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[dave w]

@HA Dave - Geofencing is quite cool but will take this thread in another direction so I've emailed you.

I think we might have beat the radar bulb to death, but I for one am interested in a geo-fencing project. Since HA Dave started this thread and he is also interested in fencing I think railroading this into another discussion would be OK.  HA Dave?

[racerfern]

I use Geofencing with Homeseer and a plug-in called PHLocation. It works with both android and iPhone.
When I went on vacation, I left my work phone with a co-worker. Was he stopping at all the work sites? I've purposely cut off his start/stop location. Each of those points shows date and time when you click on them.

I also have Homeseer announce via Google home that "Dad will be home soon" when I enter my home zipcode which generally leaves 10-15 minutes before I actually walk in the door. In reality this isn't geo-fencing but more like geolocation. The app I use (Backitude) is no longer supported but I do have it as an .apk for anyone interested. Set up on the kid's phones and rest assured they're where they say they are. However, there are lots of apps that allow things like that.

https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/telephone-text-and-email-plug-ins/telephone-text-and-email-integration-discussion/phlocation-sooty

Geo-fencing is similar to drawing a boundary around your home so the garage door opens when you're within that boundary for example. I'm not interested in that, since as I pull up I can just say "Hey Google, open the garage door" and my android phone does its thing.

That said, most apps require an API key and it seems some companies are no longer interested in allowing access by individual developers and users. Geofencing is certainly a moving target so it might be a bit of a challenge to find what works for an individual.

There's also "tasker" for android and some equivalents for iphone. This should allow you to set up geo stuff without homeseer.

I'm not sure how much Dave W and HA Dave know about this so I may have only stated the obvious to you two. If so, sorry.

[dave w]

I'm not sure how much Dave W and HA Dave know about this so I may have only stated the obvious to you two. If so, sorry.

My initial thought was to use Bluetooth to detect home arrival. This is all new to me, so thank you very much!

[racerfern]

I think by the time your phone bluetooth connects to something at home, you'll already have gotten out of your car. Wifi would be a bit better but not by enough to make a difference, IMO.

My android phone knows whether  I'm walking or riding bicycle, out on the boat or driving and is quite good at figuring things out. So GPS location/speed go a long way toward solving things.

[HA Dave]

….. I think railroading this into another discussion would be OK.  HA Dave?

Of course. I have no problem with letting most threads take a natural, conversational course... and evolve. 

My wife and I tend to use the garage door as more of a people door.... as we do our own yard work (no landscaper or mowing service). I could set the MyQ door opener to automatically close the garage door... no problem. But I am really only concerned both my wife and I being gone and the door being accidently left open.

I currently use a  tracker app with my cycling hobby (I normally [road] bicycle a couple thousand miles a year). As I understand it… the geo-tracking is similar as in the way it works.

The desired result of geo-tracking would be... as an example... say My wife leaves for work in the AM and shortly afterwards I leave for a 3 or 4 hours bicycle ride. An hour later the temperture warms (or cools) and the AC (or heat) that would normally come on... doesn't because our phones ratted us out as being away from home. Similarly... if we (I) left the garage door open (or the alarm off) it would automatily close the door (or arm the alarm). The possiabilitys aren't exactly endless... but very helpful.

[HA Dave]

…. most apps require an API key and it seems some companies are no longer interested in allowing access by individual developers and users. Geofencing is certainly a moving target so it might be a bit of a challenge to find what works for an individual.

The local power company is offering a steep discount on a Nest (smart) thermostat... which will pair with either/both(?) Amazon and my Wink Hub.... and includes (as I understand it from a user I know) a built-in (cloud) geo-fencing ability. I am hoping to maybe piggy-back this ability for use with other devices (like the garage door).

racerfern is correct. Much of this stuff... remains moving targets. I don't expect many of the devices used today to remain viable for long periods into the future. This is... or may be... a once in a lifetime golden period in Home Automation tech developement and innovation. I want to ride to beast as far as I can.

[HA Dave]

I've had a chance to sleep on this thread... and I like the idea that the subject matter has diverted. Now it's on the cusp of Home Automation abilities and the technological-digital divide that separates generations, peoples, and even our wonderful shared interest here.

Whereas... a motion sensing lightbulb is at it's core a basic ONE STEP piece of Home Automation (just screw in the bulb). Geolocation and cloud based automation... live at the opposite end of the current technology spectrum.   

Not that the far end most high tech is complex or difficult... for the most part these products set-up using a app on a smart phone. The main difference is the "purchase". With my X10.... I can have PalmPads though out the house (and the garage)… and they work. Failures are my own problem (no customer service involved) and.... no monthly bills and/or fee's for service. Even the X10 security console operated without a monthly fee (or profession monitoring).

And, the main problem with the new WM-100.... is how long (and well) will the servers continue to provide functionally to our (fee based) smart phones. The "FREE" service provided by the servers that handle WM-100 traffic isn't free to everyone. Someone has to pay that bill. And like the free server service provided by [old] X10.... that service can disappear overnight.

I have said for years (mostly at bicycle forums). If you can't fix it... you don't own it … you're merely renting it from the repairman.

Yes. Cloud based Home Automation is a rental solution. Without the $126 US dollars paid to Amazon annually.... Alexa loses much(?) of it's function. I can NOT own the many great functions now available with cloud based solutions. These solutions are often fee based... like the professional monitoring of an alarm system... or even the alarms cellular connection for calling out.

You can NOT own this... you can only rent it. Often when we post about cloud based products and solutions.... we're referring to fee based services.

[racerfern]

@HA Dave - Neither Alexa or Google home require you to spend anything other than buying the device. Both Amazon and Google require you setup an account, obviously that's where they track what you do with the device but that's it. No subscriptions needed, no other services required.

I'm not sure how long some of the smaller cloud based services will be around, X10 included. Even Google has a reputation for starting something and then abandoning it. However for every project that goes by the wayside, there are usually others very willing to step in because they think they've figured out how to make money at it. We're all constantly trying to improve our setups without spending more.

BTW, everything critical on my z-wave system is stored and activated locally. I go to a cloud to see how windy it is and then a little math determines whether the awning goes out or stays in. I also do this for watering needs. However, if I ever buy the new weather station I want then I can own my own little cloud as the data would be stored on my PC.

Have you done anything with geofencing/geolocation?

[HA Dave]

@HA Dave - Neither Alexa or Google home require you to spend anything other than buying the device. ...……

True... you could re-order Amazon product(s), turn on a light, or get weather, etc.. But Music is a big use product for Amazons device and the free tunes do require a prime membership. Plus... the broadband connection and for most ways it's used, a smart phone and connection. Far more capital connections than an X10 transceiver and a remote.

….Have you done anything with geofencing/geolocation?

No. Not yet. Hard to believe I've gotten much done around the house (and with my hobbies) at all... considering the weather we've had (and my own disruptions). Even though I do try to dedicate..... the cold months after the New Year... and before the warmer cycling and mowing weather to Home Automation projects. I've been doing things with my setup all year. Hence the experiment with a radar lightbulb.

Last year.... I committed to reimagining (reinventing) my Home Automation setup..... and it's really has proven to be a worthwhile and interesting experiment. My proudest X10 macro/accomplishment... my garage door macro.... is no longer a macro (or X10) at all. My garage door status is part cloud based MyQ robot and part Homeseer program. And still awaits a geolocation command to close the door.

Don't get me wrong.... I love what I've been able to do with a CM15A (and a computer running 24/7) over the years. But it's just not in my nature to leave well enough alone.

I just picked up a Nest, (3rd gen, WiFi, learning,) thermostat. The local power and gas company's are both offering rebates... while Home Depot (and everywhere else) has them on sale. Which turned the once pricey smart device into a $79 money/energy saver. I couldn't past it up. It is supposed to (be able to) use phone location for set-back/turn-on functions.

[racerfern]

So much for not wanting to be plugged into a mother ship.

Google will play lots of music without a subscrtiption.

I use the Honeywell programmable t'stats and they link to Homeseer so I can use geolocation with them if I want.

I've got all sorts of events keeping tabs on my garage door but I still haven't setup automatic closing. I'm more worried about forgetting to lock the front door so I'm considering a z-wave lock when I put in a new front door.

And to think I once had a CP/M add-on cartridge for my Commodore 64!

[JeffVolp]

But Music is a big use product for Amazons device and the free tunes do require a prime membership.

We have been listening to Pandora on Alexa the last two years for free.  Sure, you can't get a specific song, and they occasionally pop in a brief commercial, but there are plenty of choices.

Jeff

[brobin]

We do the same thing. We've been using Pandora since the day 1.  Alexa even remembers the last channel you selected. We have several custom channels as well as some standard ones and hardly ever hear a commercial. BTW, if you want to listen ad free from a PC and be able to record, check out: http://ridetheclown.com/wp/saver2/

[bkenobi]

I had a SMS based control scheme set up with AHP years ago utilizing Google Voice.  It worked great for a long time until Google Voice turned off the lights.  In that case I didn't spend anything on hardware or software, but my control scheme stopped working.  Since things were run off their server, I was left with no control over things that worked the day prior.  "Things change", "moving target...", etc...  I know all that but that doesn't mean that things in automation are all acceptable to suddenly stop working.

I automated an attic fan using X10 as the switch mechanism and an Arduino and some sensors as the logic.  The goal of that project was to reduce moisture in the attic through proper ventilation and do so a little smarter than the binary temperature or humidity sensors were doing.  This is a critical system for the home in my case because mold will cause significant health problems for SO should the system be shut off by the server if it were cloud based.  I have a controller for my shower fan that is very simple that adjusts fan speed based on occupancy.  This is more for noise control and less of an issue with things stopping function.  My outdoor lights are mostly timer based but I do have motion sensor control on some.  If they were to stop functioning I would have a safety and security concern.

When the control is simply for convenience (not having to grab 3 remotes to adjust lights and TV volume in a theater), that is different than critical systems.  Those systems have a real job that cannot stop when Google turns off a feature.

[Tuicemen]

Google is notorious for turning off HA features.
Their disabling of the Philips Hue API created software bridges for Google Home is just another example in recent times of them sticking it to the HA crowd. 

[HA Dave]

So much for not wanting to be plugged into a mother ship.

I most certainly DO want to be connected.

Don't get me wrong (and I know you won't)... I am plenty old enough to remember when AM radio was king, 45 RPM records were in, and TV's only came in Black & White. I remember people who avoided, owning (or watching) TV, people who called FM radio Highbrow, and so forth. I didn't make them bad people.... nor did their denial make their lives more enriched either.   

The past was a great place! It would be a wonderful destination to visit... if that was possible. But we can't visit the past any more than we can live in it. Todays present will fade away as I doze off tonight. All I can do is embrace the new day... tomorrow. 

I love this tech stuff. It's a hobby and I enjoy it.