Using Geofency for presence detection and proximity

Configuration
1

I have Geofency configured with my home address as a tracked location and I configured the webhook. I took my dog for a walk and the location update worked great.

I have 2 questions…

  1. It doesn’t look like Geofency will constantly update my location like OwnTracks will. It appears that I have to create a tracked location in Geofency for every zone in HA. Is that correct?

  2. If I want to use the proximity sensor in HA with Geofency do I need to overlap tracked locations so Geofency updates my location for each tracked location?

2

Did you find out? Because I would like to know also :slight_smile:

3

Yes I think I did.

  1. Geofency will only track enters and exits. It will not constantly update my location.

  2. To use the proximity sensor you would need multiple geofences and I tried that but sometimes the inner ones would track before the outer ones (when I was coming home) so the proximity component was useless.

I currently use Geofency for a few automations when I leave or arrive home.

4

How do you make the automation?
Its not like state home or not home it think because it takes the name that you give the location in geofency???

5

Here is an example…

- alias: 'Close garage door on departure'
  initial_state: true
  hide_entity: false
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id:
        - device_tracker.981a63d3a9b648358b # John
        - device_tracker.9a2b77433e18471288 # Jill
      from: 'home'
  action:
    - service: cover.close_cover
      entity_id: cover.garage_door_opener
6

I also do this becomes sometimes Geofency will not fire…

- alias: 'Set John to home when iPhone is connected to WiFi'
  initial_state: true
  hide_entity: false
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: binary_sensor.john_phone_ping
      to: 'on'
  condition:
    condition: template
    value_template: >
      {{ not is_state('device_tracker.981a63d3a9b648358b', 'home') }}
  action:
    service: device_tracker.see
    data:
      dev_id: '981a63d3a9b648358b'
      location_name: 'home'
1 Like
7

Thanks

Do i have to replace ‘home’ with the name of my place (zone)?
It’s named ‘thuis’ in Geofency and HA is showing that also!

8

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9

Yes that is correct

10

Geofency is great, but any reason you don’t use HomeKit? I’ve been using it for location based automations and I think it’s great.

11

Its working thanks

Another question…
When i make a group and i install Geofency on my girls phone and i name home also ‘thuis’ i can use them in a group?

12

Because i want everything in HA. I only use HomeKit for the lights. Everything else like automation, scenes happens in HA.

13

Each GeoFency device had a unique id. You can add all of the GeoFency devices to a group if you like and set up automations for the group.