I’m trying to find out if it’s possible to set up the Aqara app so that my camera automatically changes its mode based on my location.
What I’d like is:
When I’m away from home, the camera stays active and sends motion notifications.
When I arrive home, it detects my location and automatically switches mode, so I stop receiving alerts while I’m inside.
I’ve looked through the automation settings, but I haven’t found a clear way to use geolocation for Home/Away camera modes.
Has anyone managed to set this up, or is there a workaround to achieve something similar?
When leaving, create an automation based on location that turns the camera on, and after 5 minutes or 5 seconds enables person tracking or detection.
When you arrive, set it the other way around - turn the cameras off.
However, keep in mind that notifications must be configured and enabled directly in the camera settings, individually. At the moment, there isn’t an automation that can turn them on or off.
Good news! you can now use the Aqara Home app’s Automations 2.0 + Geofencing 2.0 to achieve exactly what you want: detect when you leave/arrive and act accordingly.
Here’s how you’d set it up:
Make sure your Aqara app is updated to the latest version (v6.x).
Enable Automations 2.0 in your profile/settings.
Create a geofence automation: IF your phone leaves home (or everyone leaves) THEN switch your camera to Privacy Off or Camera On
Create another: IF your phone arrives home THEN switch your camera to Privacy On or Camera Off
Test it out: walk outside the geofence (or simulate) and then walk back.
A couple of things to watch out for: sometimes multi-user detection (i.e., “last person leaves”) can behave a little unpredictably since it’s still labelled Lab by Aqara. Also, if your hub firmware is old, some features may only run via cloud (which means a bit more delay).