How to detect (my) presence without using (the location of) my iPhone?

1

I want to detect my presence (home/away). This works fine as long as I take my iPhone with me.

However, I also want to do this when I go running (or other activities) without my iPhone.

Available sensors:

  • Apple Watch cellular
  • Front door open/closed sensor
  • Motion sensor near front door (inside)
  • Motion sensor near front door (outside; complication: does also detect passers-by)

Available automation platforms:

  • HomeKit hub (Apple TV4 & HomePod)
  • Homey
  • Raspberry Pi

What I have tried, in vain:

  • Home automation (“when I enter/leave a location”) - works with iPhone, not with Apple Watch
  • Personal automation (“when I enter/leave a location”) - does not work with Apple Watch (not tested with iPhone)

How can I achieve this seemingly simple (for humans), but rather difficult (for computers) task?

2

I’ve not tried this, but

  • on your iPhone, in Settings —> Privacy —> Location Services —> Share My Location, under My Location does it show both “This Phone” and “Cellular Apple Watches”?
  • on your Watch in Settings —> Privacy —> Location Services, is “Location Services” turned on?

I think that is the opetion that allows Watch to be used for location to trigger automations.

Hope this helps.

3

Yes, both are set.

However, I noticed that “Share my location” was enabled on the Apple Watch, but disabled on the iPhone…

Which automations can the watch trigger? Personal, Home, or both?

4

In that case, I am not going to be able to be much help, sorry. I thought that the watch could be used for triggering location in Home and Personal, but I have never tried it. It seems from a trawl of the internet that the location services listed for the watch are, perhaps, only relevent to Find My location and not automation.

5

That is unfortunately my experience, so far.

6

If you have homebridge installed, the plug-in Homebridge-People-Pro can work. It monitors IP address in the home of the devices.

One caveat, it needs about 10-15 minutes threshold setting or else it’s too inaccurate for when devices temporarily disconnect.

7

Yes, I do run Homebridge, but I’m not sure this plugin will help me.

It seems to be specific for smartphones, but not for watches?

(My iPhone stays at home when I run outside)

8

If your apple watch connect to your wifi you can have another computer listen to when apple watch connects to the wifi (meaning you are probably home).