Poll: Mobile Phone as a Presence Device with SmartThings

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.

What are these iBeacons you speak of?

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.

The biggest issue is that my finance’s phone will not trigger when she is talking on it. As soon as she hangs up it fires.

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Great with 1.7.6, terrible with 2.0.x. It really worked great. Now fails.

@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.

Verizon? No talk and data at the same time, may be!

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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

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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

This is the only thing I keep reminding missus every freaking day! :wink:

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.

Mobile Devcie: iPhone 5S
Mobile Device OS: 8.4
Geo-Fence Accuracy: Low
Does your phone connect to your WiFi: Yes
SmartThings App Version:Mobile Device: 2.0

Mobile Device: Galazy S5
Mobile device OS version: 5.0
If Android: GPS level: (high accuracy vs. battery saving) High accuracy
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: (High, Medium, Low) High
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes
SmartThings App Version: 1.7.6 Great, 2.0.2 terrible

I have 2.0.2, my wife has 1.7.6. One works, one doesn’t. Both used to work perfect (nearly 100%)

Mobile Device: iPhone 6+
Mobile device OS version: iOS 8.4.0
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: 2.0.1

It’s only failed for me a couple of times - maybe twice - since I set up in early November last year.

Mobile Device: ZenFone 2 and HTC One
Mobile device OS version: Android 5.0
If Android: GPS level: high accuracy
Level of Geo-Fence accuracy: High
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes (limited range outside the house)
SmartThings App Version: 1.7.6 and v1 Hub

Porch light is usually on when I pull up to the house, although sometimes I see it turn on as I pull into the driveway.

Mobile Presence has worked flawlessly for me.

Mobile Device: iPhone 6
Mobile device OS version: iOS 8.4.1
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes (*note presences triggers good 5min before I event get home/ connected to wifi)
SmartThings App Version: 2.0.1

A few things to note. I live in a high rise condo building in a small city. I live on the waterfront so I depart/return home daily multiple different ways (ferry boat, bus, subway, walking and sometimes my car or uber). In all cases presence detects at almost exactly the same spot each time. All modes of departing/returning have same 100% success rate.

Also I will mention I did have a few hiccups with presence detection in May 2015 (before may it worked for +1year no problem), worked with ST support and since then its has been triggering 4+ times a day and never missed a beat. So all iOS and ST app updates since then have had no impact.

Mobile presence has worked really well but only up until the IOS update. Now I don’t really trust it. We both left for work at 8am this morning and my wife is still “home” even tho her phone is at work with her and i only “left” at 3:53 pm.

Wife phone is iphone 5s mine is iphone 6 with latest firmware.

Generally works well. About 5-10% of the time we have issues. For example, yesterday into today, my wife is still listed as being at home even though she is at work. I just sent her a message to reboot her phone and relaunch ST. That usually corrects the issue.

Mobile Device: iPhone 6
Mobile device OS version: 8.4.1
Does your phone connect to your wi-fi: Yes
SmartThings App Version: 2.01