Presence detection with iBeacons? +MQTT?

Configuration
#1

Hello

With OwnTracks stopping using ibeacons on Android, I have started to look to new ways of tracking when we arrive home. I did try “monitor” by andrew j freyer and I thought this was my golden ticket, but I cannot get any of my android phones to advertise, therefore trigger an arrival message.

So I found Beacon MQTT, which hasn’t been updated for a year and appears to hammer my battery when I changes the settings to make is usable, i.e. trigger automations (send a mqtt arrival to “monitor” BEFORE I walk in the front door.

Does anyone else have a decent solution to this please? it is driving me crazy :slight_smile:

The Netgear Orbis I have are detected well outside oh my house, but they take a good few minutes to pick up the wifi and then be detected within HA…

Cheers
Mark

#2

I use a slightly odd configuration, that improves the speed of detection, but doesn’t eliminate completely the incorrect “Front door is open but nobody is home” alerts, because it simply doesn’t connect to the wifi fast enough.

I have the gpslogger: component installed, but instead of the using gpslogger app, I have an http shortcut set up to send a message to the component that my current location is home.

This is triggered by an automation on the phone (I use llama, but I expect tasker would work) when I connect to my home wifi.

The gpslogger device and the ping device are setup as the same device in known_devices.yaml, so that the ping status is used for the rest of the time I am home, and when I leave.

I also have bluetooth detection set up, which improves the reliability, but not the speed of detection.

#3

thanks for the reply… this is the frustrating part as I want/need speedy detection. i.e. if my wife comes home alone when it is dark, that the hall/porch/etc lights come home before she opens the front door…

This is the crux of decent home automation but the most frustrating… well it is for me :smiley:

#4

Hi! I have some ideas there: Beacon MQTT [Android]