How to use geofence without giving full access to ST account

[magickarle (nicholas)]

Here is my scenario: I want to set geofence for my wife but don’t want to give access to ST. I tried the presence sensor but I want a radius of 2km so it is not for this purpose.
From my understanding I need to use her cell as a presence sensor. To do so I need to add her email in my ST account. And doing so she can login and has full access. Is there a workaround?

[TN_Oldman (Don)]

If she is on android, possibly use Tasker, sharptools setup?

[HOW TO] SmartThings Presence reporting using Tasker/SharpTools/AutoLocation

Update May 9 2017 - I finally have a setup that has been pretty much rock solid for my phone and now my wife’s too. Updating the instructions below to reflect my latest configuration What is this? An alternative way to set presence in SmartThings using your Android phone. This solution uses three separate mobile phone apps, Tasker, SharpTools, and AutoLocation. These are all paid apps, but you’re looking at a total of around $7.50 for all three. Tasker and AutoLocation are eligible for Google Family, so if you are setting up for multiple family devices you only have to buy them once. Why would I do this? Presence sensing in SmartThings relies on your phone to update it’s location using standard Android location services. Even if you set your phone to use High Accuracy location settings, …

OR possibly use the location app life360?

Life360 trigger VS Smart Things Presence trigger?

I know I can have it set up so triggers happen through both life360 or ST presence. What are the differences? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using one or the other? I am realizing that currently my children will need access to the ST app to control lights. Is there a way to limit what they have access to? For instance, I dont want them to have access to the door lock control.

I unfortunately can not comment on either one. I’m sure there is plenty of threads on this topic.
I’m also sure others will come in and offer other opinions.

[Mike_Maxwell]

Yup, a life 360 install without the st mobile app would do it.

[JDRoberts]

Life360 or IFTTT presence both work for most smartphones. or Tasker if it’s an Android phone. Or custom WiFi presence, but that one is more work to set up.

See:

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…

[magickarle (nicholas)]

I’m trying life360. Any draw back from this option?

[JDRoberts]

@magickarle

I’m trying life360. Any draw back from this option?

Every method has pros and cons. Life360 is popular and it’s an official integration. The main thing people like housemates or Airbnb guests don’t like about it is that it would allow you to track everywhere they’ve been. So it works better for family members or couples.

The main alternative is IFTTT presence, which doesn’t have shared tracking and just relies on the phone’s own Geolocation feature to trigger arrival/departure at a specific location.

Different things will work for different households, especially for presence.

[magickarle (nicholas)]

In deed! I didn’t think of it! I see you have much experiences