Yes. In my case the ATS is more than just a transfer switch. It also controls the generator. As soon as it senses loss of power it tells the generator to start. As soon as it sense the generator is providing power it switches the load to the generator. When the utility comes back (and there's a timer, it has to be back for some number of seconds), then it throws the switch back to the utility and tells the generator it is no longer needed. The generator has it's own timer to determine when it needs to actually stop the engine.
It works well enough when it works. The generator is on the far side of the hangar from the house. If we're inside and the windows aren't open, we really can't tell we're on the generator. The problem comes in that the generator as installed has this sonalert which is loud enough at the generator, but we won't hear that inside the house either. I usually knew my generator had faulted because my neighbor would hear it when walking her dogs and let me know.
Fortunately, some enterprising guy had figured out the control port for the thing and wrote software (and the electrical diagrams) for a Raspberry Pi generator monitor. I now get alerts anytime anything happens on the generator (the thing runs every week just to keep things smooth). It has sensors all over the place (temperature, coolant levels, etc...). It's also designed to be serviced. There are two hoses that you just flip out of the cabinet to drain either the oil or radiator. Only thing that's a ***** to get to is the cooling fan belt. (Most of the side panels are designed to be opened easily, but that one you have to remove a dozen screws). It's driven by the propane tank in the ground just behind it (we also use propane for domestic hot water, two fireplaces, fire starters in a few others, and my grill). I also put a remote monitor ("Tank Utility") on the propane tank gauge as I don't oft go out in the back yard and look down the hole where the tank is to see what the level is.
