I’m using an automation to open my groceries list when I arrive at the supermarket. However, the zone trigger seems to trigger more than it should:
alias: Open the groceries list when arriving at Auchan
trigger:
platform: zone
entity_id: device_tracker.kernald_phone
zone: zone.auchan
event: enter
action:
service: notify.pushbullet
data:
message: "hass Auchan"
target: "device/Xperia Z3 Compact"
It should open only when my phone enters the zone zone.auchan. However, from the logbook, it opens when I come home - but not always.
08:26 - kernald_phone changed to not_home
08:26 - persons_to_track changed to not_home
08:26 - Marc is away
08:24 - Open the groceries list when arriving at Auchan has been triggered
08:24 - kernald_phone changed to home
08:24 - persons_to_track changed to home
08:24 - Marc is at home
08:20 - Stop music when nobody’s home has been triggered
08:20 - persons_to_track changed to not_home
08:20 - kernald_phone changed to not_home
08:20 - Marc is away
The entity kernald_phone doesn’t enter in the zone.auchan, but the automation is triggered anyway. This entity is using OwnTracks.
I’m probably using the trigger incorrectly, but I don’t get it.
Your trigger is correct, but from personal experience, I have had a mixed bag of issues with zone tracking. I am also using Owntracks and I often have log entries of me arriving home even though I am driving in the car 20 miles away, or being at work when I am at home, so from my experience, zone tracking is not really 100% reliable.
It is weird that your log doesn’t show you arriving at the store and yet the automation is triggered. Are you also tracking if you are at home by using your router? I have my router tracking my phone for when I arrive home, but sometimes my phone drops off the wifi and it thinks I left. And since GPS is not as reliable as people think, if I am in an area of my house that has poor GPS, it can’t tell exactly where I am, so my blue dot has a huge radius circle around it on the map and it shows me 10 miles away, which can trigger one of my other zones.
I used to have an automation to open my garage door when I arrived home, but after having my garage door open more than half a dozen times while I was no where near my house, I decided it was a bad idea to rely on zone tracking to open doors in my house. Thankfully nobody stole my power tools while my garage door was opened all day long, but it was definitely a wake up call for me.
So now, I don’t rely on zone tracking for any important things and only have it still activated for curiosity sake in the hopes that things get better as technology advances, but I’m not hopeful.
I’m using nmap tracking, but with a different entity (I’m using a group for home/not_home automations). The specific entity mentioned in the automation is only bound to OwnTracks.
Regarding the criticality of this automation, in the worst case scenario, my groceries list opens on my watch, no big deal for now. I have no automated door, so… The only automations using the home/not_home state have been pretty reliable for now (only turning a light on or stopping the music, once again, nothing really important).
I have had a pretty good experience with Owntracks, but I also have an iBeacon in the mix and it has helped a great deal.
The idea of the shopping list opening when you are at the store is inspired! I think I’m going to give this a try. I’d love to figure out how I could do this with my Alexa shopping list…
I realize the topic is old, but after a few hours reading, searching, etc… I decided to jump in someplace.
My question for anyone that uses Owntracks and iBeacons…
I think I understand these devices connect to iPhones which in turn connects to Owntracks and HA.
But… Can more than one iPhone use and have the same iBeacons connect to them or are they like the Apple iTag that is only connecting to a single iPhone?
Also any recommendations using Amazon as a source?
Thanks!!
Wow that’s an oldie but a goodie! I don’t use either anymore and haven’t for some time now. All my location stuff is through the HA app on my Android. If you were to look for iBeacons (though it’s been so long I’m not sure what works or not) I can say that I found mine on Amazon.
I think it’s still mounted outside, come to think of it. I need to check that - it must be a mess inside! I’m sure the battery has leaked or something.
Thanks for the reply. Any wisdom you have would be appreciated. I am trying everything I can and ready to purchase if I have a warm fuzzy that I know what I am doing… I have tried to use the iPhones to detect when arriving and prepare outside lighting (Really helps safely guide off of a very dangerous road); however, it seems to only update every five minutes, so I can easily drive right thru my lights on zone without HA even seeing that zone. The must be a better way!
The only automations using the 
I don’t use either anymore and haven’t for some time now. All my location stuff is through the HA app on my Android. If you were to look for iBeacons (though it’s been so long I’m not sure what works or not) I can say that I found mine on Amazon.