xjonx:
It looks like the majority of this thread took place at least a year ago but the question still remains, ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES TO THE ARRIVAL SENSOR?
Things from my perspective have not improved since this was first posted.
We are using both the sensor and the phone app. One person uses the phone and the other the Arrival Sensor Fob from Smartthings (V2). The phone seem to work OK for me at best, but the Fob is the only option for the other person, who is >70 so training them to use a smartphone is out of the question. Also adding outlets at $40 a throw to improve a $25 sensor’s range seems a little upside down.
So is anyone out there using some kind of Fob or other non-phone device to detect presence? DIY-Home Brew, other brand, different technology?
Anything?
There’s been a new community FAQ added on presence since this thread was last active, so you might take a look at that. There are a couple of additional options in that one.
Presence, regardless of the device you use, is one of those features that works great for some people, not at all for other people, and is randomly flaky for still others.
It’s very much affected by local conditions. So some people will find that phone presence works much better than the SmartThings-branded presence sensor. Other people will find the reverse. Still other people, myself included, find that they have to use a combination of two devices in order to get reliable presence indication.
So if this feature tends to work differently for different people, where do you start?
1. Using a Smart Phone as a Presence Indicator
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Well, since most people who have SmartThings have a smart phone, it’s worth starting there.
This method has changed significantly in the change fro…
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