IFTTT geofence and light on

[UD2)17rrh]

I am trying to find a recipe for Mobilinc X where when I enter a zone around my home after dusk the gate lights come on. I can find a recipe for entering an area triggering the specified light on but I can’t seem to find a recipe for adding a time constraint into the code. Any ideas on how best to do this with Mobilinc X?  Thank you. 

[simplextech]

If you provide either the recipe, link to it for others to see what you're following it would make it easier to provide any additional ideas/help.

[InsteonNut]

Hi @UD2)17rrh

IFTTT doesn't support compound statement like that. You can do this instead with a program and IFTTT variable trigger.

In IFTTT, create an applet that sets a variable to a 1 when home and a 0 when away.
In your ISY, create a program where the IF statement triggers on the variable changing to a 1 AND triggers from dusk till dawn. 
In the THEN block turn your gate lights on.

You could then make it even more fancy by adding a wait for 10 minutes or so after the gate light turns on to then turn the gate light back off.

Wes

[daniel109]

T


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[Geddy]

@UD2)17rrh,

Why not just make the program work in a range before sunset? You can easily have it set to if you cross the geofence AND the time is between "X" hours/minutes before sunset until sunset to turn the lights on. 

You could also have a program that was disabled and then another program that checked your geofence to activate the existing program. I do that to run day of week specific programs as I cross the geofence at different times of the night. That way if you're home when the time hits the lights don't suddenly start running the program. 

My version is this: (disabled program)

---------------------------

Tuesday meeting - [ID 001D][Parent 0001][Not Enabled]

If
        $iPhone_Home is 1
    And On Tue
        From     9:00:00PM
        To       1:30:00AM (next day)
 
Then
        Set Scene 'Kitchen' On
        Set 'Entry' On
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
---------------

 

Enabled program:

---------------------------
Tues MTG Trigger - [ID 0027][Parent 0001][Enabled]

If
        $iPhone_Home is 0
    And On Tue
        From     7:00:00PM
        To       8:59:00PM (same day)
 
Then
        Enable Program 'Tuesday meeting'
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
---------------------------

 

This way if I don't have a meeting on Tuesday and I'm home the lights don't suddenly come on at 9pm. I actually have a third program that then resets the meeting program. I think it could be done within the meeting program, but something makes me think I ran into issues with that so I have another program that runs in the middle of the night to disable the "Tuesday meeting" program. 

 

For your situation you could change it to a fixed time before sunset and it moves as the sunset time moves during the year. 

 

I'm still using 4.7.3 firmware so this works for me. Not sure if it changes in 5.x firmware. 

 

Good luck.

 

[TexMike]

@UD2)17rrh Curious to know if you have success with IFTTT geofence and if iPhone or Android. I was not able to find a geofence that reliably works on Android 9 and I tried a lot. Seems the restrictions on background tasks to save battery has crippled geofencing on Android. BTW, I use Locative for geofencing the kids iPhones and it works well and may provide faster response than IFTTT.

[DennisC]

7 hours ago, TexMike said:

@UD2)17rrh Curious to know if you have success with IFTTT geofence and if iPhone or Android. I was not able to find a geofence that reliably works on Android 9 and I tried a lot. Seems the restrictions on background tasks to save battery has crippled geofencing on Android. BTW, I use Locative for geofencing the kids iPhones and it works well and may provide faster response than IFTTT.

Been using Tasker for several years. It continues to work. The Wiki had instructions on how to set it up for geofence that are great.

[TexMike]

7 hours ago, DennisC said:

Been using Tasker for several years. It continues to work. The Wiki had instructions on how to set it up for geofence that are great.

I tried Tasker and couldn't get reliable results and the Tasker and other discussion forums are full of people having the same issues with latest versions of Android. What version of Android are you running? I started a discussion earlier on this subject so if you want to chime in there so we don't totally hijack this thread.

Thanks

  

[DennisC]

1 hour ago, TexMike said:

I tried Tasker and couldn't get reliable results and the Tasker and other discussion forums are full of people having the same issues with latest versions of Android. What version of Android are you running? I started a discussion earlier on this subject so if you want to chime in there so we don't totally hijack this thread.

Thanks

 

 

[DennisC]

Current version is Android Pie.

[MWareman]

Newer Android has strong power management functions. You need to exempt Tasker from these - otherwise it dozes and will cause delays or failure of Tasker triggering on events,

[TexMike]

35 minutes ago, MWareman said:

Newer Android has strong power management functions. You need to exempt Tasker from these - otherwise it dozes and will cause delays or failure of Tasker triggering on events,

I did that and still had reliability issues and app forums were full of similar reports, mostly drifting out/in overnight. Full story https://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/26499-geofence-best-practices/ 

I've never been an iPhone fan, but since kids migrated over and I use Locative on theirs, they've been rock solid. Wish Google maps had a built in geofence, it seems to always know my location, I put in a feature request for what it's worth.

 

[TomL]

I don't use tasker or IFTTT, for geo fence, I use the alexa app.  After much trial and error and hit and miss as to whether it would trigger programs or not, I found a solution that works 100% of the time having used it daily for the past 3 months.  Increasing the distance in the goeofence in alexa app to 492 feet and having Android Auto activated on my phone, which automatically activates when connected to bluetooth in any of our vehicles, it has triggered my arrival and departure programs on the ISY without fail.  Not familiar with iPhones so not surre if something similar would work.

[DennisC]

I agree with MWarman, with I have Tasker exempt from Power Management and it is working well on both my Android phone and my wife's. I have had very few misses.

[TexMike]

Thanks for the feedback, after reading your comments and thinking it through again, I have some ideas for the future. Perhaps when Presence-Poly gets implemented on Polisy it will be the catalyst to get me going on this again. Currently I have to implement WiFi presence on each phone manually. I'm thinking a multi-prong approach. If any phone is connected to home WiFi, then someone is home, end of story don't allow geofence to trigger away. Maybe also not allow away to be triggered late at night. That should take care of any false away then quickly back home triggers.

I want an early trigger for my "arriving home" program mostly for HVAC recovery, disarm alarms and turn on arrival lighting. With mild Texas winters it not a big deal until the hot summer hits and A/C needs recovery time. Currently if I want to trigger "arriving home" early I can press a bookmark icon to run a REST command or tell Google assistant "arriving home", it's easy but not totally automated like I would like.

@TomL Maybe having Android Auto running and keeping location up to date helps keep Alexa updated. Alexa geofence had the worst performance of all the geofences that I tried. Basically wouldn't update unless Alexa was open and I did exempt it from power management. I wish I had Android Auto, my wife's 2019 Highlander has a great display that is rendered mostly useless with such a poor in car nav system and don't even get me started on the in car voice assistant.

Thanks,

Mike