Making Home Assistant’s Presence Detection not so Binary

In Home Assistant and many other home automation controllers, your home status is either Home or Away. There’s no in-between.

The Problem

So, you’ve got your home automation started, and it’s time to add some cool automations, like turning off everything when you leave, or playing some music when you get home. These can be pretty easy to do with presence detection, but sometimes you need more.

In my Home Assistant setup I’m using Bluetooth presence detection. Every ten seconds my Synology NAS running Home Assistant checks to see what Bluetooth devices it can ‘see’. If it detects my phone, then it knows I’m home.

When I get home, and it’s between a certain time, my house will start playing my Chillout playlist on Spotify through my Sonos speakers. It will only do that, if I arrive home alone, or my fiancée isn’t home. When everyone leaves, Home Assistant will shut everything down – including music, Philips Hue Lights, the TV, heating/cooling etc.

I’m in a two bedroom apartment, and the Bluetooth presence detection works across the entire apartment. There seems to be a blackspot when I’m at my desk with my phone. I’ll be working away, writing my next awesome automation or piece of code, only for Home Assistant to cut the power to my computer monitor and pause my music. A massive first world problem that needs to be solved.

I could increase the timeout which would reduce this from happening (which I’ve done) or even use multiple presence detection options like WiFi and Bluetooth. However this doesn’t solve the problem of my house doing things too quickly.

I’ll wake my phone, place it on the desk and wait for Home Assistant to detect it again. But here comes the problem. After waiting what seems like a lifetime for my phone to be detected again, everything starts as if I have been away for hours. My music is changed to my Chillout playlist again (or starts from the beginning), lights that I don’t need might come back on, I get messages that the dishwasher is done etc. At the moment, Home Assistant doesn’t know that I was home one minute ago, but maybe there’s a way we don’t need to start from scratch each time.

There’s also some times when we might be away from home. Maybe a weekend in the country, or away for work. The house should be able to tell that we’re more than just away for the day, so maybe it shouldn’t send us alerts that a battery needs to be replaced. Or, if I’m away for a long time, but my fiancée is home, maybe send those alerts to her instead.

Adding New States To Home Assistant

In my home, I want to track the following states that a person could be.

Just Arrived	when someone has just arrived home after being away
HOME	The classic Home state
Just Left	When someone has just left the house
AWAY	The classic Away or not_home state
Extended Away	If someone is away for more than 24 hours

I’m using the Home Assistant input select component to track the states of my dishwasher and washing machine. I can re-use the same logic for that here.


input_select:
  phil_status_dropdown:
    name: Phil
    options:
      - Home
      - Just Arrived
      - Just Left
      - Away
      - Extended Away
    initial: Home

input_select:

phil_status_dropdown:

name: Phil

options:

- Home

- Just Arrived

- Just Left

- Away

- Extended Away

initial: Home

Making Them Look Nice

Just like I did for my washing machine and dishwasher, I’m going to use a template sensor that will read the value of the drop-down. I can then make it look like a normal device tracker by adding our photos to the sensor.


sensor:
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      phil_status:
        value_template: '{{ states.input_select.phil_status_dropdown.state }}'
        friendly_name: 'Phil'
        entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      helen_status:
        value_template: '{{ states.input_select.helen_status_dropdown.state }}'
        friendly_name: 'Helen'
        entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown

sensor:

- platform: template

sensors:

phil_status:

value_template: '{{ states.input_select.phil_status_dropdown.state }}'

friendly_name: 'Phil'

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

helen_status:

value_template: '{{ states.input_select.helen_status_dropdown.state }}'

friendly_name: 'Helen'

entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown


people_status:
  name: People Status
  entities:
    - sensor.phil_status
    - sensor.helen_status

people_status:

name: People Status

entities:

- sensor.phil_status

- sensor.helen_status


sensor.phil_status:
  entity_picture: #URL to picture
sensor.helen_status:
  entity_picture: #URL to picture

sensor.phil_status:

entity_picture: #URL to picture

sensor.helen_status:

entity_picture: #URL to picture

Automating Transitions Between States

In Home Assistant we can see when someone is home or away only. But we now have some more complex states. Like I did for my washing machines, I’m going to use a for: condition. So as soon as someone is marked as away from their device tracker, they’ll be set to “Just Left”. If they are then in the “Just Left” status for five minutes, they’ll be marked as “Away”. The opposite is true when getting home.

However one problem I mentioned was music jumping back to my Chillout playlist. Let’s make sure that if someone is marked as “Just Left” and then their device tracker ‘sees’ them again, instead of marking them as Just Arrived, mark them as Home. This will stop any automations for when you get home for the first time firing off again.

Here’s some code which will do that.


- alias: Mark Phil as just arrived
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: device_tracker.phil
      from: 'not_home'
      to: 'home'
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data:
        entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
        option: Just Arrived

- alias: Mark Phil as home
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      to: 'Just Arrived'
      for:
        minutes: 10
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      from: 'Just Left'
      to: 'Just Arrived'
  condition:
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data:
        entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
        option: Home

- alias: Mark Phil as just left
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: device_tracker.phil
      from: 'home'
      to: 'not_home'
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data:
        entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
        option: Just Left

- alias: Mark Phil as away
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      to: 'Just Left'
      for:
        minutes: 10
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data:
        entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
        option: Away

- alias: Mark Phil as just arrived

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: device_tracker.phil

from: 'not_home'

to: 'home'

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data:

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

option: Just Arrived

- alias: Mark Phil as home

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

to: 'Just Arrived'

for:

minutes: 10

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

from: 'Just Left'

to: 'Just Arrived'

condition:

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data:

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

option: Home

- alias: Mark Phil as just left

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: device_tracker.phil

from: 'home'

to: 'not_home'

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data:

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

option: Just Left

- alias: Mark Phil as away

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

to: 'Just Left'

for:

minutes: 10

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data:

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

option: Away

We also want to add the special case “Extended Away”. This is useful if someone is away for the house for more than a whole day, like a vacation.


- alias: Mark Phil as extended away
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      to: 'Away'
      for:
        hours: 24
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data_template:
        entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
        option: Extended Away

- alias: Mark Phil as extended away

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

to: 'Away'

for:

hours: 24

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data_template:

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

option: Extended Away

Using Templates for Multiple People

With the code blocks above, there’s five automations just to go through those states. What if you have two people in your house? That becomes ten automations you need to maintain.

Let’s use Home Assistant templates to make the automations more dynamic. We can use the trigger variable to see which device caused the state to change, and then update the drop-down for the right person. Using templates, our whole automation for today becomes the following.


- alias: Mark person as just arrived
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: device_tracker.phil
      from: 'not_home'
      to: 'home'
    - platform: state
      entity_id: group.helen
      from: 'not_home'
      to: 'home'
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data_template:
        entity_id: >
          {% if trigger.entity_id == 'device_tracker.phil' %}
            input_select.phil_status_dropdown
          {% else %}
            input_select.helen_status_dropdown
          {% endif %}
        option: Just Arrived

- alias: Mark person as home
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      to: 'Just Arrived'
      for:
        minutes: 10
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown
      to: 'Just Arrived'
      for:
        minutes: 10
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      from: 'Just Left'
      to: 'Just Arrived'
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown
      from: 'Just Left'
      to: 'Just Arrived'
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data_template:
        entity_id: >
          {% if trigger.entity_id == 'input_select.phil_status_dropdown' %}
            input_select.phil_status_dropdown
          {% else %}
            input_select.helen_status_dropdown
          {% endif %}
        option: Home

- alias: Mark person as just left
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: device_tracker.phil
      from: 'home'
      to: 'not_home'
    - platform: state
      entity_id: group.helen
      from: 'home'
      to: 'not_home'
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data_template:
        entity_id: >
          {% if trigger.entity_id == 'device_tracker.phil' %}
            input_select.phil_status_dropdown
          {% else %}
            input_select.helen_status_dropdown
          {% endif %}
        option: Just Left

- alias: Mark person as away
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      to: 'Just Left'
      for:
        minutes: 10
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown
      to: 'Just Left'
      for:
        minutes: 10
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data_template:
        entity_id: >
          {% if trigger.entity_id == 'input_select.phil_status_dropdown' %}
            input_select.phil_status_dropdown
          {% else %}
            input_select.helen_status_dropdown
          {% endif %}
        option: Away

- alias: Mark person as extended away
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown
      to: 'Away'
      for:
        hours: 24
    - platform: state
      entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown
      to: 'Away'
      for:
        hours: 24
  action:
    - service: input_select.select_option
      data_template:
        entity_id: >
          {% if trigger.entity_id == 'input_select.phil_status_dropdown' %}
            input_select.phil_status_dropdown
          {% else %}
            input_select.helen_status_dropdown
          {% endif %}
        option: Extended Away

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- alias: Mark person as just arrived

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: device_tracker.phil

from: 'not_home'

to: 'home'

- platform: state

entity_id: group.helen

from: 'not_home'

to: 'home'

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data_template:

entity_id: >

{% if trigger.entity_id == 'device_tracker.phil' %}

input_select.phil_status_dropdown

{% else %}

input_select.helen_status_dropdown

{% endif %}

option: Just Arrived

- alias: Mark person as home

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

to: 'Just Arrived'

for:

minutes: 10

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown

to: 'Just Arrived'

for:

minutes: 10

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

from: 'Just Left'

to: 'Just Arrived'

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown

from: 'Just Left'

to: 'Just Arrived'

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data_template:

entity_id: >

{% if trigger.entity_id == 'input_select.phil_status_dropdown' %}

input_select.phil_status_dropdown

{% else %}

input_select.helen_status_dropdown

{% endif %}

option: Home

- alias: Mark person as just left

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: device_tracker.phil

from: 'home'

to: 'not_home'

- platform: state

entity_id: group.helen

from: 'home'

to: 'not_home'

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data_template:

entity_id: >

{% if trigger.entity_id == 'device_tracker.phil' %}

input_select.phil_status_dropdown

{% else %}

input_select.helen_status_dropdown

{% endif %}

option: Just Left

- alias: Mark person as away

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

to: 'Just Left'

for:

minutes: 10

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown

to: 'Just Left'

for:

minutes: 10

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data_template:

entity_id: >

{% if trigger.entity_id == 'input_select.phil_status_dropdown' %}

input_select.phil_status_dropdown

{% else %}

input_select.helen_status_dropdown

{% endif %}

option: Away

- alias: Mark person as extended away

trigger:

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.phil_status_dropdown

to: 'Away'

for:

hours: 24

- platform: state

entity_id: input_select.helen_status_dropdown

to: 'Away'

for:

hours: 24

action:

- service: input_select.select_option

data_template:

entity_id: >

{% if trigger.entity_id == 'input_select.phil_status_dropdown' %}

input_select.phil_status_dropdown

{% else %}

input_select.helen_status_dropdown

{% endif %}

option: Extended Away

Note: I’m using bluetooth and WiFi presence detection for my fiancée’s iPhone, which I have in a Home Assistant group. When her iPhone is detected on Bluetooth or WiFi the group Helen will be marked as home.

Some Automations We Can Now Do

Now that we’ve got our new states setup, here’s some examples of automations we can do:

Play music when someone is marked as Just Arrived
Send dishwasher/washing machine alerts to someone when they are marked as Just Arrived, so the notification doesn’t get sent every time their device is marked as home
If everyone is marked as Extended Away, activate vacation mode to automatically turn off/on lights to make it look like someone is home
Don’t send alerts/messages to anyone marked as Extended Away for day-to-day operations of the house, like the washing being done or a battery needing to be replaced.
If you are marked as Home after being marked as Extended Away, send an email to you with the status of your smart home. What sensors need their battery replaced etc.
When someone is marked as Just Arrived and there are people marked as Home, announce who just got home over Text-to-Speech. Great for an announcement to let kids know when a parent is home from work for the day.

Additional States

At the moment, these five states work well for me, but i may want to change them in the future. Remember, they may not be the best fit for you but you can tailor them to suit your own home.

I don’t use this feature, but Home Assistant can be used with GPS to identify ‘zones’, such as work or school. These zones are used by Home Assistant instead of “home” or “not home”.

You could also do something similar with the drop-downs. One example would be to add a work option to the drop-down. If you have Home Assistant exposed to the world, you could use Tasker on Android to change the state of the drop-down to work when you connect to your work’s WiFi. If you have something like an Eight Sleep tracker, you could also mark someone as “asleep” when their laying in bed.

Wrapping Up

By adding additional states for presence, your home gets more information about what is happening. This means your smart home can tell the difference between when you’ve arrived home from a vacation and when you’ve just picked up milk from the shops.

Hopefully this inspires you to think outside the binary constraints of your controller software, to help you build some really smart automations.