Presence detection of Fitbit

Hi all,
Firstly apologies if this isn't in the right place, looked through forum list but wasn't sure where to put it?!

I've been using presence detection using iPhones and find my iPhone sending emails with good success for myself and my partner however the kids don't take their phones to schools so not had a solution for them.

They've both just started wearing fit it's so I was wondering the best way to detect when the fit bits arrive home by Bluetooth?

Any advice or guidance?

Thanks
Noel

If it's ibeacon pibeacon will detect it.
I have an old one somewhere and will revive it.


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I have Bluetooth detection setup and working well via a 3rd party app and a bit of AppleScript feeding into Indigo

Vangelis

Hi Vangelis
Would you mind sharing your scripts? Is that with a Fitbit? From what I've read I may need a Bluetooth low emerged LE dongle as I don't think the Macs can detect Fitbit natively. Happy to be told wrong tho!
Thanks
Noel

Sure. There are a couple of things you need to do for it to function correctly

1) Use a Bluetooth USB dongle (as you rightly mention)
2) Connect the USB dongle to the Mac via an Active USB cable
3) Hide the USB dongle central in the house for max coverage (mine is in the loft of a 2 storey building and works fine)
4) Set the Mac to default to use the USB dongle, instead of internal BT (done via the OSX developer tools)
5) Use a program called EventScripts to listen for and run AppleScripts on connection/disconnection etc
6) AppleScripts are really simple and just set a variable within Indigo
7) You can use multiple BT devices (iPhones in my case) with EventScripts
Lastly, you will need to run a couple of logic timers to make sure variables are not set when there is a short loss of BT signal. This is the complicated bit, and will be unique to your situation.

Hope this helps

Vangelis

Awesome thanks Vangelis! Will post back next week once I hopefully crack it!

Hide the USB dongle central in the house for max coverage (mine is in the loft of a 2 storey building and works fine)

Quick question (both here and using PiBeacon 3)... What's the detection range for BLE devices/dongles from your loft area? I've got a couple of dogs wearing underground fence collars, and I'd like to add a tile to their collars to know when the collar battery dies ant they go AWOL. When it's happened in the past, they usually sneak back home before I see them and it's only if I happen to catch them while reviewing the video cameras or my neighbor lets me know that I realize they've been doing it. I need about 100 to 150 yards to make the tile tracker idea viable...

ibeacons have txpower between +2 and -60dBm That's a BIG difference!!

Hence the range varies quit a bit.
Checkout the comparison in the pibeacon thread




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Has anyone had a chance to try using piBeacon and a Fitbit?

I had one but could not find it anymore
Mine was 3 years old. Don't know if ibeacon std was out then.


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