Mobile Presence Automation Issue

[Bry (Bryan)]

I can’t specifically comment on the Connect app as I’m still using Classic. But generally speaking, there have been issues with presence detection in ST. Different things seem to work for different people.

I have geofencing set up in the Classic app. But I have intermittant issues with arrival sensing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and sometimes it’s delayed. I solved my issue by coding a backup arrival sensor in IFTTT. I did that about a week ago, and so far my arrival detection has been flawless.

If you search for “presence detection” here, you’ll find many threads discussing the issues. Also, here is a FAQ:

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…