I’ve been absolutely thrilled with my recent purchase of Govee lights. They’ve completely transformed the ambiance of my home, and I couldn’t be happier with their performance and versatility. Whether it’s creating a cozy evening atmosphere or brightening up my mornings, these lights have become an essential part of my smart home setup. 
Beyond the aesthetics, integrating these lights with my Home Assistant setup has been a game-changer. I recently tackled a challenge I’ve been wanting to solve: enabling presence detection using my Draytek Vigor router. While it wasn’t straightforward at first, I managed to create a solution that works seamlessly with my setup.
Here’s how I did it: I set up a Raspberry Pi to run two scripts. The first script, check_arp, connects to my router via telnet and checks the ARP table for specific MAC addresses. The second script, presence_check, uses the output to update MQTT location topics in HA. This setup allows me to track when family members are home or away, which in turn triggers scenes like turning on lights or adjusting thermostats. It’s a bit of a workaround, but it’s reliable and has saved me a lot of time!
I’d love to hear if others have tried similar solutions or have suggestions for improvements. Whether you’re a Govee fan or just exploring smart home possibilities, I encourage you to share your experiences and tips in the comments below. Let’s continue to innovate and enhance our smart home ecosystems together! 
