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How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 7:09 am
by Different Computers
With the Home App in iOS 10, we now have a way to use our iPhone's location services to trigger automations.

I'm implementing this with an Action Group that sets the variable for my house mode. And in HomeBridge, I have Action Groups turned on.

Anyone doing this some other way that's better?

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:11 am
by durosity
That's how I'm doing it (but with just a handful) but they've suggested there'll be more features when i7 appears so hopefully that'll improve things. Supposedly shipping before thanksgiving.. though they didn't say what year ;)

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:40 pm
by farberm
can you be more specific as to how you set this up in the actions group. I have two iphones and would like to set the u some light commands when all phones are away etc.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:54 pm
by durosity
I've never set it up for all phones away using HomeKit (does iOS even support that?) but I do use an old plugin called smartphone radar to identify when all devices have left home and then that triggers action groups to do things such as close blinds, send me a message if the door is unlocked, etc.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 10:09 am
by Different Computers
My plan is to use the Home app location awareness to flip a variable I'm already using to track presence.

Some day soon I'll get around to doing the same for my wife's phone.

So Home is just flipping switches and Indigo tracks if one, or both of us are home and reacts appropriately.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 8:28 pm
by richy240
I'm doing exactly that, but using Home Remote for iOS. I'm also using Smartphone Radar to track visitors, but that's not nearly as reliable.

But from there I'm doing all sorts of things, from setting the Nest thermostat home/away, turning on lights outside at night, and so on. I'm even turning on lights inside based on some door sensors, but only if someone is just arriving home (that way lights don't start going crazy if, say, you're just going to get the mail or something).

Your house responding to your presence really takes it to a whole new level by actually *automating* the environment. Timers and simple triggers are for the birds.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 1:39 am
by durosity
Yeah HomeRemote is a very handy tool for this kinda thing. I tend to use HomeKit for just my devices (and a couple of action groups which emulate devices) and use HomeRemote as a way to trigger actions and scripts, etc. That way i can talk to siri without it getting too confused over similar sounding device names.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 10:39 am
by Different Computers
I'm suffering with Home Remote.

First off, the UI is really really awful. And it just doesn't seem to be reliable with location. It also isn't reliable for me with iBeacons.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 12:55 pm
by Different Computers
Anyone know a work around so a shared HomeKit user can trigger automations based on location? The Automations tab is missing from my wife's Home app, meaning there's no way to set it up as far as I can tell.

Or does she have a bug in her setup?

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:32 pm
by durosity
Is she listed as "allow editing" in the home app settings? If not no automation options.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:33 pm
by durosity
Different Computers wrote:
I'm suffering with Home Remote.

First off, the UI is really really awful. And it just doesn't seem to be reliable with location. It also isn't reliable for me with iBeacons.


Strange, I'd have thought it would have used exactly the same framework as the home app for geolocation. Certainly my experience with it is that it's no more or less reliable than any other service I've used. Not used iBeacons yet though.

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:49 am
by rycardo
Different Computers wrote:
Anyone know a work around so a shared HomeKit user can trigger automations based on location? The Automations tab is missing from my wife's Home app, meaning there's no way to set it up as far as I can tell.

Or does she have a bug in her setup?


Hey,

I have been working with Apple on this very issue. If you wait about 20 minutes the tab should show up, it does in my case. I assume it's doing some iCloud syncing or linking in that time. However, don't get too excited, as when you get that tab, and you set up location automations on the guest device (your wife's in this case), it actually modifies YOUR location automations instead of creating hers. If you use a third party app to add the location automations (such as Home+) it does that as well. Instead of adding additional location automations for that device, it modify's the main device automations.

From what I'v been told by Apple Support, it shouldn't, each device should be able to have it's own location automation.

If anything comes from my conversations and testings with them I'll update this thread. For now, I'm working with them on the radar (bug report).

Rycardo

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:52 am
by rycardo
I should have added, for now, on the additional apps I'm using the HomeRemote app which links directly in to Indigo to update the additional devices.

An other alternative I'v done in the past, use Find Friends to update Home/Away and have it send Email, then use the Better Email Plugin update Indigo.

Either way you have a 3rd party involved. I'v found HomeRemote works very well once it's set up. Better Email+Find Friends also works very well once it's setup. Although there is a short delay with the email, because email.

Rycardo

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 12:45 pm
by rycardo
I just finished with a long call with Apple, and now have HomeKit's Location Automation working with three separate iPhones and Location automation..

I'm going to refer to the iPad, but you can also use an Apple TV as your Home Hub. For Location automation, you do need one or the other to act as your Hub.

Create the Scenes you want to happen when you are home / away. I recommend you name them with the person's name, like "Rycardo Away" "Rycardo Home" rather than "Arrive Home" "Left Home".

Create the When I Arrive Home and When I Leave Home automations (these names are static) on your iPhone. Be aware, they recommend you have it update scenes not individual accessories. I tried controlling an accessory directly (Virtual Device on / off), it wouldn't update the virtual device. However, when I included the Virtual Device in a scene, it worked perfectly. So I think there is still a bug there, and that's probably why they recommended using a Scene. Or maybe that's by design.

Once you have Home and Location automation working correctly with the iPad and a single iPhone, then invite other person/people to your Home.

Once they have accepted the Invite on their iPhone, open Home on your iPad, tap the Home tab, in the top left corner tap the location icon, then tap on the name in the People section. Turn both switches ON: Allow Remote Access and Allow Editing. Tap Back then Done

It may take about 20 minutes, but eventually the Automation tab on the additional iPhones will show up in the Home app. When it does tap it.

This part can be confusing, on all the iPhones you will see all the Automations. On the second iPhone I see "When I Arrive Home" and "When I Leave Home" from my iPhone. You do not want to modify those, instead tap the Create new Automation button at the bottom. Then tap My Location Changes, then create the Automation for that device. When you get back to the Automation tab, you will now see two When I Arrive Home automations and two When I Leave Home automations. The only way to tell them apart is by the scene name (which is why I recommend using the person's name.

Repeat the above for each iPhone, and all should work with out any additional apps or plugins, it does for me after updating to 10.1

Hope this helps!

Rycardo

Re: How are you using Home App's location awareness?

PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 7:45 am
by Different Computers
Man, does it help.

It will be a few days before I can try this, but now I'm hopeful!