If I’m using my phone as a mobile present sensor, will powering it off at home make my Smartthings hub think that I am not home?
And will Powering it back on will make my smart things hub think that I am home again? When actually I was home the whole time?
Powering it off will make it seem like you are not at home. And of course when you power it back up it will find you again, and as long as you are home it will run any events based on your arrival.
Why not just leave it on a charging? Or have you tried the ST presence sensors?
I have a rule that says if my phone is home, to enter home mode. And if my phone is not at home to enter away mode.
I am at home right now.I just turned my phone off and kept it off for 20 minutes and then I pulled up the Smartthings app on my iPad and my mode still said home which is a rule based on my phone presence.
Does anyone out there know a definitive answer to this question? If I turn my phone off while I am at home will the app think that I am not home?
Easiest way to find out: Just try it!
Theoretically, SmartThings shouldn’t mark you away until it gets a specific Geo Location value outside your home radius. However, Presence via the mobile App is known to be very inconsistent and/or unreliable. There are lots of workarounds to be found from the Community (Life360, router scripts, Beacons, etc., etc.).
I agree. But have live logging running while you do it. Yesterday I was trying something out and brought my phone out of sleep and it triggered “My Smartphone has arrived” event.
I think ST changed its logic, so you don’t leave unless the phone reports that you are not at that location. So in theory turning it off will go off last known location.
Interesting test. Thanks for the info.
I agree that ST will probably assume you’re at the last known location until the app finds you in a different location. I live in NYC and the subway I take every day is right across the street from my apartment, within the radius of my home geofence. When I get on the subway and lose cell service, ST thinks I’m home til I get back above ground, then it updates my presence as away.
I would assume that you turning your phone off while still at home would be treated by ST in essentially the same way.