Automatic now works with Nest

Check out this thread:

They asked me to be a Beta tester but I don’t have the energy or time now for that. For now, I keep it unplugged and keep it in case I need to read an engine code. Eventually they will fix it and I will plug it back in. I also found the IFTTT integration with it very unreliable. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Dash is probably a better option since it’s Wifi based, but then it drains your car battery from what I understand.

Wow, never realized that Automatic was causing this issue…

They have kept it under low wraps. For awhile, they were blaming Apple, but I think they realize people are going to choose an iPhone over their piece of hardware and they would lose that battle. They now are trying to solve the issue.

I use Dash in my car. It is quite similar to Automatic. Dash provides the app and you can use any bluetooth or wifi OBD2 with it. I recently created an IFTTT recipe with Dash and Smartthings. When my car engine is turned off in my garage or driveway my schlage door lock unlocks. I have also set it up to lock the door when the car starts and leaves my driveway.

I really like Dash and Smartthings. IFTTT provides some great integration options.

Have an automatic ST app working - good for presence and a couple of other things - like opening and closing the garage door (don’t like using my phone because I walk a lot and it is annoying to have it open and shut a lot)… Also has ignition-on / off so I know it is the car and not phone related! Any willing testers?

I could try it out for you. I"m not sure what I would use it for since there are other presence options.

Does it expose the gas tank level?

If your car supports the fuel-level feature through the port (not all do) it can give you a “low-fuel” alert but not the level itself…

I need a few more days to work out some Automatic Oauth issues that are prohibiting other users at this moment - but I expect them to release that status as soon as they verify that the app is working correctly

I am willing to test. I’ve been wanting to work on an app for ST, haven’t got around to it yet. I’m sure you’re utilizing it’s webhook for ignition, right?

Lots of web hooks - the integration is a bit tricky in that all of the hooks come through a specific url to our servers and then have to be distributed - this along with the fact that the users have to grant access to the specific scope in the Oauth which also has to go through the middle man server- so there is a lot of “non ST” exterior processing going on… This seems to be a theme that I am running into in a lot of situations - Automatic, NEST, NetAtmo, and a couple others… We are working on making a server app / ST app available for ST so as to register your app.id & access token and use the static url for both authentication and web hooks… We are in development and hoping to release a beta before the end of the month

I would love to test if the option is still available.

We are in final stages of testing our ST-Other web portal - once completed I will release for general testing - I think we are still about 1 week away

1 Like

Definitely interested in this as I just ordered one… Subscribed !

As someone stated earlier, this is very unreliable. I have it set to go through the Nest home process when I start my car while at Work after 4pm. I would say I get the confirmation text about 40% of the time.

Hi guys,

I’m currently working on some cloud-to-cloud integration with Automatic.

See My Automatic Device at:

you ever get this working?

Bumping this thread just for feedback. I’d like to get a connected car device. Automatic sounds appealing but I am seeing lots of bad reviews…Thoughts?

I have an automatic and it’s neat to track your trips and mileage. Automatic provides a lot of functionality for a relatively small cost. Great for Uber drivers or anyone looking to track mileage. Also great if you want to drive more efficiently- it beeps when you stop or accelerate too hard! It connects to Nest and Echo, but not Smartthings. However, don’t expect to view any live data without buying another app.
The Nest functionality is so-so. Nest manages things better anyway.
The Echo functionality is neat, you can ask where your car is and how much gas is left.
It does not have any SmartThings functionality at this point.
It’s worth the price - look for sales, it seems to always be $79.

1 Like

I’ve had my Automatic since kickstarter days. Generation one would miss trips every once in a while. Generation two is solid since it has its own GPS. So even if you don’t have your phone with you, the next time you bring it will catch up.

Multiple users are annoying. We have three drivers sharing the same car and it isn’t deterministic which driver’s phone it connects unless you turn off blue tooth. This complicates later analysis of trips.

It is handy to use with rental cars but you are limited to five cars active at any one time. It purges out the oldest.

I haven’t tried @yvesracine SmartThings app yet.

Overall, I would recommend it to others.

1 Like

Good to know, thank you both for input. I like the one time pay rather than yearly commitment of any other device out there. How is their IFTTT channel is anyone using it for anything?

Unreliable. I’ve tried using it for location presence stuff and it never works for me.