Setting Up a SmartThings Routine with Life360 Presence Detection

General
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Hey everyone! I just wanted to share my experience setting up a SmartThings routine using Life360 for presence detection. I’ve been trying to get this working for a while, and I thought I’d document my journey in case anyone else is struggling with the same thing. :rocket:

So, first off, if you’re not familiar with Life360, it’s a great app for tracking family members’ locations. I use it to keep track of my kids, and it’s been super helpful. But integrating it with SmartThings was a bit of a challenge at first. I remember reading that Life360 doesn’t natively support IFTTT or SmartThings, which was a bit discouraging. But hey, where there’s a will, there’s a way! :blush:

I stumbled upon a workaround using Google Sheets and IFTTT. The idea is to have Life360 push location data to Google Sheets, and then trigger an IFTTT applet to send that data to SmartThings. It sounds a bit convoluted, but trust me, it works like a charm! Here’s a quick rundown of the steps I took:

  1. Set Up Life360: Make sure everyone in your family has the Life360 app installed and is sharing their location with you. Easy peasy!

  2. Create a Google Sheet: I set up a new sheet specifically for tracking my family’s locations. I used the =IMPORTDATA function to pull in the necessary data from Life360. It was a bit tricky at first, but I found a helpful guide online that walked me through it.

  3. IFTTT Integration: I created an applet in IFTTT that monitors the Google Sheet for changes. Whenever someone’s location updates, IFTTT sends a notification to SmartThings. This was the key to getting everything connected!

  4. SmartThings Routine: Finally, I set up a routine in SmartThings that triggers based on the IFTTT notifications. For example, when my partner arrives home, the lights turn on and the thermostat adjusts. It’s like having a personal butler! :sunglasses:

I know this might seem a bit technical, but I promise it’s doable with a little patience. If anyone has questions or needs help setting this up, feel free to reach out! I’d be happy to walk you through it. :blush:

One thing I’d love to hear from others is if there are any alternative methods or if anyone has found a more seamless integration between Life360 and SmartThings. I’m always looking for ways to simplify my setup! :thinking:

Until next time, happy automating! :star2: