I recently started exploring the potential of geofencing and IBeacon technology to enhance my smart home setup. While I’m currently using a workaround with BEECON and RadBeacon USB IBeacons to trigger devices via URL calls to Vera, I’m aware that this isn’t the most seamless implementation. I’m curious if others in the Vera community are using HomeWave and if they’ve encountered similar challenges or found more elegant solutions.
For context, I’ve set up several automation scenarios that rely on geofencing and IBeacon detection. For example:
- Opening the garage door when I’m near it
- Closing the garage door when I enter the house
- Turning on outdoor lights when I arrive home and it’s dark
- Activating lobby lights when I come in and the sun is down
- Turning off all house lights when both my wife and I are in the bedroom
- Keeping the living room lights on while we watch TV
- Shutting off the sprinkler system if I leave the house while it’s running
- Turning on yard lights when we’re having dinner outside
While these automations work, I’m still facing some issues, particularly with signal strength variability depending on environmental factors like temperature and humidity. This occasionally causes delays or missed triggers, which is frustrating.
I’d love to hear if others have successfully integrated geofencing or IBeacon technology into their setups and if they’ve found ways to improve reliability. Additionally, I’m hopeful that future updates might include native geofencing and IBeacon support, which would streamline these automations significantly.
If anyone has tips, tricks, or alternative approaches to achieving similar results, I’d be grateful for the insights! Let’s keep the discussion positive and focused on finding solutions together.