i have done some searching and browsing in the forum, but have not found an definitive answer for this:
what’s the most reliable way of detecting presence for these 2 scenarios:
arriving home by car - start one flow
arriving home by foot (car parked in the garage ) - start one flow
i have tested various presence apps that uses the phone location, also the function built into homey, but this does not work very vell, i have also tested the smart presence app that uses wifi/ip.
I use the app Locative on iPhone. Very reliable besides the situation in which i’m on the phone when I enter the geofence-area because there is no data-connection in that situation
First of all a (may be not so relevant) question: when exactly You want the flow to start? Closing office door; already seeing Your house or opening home’s door (may be second before, when door must auto-unlock).
But in general - Your question reduces to detecting: Is (was) the car park-ing/ed in the garage. The was part is quite easy, as in system there is also the (car)sensor history. So, just ask: “when the car was parked into garage?” (… or just when the garage door was opened).
About “car in garage” - if You do not have a e-car with “connected charging”, then it may be the main question, because garage door may or may be not the sufficient sensor, and some self-made optical; acoustic or electromagnetic circuit with connecting into Homey may-be a good idea.
1 flow to open garage + change to home mode
1 flow to just set home mode.
using the garage door open/close last time is not enough (it may be opened at other times to access the garage, i think i will need a sensor that can report the car as present or not in the garage
combine a sensor in the garage with a BLE beacon maybe
I am using AutoLocation (a Tasker Plugin) on my Android phone to determine whether I am driving in a car or walking on foot. Works pretty good. Depending on these states, you can tell Homey to start certain flows when you get home.
Using your phone to track “you” would be the best method for tracking you…
Homey’s system of doing this is currently broken (has been for awhile) but Roco and a few others recommend an App called “Locative”… to over come this. Also some have said there is a trick you can use via HomeKit to register your presence when you get home.
For detecting the presence of your car there are probably many tricks you can do… Some are cheap and easy. Some are more involved.
If your willing to change a $1.00 battery once a year I’ve seen some people put a BLE beacon under the front bumper bar of their car. (BLE) is Bluetooth.
There is an app on Homey called “Beacon” that meant to be able to track Bluetooth devices … I’ve never personally used it but assume it works as described…
Beacon is indeed the best option I think. On iPhone you can also set an automation when connecting to Bluetooth in the car to send a webhook.
Does your car have WiFi? My car connects to WiFi when I arrive at home, if so you could then catch it with the SmartPresence app.
Perhaps a LUX meter in combination with movement is also an option. You stick it on the floor. If your car is standing over it, the LUX is a lot lower. You should then only have the LUX updated on movement and store it in a variable. And you should not drive over the LUX meter whit your tires .
Another cheaper option: You can also put a thin wooden board on the floor with an aqara vibration sensor. You drive over the plank with a wheel so that there is movement
yes car is connected to wifi, but i see that it’s not always connected to wifi, mostly LTE.
i have tested the smart presence app in homey.
yes car is “connected/app support” and it’s electric and sometimes plugged in to the home wall box (there is an app for homey for the brand, but it’s not currently supported by the new platform of ev’s)
having anything battery powered outside, or in an cold garage during the winter is not an option.
normal winter -10-30c.
think it will be a mix of beacons that you have on the key fob and sensor in the garage. (not battery powered)
i have mixed experience using the location in various applications, it’s not 100 percent stable, and a bit slow.
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