BeaconThings - Beacons and SmartThings

[JDRoberts]

@Jamez243

Is this still an option? I want to do something like this. My Pixel XL works fine with presence detection. My wifes S7 Edge randomly will say it’s home when we’re not and opens the garage door (scary right?) If I could add a second layer such as this beacon I think that would help prevent the spottiness of the Galaxy phone. If it is still possible could you give me a brief description of how it works. I got half way through this thread and still don’t quite understand… do you have to touch it like NFC or does it detect from a certain distance?

Thanks!

Are you asking about this specific app or I beacons in general?

This thread is about a specific app, called BeaconThings. But that app is not being supported much at the present time.

For general information about I beacons and how they might work with smartthings see the following thread (this is a clickable link)

Mobile Presence and iBeacon (discussion beginning 2015)

Hello, Would it be hard to add Bluetooth detection to the iPhone and Android apps? This really helps out a lot. I purchased a very cheap iBeacon on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Geohopper-iBeacon-with-Power-Supply/dp/B00N17AU4K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429680236&sr=8-2&keywords=ibeacon I then created a scene with Tasker that detects when that iBeacon comes in range. Finally, I used SharpTools to set my presence detector to present() when it detects that iBeacon. In addition, I have it set away() when I am at my iBeacon at work, or when I connect to my car. My Moto X does the same thing for its Home Detection schema, and Tasker has a very rich set of options for detecting home as well. It seems like a very easy addition for SmartThings. Until then, I’ll keep using @joshua_lyon’s aw…

For a discussion about using two devices to create more certainty in presence Detection, see the following:

A dual device approach to geopresence for smaller areas (sequential detection)

Continuing the discussion from Smart Presence Sensor randomly "leaving" and "returning": Battery life is fine on my presence fob, but I still get random drop-offs with both the fob and the phone presence. Using an idea from @DigitalM0nkey , I am changing over the way I use presence sensing for all activities. I’m now using dual devices at the geo-fence barrier, as well as a virtual presence sensor for better continuous occupancy indication. Basically I’m trying both reduce the range and improve reliability by using two devices that will be recognized in sequence rather than both at the same time. So this is how it will work at my house now: Smartthings recognizes that my phone or the fob, mainly the fob , has entered the Geo fenced area. but nothing else happens yet. I do not tri…

And here’s the general FAQ on presence. You might actually want to start with that one.

FAQ: The Many Ways of Detecting Presence (2020)

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 [image] 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…

As far as distance, that depends on the receiving station app that you are using. But the standard for Ibeacons defines three Detection distances: Immediate, which is within a few inches; Near, which is typically up to about 10 feet; and Far, which is typically up to about 30 feet. After that you are out of range. Moreover, it’s more complicated than that, and is already discussed in the first link that I gave you, so you can ask any follow up questions about the devices themselves there.