Using a Xiaomi temperature sensor for presence?

[JDRoberts]

You need a device with a very regular heartbeat at very short intervals, as well as one that will seamlessly reconnect to the network after it’s been out of range for a while. I don’t think that’s how the Xiaomi devices work. ( it’s not how most battery powered devices work, because it would use too much battery if the device has any other intended purpose besides check-in’s. )

As far as the SmartThings branded present sensor, it’s very subject to local conditions, particularly Wi-Fi interference. It’s not an amplified zigbee device. So it will work well for some people, and not for others.

SmartThings Presence Sensor Device--Working Well for Anyone?

Continuing the discussion from Introduce Yourself!: @camanokid , Welcome to the forums! I pulled out the presence sensor question because I’m sure it will generate a lot of comments. One my favorite sayings is “all home automation is local.” Which means what works at my house might not work at yours and certainly what I would like to see work at my house might not be what you would like to see work at yours. The smart things Zigbee presence sensor works very well for some people, not at all for others, and somewhere in the middle for still others. It’s using a different technology than a phone presence sensor, which can be good or bad depending on the exact set up at your house. RANGE: 500 FEET MINIMUM OR 50 FEET MAXIMUM? The most obvious difference, is range. Because the ph…

There are a number of different ways of managing presence. The FAQ should be of interest:

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…