From a7d770bd888aec83fd4e86ecbfe47fffbd17e8af Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: c0ffeeca7 <38767475+c0ffeeca7@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2024 11:02:42 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Polling interval: add definition (#35353)

* Polling interval: add definition

* Re-add intro

* Update source/common-tasks/general.markdown
---
 source/common-tasks/general.markdown | 12 +++++++++---
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/source/common-tasks/general.markdown b/source/common-tasks/general.markdown
index e6841034ed4..324c38ddaeb 100644
--- a/source/common-tasks/general.markdown
+++ b/source/common-tasks/general.markdown
@@ -9,11 +9,17 @@ This section provides tasks that do not depend on a specific Home Assistant inst
 
 ## Defining a custom polling interval
 
-Creating an automation for polling gives you more flexibility on when to poll.
+If you want to define a specific interval at which your device is being polled for data, you can disable the default polling interval and create your own polling automation.
 
-Why use an automation instead of changing the integration's configuration for polling?
+## What is data polling?
 
-1. Not all integrations have a configurable polling interval. The homassistant.update_entity service on the other hand works with most of the integrations, no code changes required.
+Data polling is the process of querying a device or service at regular intervals to check for updates or retrieve data. By defining a custom polling interval, you can control how frequently your system checks for new data, which can help optimize performance and reduce unnecessary network traffic.
+
+## Why use an automation instead of changing the integration's polling configuration?
+
+Creating an automation for polling gives you more flexibility on when to poll:
+
+1. Not all integrations have a configurable polling interval. The homeassistant.update_entity service, on the other hand, works with most of the integrations; no code changes are required.
 2. An automation allows you to poll whenever you want. For example, if you have a rate-limited solar panel provider with a maximum number of requests per day, you may want to lower/stop the polling at night but poll more frequently during the day.
 
 {% include common-tasks/define_custom_polling.md %}
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