Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience with using smartphones as presence sensors. I’ve been using both an iPhone 6 and a Galaxy Note 4 (running Android Lollipop) to trigger my smart home automation, but I’ve encountered some quirks along the way.
First off, the idea of using geo-fencing to detect when I arrive or leave the house is fantastic. It adds a layer of convenience that’s hard to beat. However, I’ve noticed that sometimes the system thinks I’ve left the house even when I’m still inside, or it incorrectly registers my phone as being miles away. This has led to some unexpected behaviors, like my Sonos system playing music when I’m not even home!
To tackle this, I tried tweaking the logic in my smart apps. Initially, it was set to trigger actions upon arrival, but I wanted to add an extra layer of confirmation—like detecting when a door opens. Unfortunately, the app I’m using seems to default to an OR condition instead of an AND. If anyone knows how to enforce an AND condition, I’d love to hear your workaround!
One tip I’ve picked up is to adjust the geo-fence radius to be more precise. This helps reduce false triggers. I’ve also started using multiple criteria, like checking both location and device status, to ensure the system behaves as expected.
If you’re using smartphones as presence sensors, I’d love to hear how you’ve optimized your setup. Any tricks or tools that help make this integration smoother would be a huge help! Let’s keep the conversation going and share our experiences. 