Using IFTTT location channel as a presence indicator

[helios (Jim Archer)]

I did do a little quick searching and found some threads from 2013, so here is yet another…

I was just looking at IFTTT really for the first time (yeah, I know…) and I saw that have location channels for Android and iOS. So I just created two recipes. One to let me know when I arrive at or leave home and another to turn on a lamp when I arrive home.

For this to work I have to have the IFTTT app on my iPhone and that app need access to location. So it may suck down my phone battery, we’ll see. But perhaps this will be a better presence sensor than the ST system, whatever that is.

[JDRoberts]

That method is mentioned in the presence FAQ:

FAQ: The Many Ways of Detecting Presence

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? 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. The following FAQ runs through the the usual troubleshooting…