Beacon - An app for presence detection using BLE beacons

Peter_Kawa · April 25, 2021, 4:40pm

I did some testing and adjustments too. Here’s my finding. If I can do anything to check or test, please drop me a line.

I changed my settings to this:

"Interval" 32
"Discovery time-out" 31
"Verify in range": 1
"Verify out of range": 5

The flipping of beacon A has stopped. In fact these are the statusses now:
Beacon A: Out of Range and Detected 2 days ago (lies close to Homey)
Beacon B: In Range and Detected 2 days ago
Beacon C: In Range and Detected 2 days ago

Adding new devices quits every time after 30secs (default Homey time-out) without showing any available device. A few days back it discovered my Flower pins, now nothing…
.

I created this flow (ran once a day) it now runs every 5 mins. I cannot determine if it makes any difference to the discovery.

Logs of this flow:

2021-04-25 18:00.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:05.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:10.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:15.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:20.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:25.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:30.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]
2021-04-25 18:35.07		Pe_auto status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Pe_8chterdeur status: "true " , Gedetecteerd: "false " <> Lief status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "true " <> Gast status: "false " , Gedetecteerd: "false " [Flow Beacons updaten > elke X min]

NoX · April 26, 2021, 11:41am

Same thing here. Changed interval and timeout both to 30 seconds but I’m still experiencing problems since last Homey v6 update. Please help!

Peter_Kawa · April 26, 2021, 1:22pm

It’s a bit like the chicken-egg story.
Athom decided to enroll the new firmware, and then let developers update their apps if needed.
So, auto update is something I disabled.

From the newsletter:

So what’s new in Homey v6.0?

Stability & Optimizations
Homey v6.0 is full of optimizations for Bluetooth LE devices. This makes the connection more stable, and they also work faster.

Bluetooth LE Notifications
Homey v6.0 adds support for Bluetooth LE Notifications. Developers can update their Homey Apps to take advantage of this feature.

Your Homey will automatically update to v6.0. You can also update manually in the Homey app via More (…) > Settings > Updates.

NoX · April 26, 2021, 2:33pm

The problem is getting worse by the minute now. All notifications are doubled. This leaves me no other option… paused the Beacon app and disabled Homey auto-update. I hope this get fixed soon!

Every time Homey gets updated, things start acting up. Maybe it’s time to get rid of Homey all together. This should be a smart home device… not a time consuming stupid home device. To be clear… Im not blaming developers for this. It is Athom who should get their sh#t sorted.

Peter_Kawa · April 26, 2021, 2:54pm

Agreed there are lots of need-to-know tricks.
The auto update service was the first thing I disabled. Because of the ‘complaints’ and errors of users passing by, on here and on socials.
If things seem sorted out, maybe I’ll update.

The best “After update” tip is, to reboot Homey again or give it the 11mins of pulltheplug treatment.

NoX · April 26, 2021, 9:17pm

Although I appreciate your answer… I still think this is not how things should be. I don’t have time to check all apps manually to see if they are compatible with Homeys new versions. Homey should SAVE me time! Updates should bring functionality… not take it away. If developers only have the option to update their apps afterwards something is structurally wrong. They can clean up the mess that Athom creates. There shouldn’t be a mess in the first place. Homey still feels like a big experiment. Grow the f#ck up. They advertise apps and/or devices in their newsletters that don’t even work for months on end. Athom is surfing on the wave that the community creates. If, for whatever reason, that wave stops… Homey is dead within 1 month.

Now… lets hope Koktail can create some waves again so we can keep surfing. Nothing but respect for you and your fellow programmers.

Peter_Kawa · April 28, 2021, 1:30am

The app was set to paused by Homey tonight.
Didn’t change anything since last post

Koktail · April 28, 2021, 6:34am

@NoX @Peter_Kawa

What beacon do you use? A beacon send a signal - pause and send a signal again. It goes really fast (ms). However some beacons have a way longer pause. It can be that your beacons don’t send the signals fast enough for homey to detect.

I understand your frustration, i once waited a year for Athom to fix a break in the BLE bindings. (V1 → V2). The BLE module got a major update in V6 and have a lot of improvement.

I also get some false readings now and then. I just made a flow that only change my home/away status when the front or back door of the house is opened. That resolves that issue fine.

NoX · April 28, 2021, 10:13am

@Koktail I’m using 2 Tile Pro’s. Both have full batteries. Yesterday I did the PTP trick for half an hour. Also changed time-out to 20s and interval to 30s. This seems to have stopped the double notifications. I can live with false notifications now and then… just not 20 times a day

Your app worked flawlessly before the V6 update… BLE has improved (according to Athom)… how can this be happening? And… how many other users have issues after the V6 update? The fact that you yourself made extra flows… does that imply that the “problem” can not be fixed on your end?

Can you share your flow (change home/away status when the front or back door of the house is opened)? Are there certain settings in the app that minimises the issue?
Would it be helpful if I send you diagnostic rapports?

As of today things are reasonably quit. No false notifications so far. Maybe the PTP trick did it’s thing after all.

@Peter_Kawa Did the app paused itself or did you pause it? I’m asking because on my Homey sometimes the app pauses itself.

Sander_Bruggeman · April 28, 2021, 10:41am

I bought four Chipolo One’s on Coolblue for presence detection on my Homey (firmware v6). Installed the Beacon app. But my Homey can’t find the the Chipolo’s.

Is there anyone who has experience with Chipolo and Homey an who can help me to add the beacons to Homey? Does Homey supports the Chipolo?

Peter_Kawa · April 28, 2021, 8:14pm

Yes, paused by Homey (I just edited my post)

Peter_Kawa · April 28, 2021, 8:24pm

First if all, no worries, I’m not frustrated at all. It is just one of my 4 presence detection systems I like to test and play with stuff.

I use ali beacons and after some tuning with the app’s times and settings they worked flawlessly for a few months.
Since v6 they’re not detected in or out of range, I deleted one but adding again times out, it finds no BT devices at all. At first, at v6RC (i think) it did work and it also found my flower pins.

Yesterday i did a PtP for half an hour. No changes.

Peter_Kawa · April 28, 2021, 8:31pm

@NoX @Koktail
Edit Right after change the settings to 20, 30, 1, 5 my beacon flows started!
Adding a beacon works again also!
Thanks and fingers crossed

I thought anything below 30s is useless b/c of the 30s cache setting with the BLE software.

I’ll try this 20s, and 30s now.
What is your discovery time out, and verification No?

My settings are now 32s, 31s, 1, 5
Prior to v6 they were 9s, 8s, 1, 11

NoX · April 28, 2021, 10:55pm

Btw… I’m not frustrated either. I’m mostly disappointed/angry that the support from Athom on their €399 product is almost non existent. Other than that, life is good

Peter_Kawa · April 29, 2021, 12:00am

Thx, entered your settings now.
My flows keep being disabled, while having delay timers of 1 and 5 minutes in between.
I’ll carry on fiddling

Peter_Kawa · April 29, 2021, 12:45am

It depends if the Bluetooth data is publicly discoverable or not. F.i. the beacons by the brand Tile [type] 2020 are closed and cannot be paired. The 2019 and 2018 ones aren’t and can be paired.
An alternative is Ruuvitag, an open source project.

Koktail · April 29, 2021, 4:02pm

I just released a new version to test:
Many thanks for your contribution @Piero_F!

v1.3.0 - 29.05.2021

add support for ibeacon and eddystone beacons
prevent memory leak in log
ignore non-static address by default
deprecate the log trigger

Peter_Kawa · April 29, 2021, 5:15pm

Cool and thanks!
Nice to see the signalstrength right away.

milkplus · April 29, 2021, 5:17pm

Awesome! How does one upgrade to the test version?

Peter_Kawa · April 29, 2021, 6:18pm

@milkplus
Mike, just alter the url and add /test/ at the end of it.

Official app
https://homey.app/nl-nl/app/com.koktail.beacon/Beacon/
Test app
https://homey.app/nl-nl/app/com.koktail.beacon/Beacon/test/