’s cloud or controller independently, so one rule can combine a sensor and a target device from different brands (Tuya, AC Infinity, Mars Hydro, Spider Farmer, Vivosun, Bluelab, SANlight). That said, the cleanest, safest rules are usually inside one brand — an AC Infinity controller nudging its own fan, a Vivosun GrowHub opening a Vivosun outlet — because the controller is designed to run that loop. Cross-brand rules shine when you want a simple switch (a Tuya plug) to react to any sensor, or when you want notifications from a sensor that doesn’t have its own actuators (like a Bluelab Pulse).

Creating Your First Automation Rule

Open the Automation tab in GrowVPD Pro. If you have not set up a room and tent yet, you will be prompted to create one first. Once your tent is configured, tap the + Add Rule button.

Step 1: Select the Sensor Device

Choose which connected device provides the sensor data you want to monitor. This could be a standalone sensor (like a Tuya WiFi sensor) or a controller with built-in sensors (like an AC Infinity Controller 69 Pro). The app will show you which data types each device reports.

Step 2: Choose the Condition Type

Select what you want to monitor. GrowVPD Pro supports 12 condition types:

Step 3: Set the Threshold Value

Enter the value that should trigger your rule. For example, if you want to activate a fan when VPD exceeds 1.4 kPa, set the threshold to 1.4 with a "greater than" condition.

Some conditions support a range (min and max values). For example, you might want to keep humidity between 55% and 65% during flowering — set the lower threshold to 55 and the upper to 65.

Step 4: Set the Hysteresis

Hysteresis is a buffer zone that prevents your devices from rapidly cycling on and off. If your VPD threshold is 1.4 kPa with a hysteresis of 0.1, the rule triggers at 1.4 but does not restore until VPD drops below 1.3.

Tip: Always set hysteresis. Without it, a sensor reading that fluctuates around your threshold (e.g., 1.39, 1.41, 1.39, 1.41) would cause your device to switch on and off every 15 minutes. A hysteresis of 0.1 kPa for VPD or 2°C for temperature works well for most setups.

Step 5: Select the Target Device

Choose which device should respond when the condition is met. This can be any controllable device in your setup: a smart plug, an exhaust fan, a humidifier, a heater, or a grow light. The device does not need to be from the same brand as your sensor.

Step 6: Define the Actions

Set two actions:

Step 7: Optional Advanced Settings

Example Automation Rules

AC Infinity: Native VPD Loop

The single cleanest rule in a tent — same brand, built-in probe, controller in charge. Keeps your VPD inside the flowering band without the rule ever leaving AC Infinity’s own hardware loop.

Night Temperature Safety Net (Any Sensor → Tuya Plug → Dumb Heater)

A good cross-brand example. The plug is just a switch — the brains are your real sensor and GrowVPD Pro. Use whichever sensor you already trust.

Vivosun GrowHub: Daytime CO2 Enrichment

Same-brand loop again: Vivosun’s CO2 sensor trips a Vivosun outlet feeding the regulator — but only with lights on, and never longer than the hard cap. Dosing CO2 blind is dangerous; this rule is carefully fenced in.

Bluelab Pulse: pH Drift Notification (No Auto-Dose)

Root-zone pH is a place where we deliberately do not automate the actuator. A bad reading or a stuck dose can hurt plants fast. This rule watches the Pulse and pings you — you stay in the loop for any nutrient correction.

Automated Light Schedule (Mars Hydro / Spider Farmer / Vivosun LEDs)

Run your photoperiod on a stage-aware schedule, with gradual sunrise and sunset dimming so plants aren’t shocked in or out of the day.

Safety Features

GrowVPD Pro includes several safety mechanisms to protect your grow and your equipment:

Important: Automation rules communicate through cloud APIs, which means your devices need an active WiFi connection. If your internet goes down, rules will pause and resume automatically when connectivity returns. For mission-critical safety (like maximum temperature cutoffs), consider using your device's built-in safety features as a backup.

Room and Tent Organization

GrowVPD Pro organizes your space in a hierarchy:

  1. Room — your physical growing space (e.g., "Garage", "Spare Bedroom")
  2. Tent — individual grow tents within a room (e.g., "Veg Tent", "Flower Tent")
  3. Devices — assigned to specific tents
  4. Rules — scoped to a tent, using that tent's sensors and devices

This structure lets you run different automation profiles for each tent. Your vegetative tent might target VPD 0.8–1.0 kPa while your flowering tent targets 1.0–1.4 kPa, each with its own set of rules and devices.

Tents created in the Automation tab are automatically shared with the Grow Diary through the Equipment Profile system. When you create a new grow in the diary and assign it to a tent, the automation rules for that tent activate automatically.

Monitoring and Energy Tracking

After your rules are running, you can monitor their performance in several ways:

If a rule is triggering too frequently, that usually means your hysteresis is too small or your equipment is undersized for the space. The automation log will help you diagnose and refine your setup.