If your experience is either really great or really poor, we also would appreciate any additional information you can provide. Please select an option in the poll and then respond with the following details in the thread. We want to gather information for whom it doesn’t work.
Mobile Device: Mobile device OS version: If Android: GPS level: (high accuracy vs. battery saving) Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: (High, Medium, Low) Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: SmartThings App Version:
This is a fact finding mission, so please keep the thread clean so we can gain as much information as possible.
I have two iOS user and three Android users in my house. The iOS phones are very accurate in detecting the presence of family members. The Android phones only work if their GPS is turned on, but who wants to turn on their GPS when it drains the phone’s battery. Is their a lower power consuming way to detect the presence (i.e. tower triangulation or being connected to the house’s WiFi). For the poor performing Android phones:
Mobile Device: Samsung Note 4
Mobile device OS version: 5.0.1
If Android: GPS level: highly accurate but very poor battery life
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: High with GPS on
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes, can SmartThings use WiFi for presence detecting instead?
SmartThings App Version: 2.0.1 (build 200100)
Yep - my experience to a T. Mix of android and iOS devices in my home, randomly correct and incorrect. I just use wifi association now, which is great unless the device decides to power the wifi radio down
Honestly the best system would be implanting ibeacons in the people and sensing them from the hub. Well, except for that awkward implantation step.
Mobile Device: iPhone 5s
Mobile divide OS version: Latest (don’t have phone with me)
Level of accuracy: Low, very low
Does phone connect to WiFi: Yes
SmartThings app Version: Latest (don’t have phone with me)
Mobile Device: HTC One (M7)
Mobile Device OS: Lollipop 5.0.2
GPS level: High accuracy
Level of accuracy: High
Does phone connect to WiFi: Rarely, usually on mobile data
SmartThings app version: 2.0.2
iPhone never “leaves” even when my wife is miles away for hours at a time. My HTC One is pretty reliable with the GPS on. Don’t think I tried with GPS off. I really would like the presence to work. I have ST set to turn on the lights to greet me when I come home at night. Works for me, not for the wife. She would be much more accepting of spending more on “things” if it were to benefit her.
Thank you @alex and @Ben for taking my suggestion and running with it.
I’ve had the reliability issues with my wife’s IPhone which has included hardware replacements, multiple versions of iOS and ST app versions. The only thing I haven’t done to her phone was build it from scratch from software perspective.
Mobile Device: Nokia Lumia 1020
Mobile device OS version: Windows Phone 8.1, Lumia Denim Firmware
If Android: GPS level: (high accuracy vs. battery saving)
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: (High, Medium, Low) High
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes
SmartThings App Version: 1.2.0.692
Overall, works pretty well, but it does fairly regularly get delayed on performing actions when i arrive home. Not everytime, but regularly enough that I on’t rely on it.
@ben it has been near perfect for me and missus since we started with ST exactly one year back but for couple of failures on iOS. The failures were either due to platform outage or the weak free optimum wifi hotspot transition between LTE and weak wifi they provide to cablevision customers in my area. Have given this feedback several times across several threads and the reason! Success rate is over 95%. Geofence accuracy is of course little off by all means but triggers at the same spot everyday each and every time but for the failures I mentioned.
We are on iPhone 6 (previously 5) and always the latest iOS.
It’s become very reliable for me. Can’t say the same for my lock…
Mobile Device: iPhone 5S
Mobile device OS version: iOS 8.4
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: Low
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes
SmartThings App Version: 2.0
Mobile Presence works for me, but with some caveats.
Android only works well enough to even try only if I use battery saving mode. High accuracy never works - it will mark me away 30 min after I leave. Or home well after I arrived.
Mobile Device: Motoroloa RAZR M
Mobile device OS version: 4.4.4
If Android: GPS level: (high accuracy vs. battery saving) See above
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: (High, Medium, Low) High on battery saver mode. Less than low on high accuracy
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes
SmartThings App Version: 2.0
iOS works almost 100% - Very rare to have any issues
Mobile Device: iphone 5s
Mobile device OS version: 8.4
If Android: GPS level: (high accuracy vs. battery saving)
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: (High, Medium, Low) Very High
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes
SmartThings App Version: 1.7
Mobile Device: iPhone 5, 5s, and 6
Mobile device OS version: 8.4
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: yes
SmartThings App Version: Versions for a year before 2.0 (not enough 2.0 time to say)
We have a good number of scenarios where the system thinks people are still home when they have left. I’d say once or twice a week is the average.
I think one of my issues could come from a cellular dead spot near my neighborhood. I’m curious if there is a case where the phone can think it has left and not be able to send that result back to the cloud.
