[Install Instructions] webCoRE Presence Sensor on your iPhone (beta)

#75

It’s just silly that to test it you have to even do all that :frowning:. I guess it’s to limit testers to some extent of people that are showing real interest. I just feel like reviewing the persons ST posts could be a quicker method or even having a few questions answered that would help gauge someone is a good test candidate.

Besides that this looks super cool and I can’t wait to try it out. I currently use a complicated WiFi sniffing script that I track all the mac address in and I think if I read this right I can just give my users this app if they have an iPhone. Any plan for an Android version?

#76

I have done many Beta tests, and have found that much of a beta is to spread it across a wide user base with all types of abilities. This way useability to a novice or tecky can be seen. I beta test for Apple, and my thoughts with the way they now have a public beta, is that they can see if the beta is useable from a novice’s point of view. Now that is just my thoughts. Now do some beta test make you jump through hoops? Hell yes, but to be a beta tester you have to be devoted.

#77

There is an Android version.

I too am involved in a lot of beta testing and have been in charge of a number of them too. Sometimes it just comes down to limiting the audience as the purpose is to shake out known and unknown issues, and having 100 people reporting it at the same time is unmanageable. Plus and no offense intended, but today there is software and apps that have been in “beta” for years that are fully functional, and that leads to expectations that a beta test won’t break and there ends up a LOT of complaining.

#78

I understand… just frustrating when you’re a software developer yourself and you know what to expect. Basically the less informed ruin it haha!

Hopefully soon enough I’ll have PM privileges! :slight_smile:

#80

Aha, that makes sense. Thanks!

#81

The email/first name/last name is an Apple requirement. I need to add that info to a list in iTunes Connect. The Android beta is now open to everyone, no need to PM me - that was just for me to ensure instructions were read, due to a bug ST had. They fixed it meanwhile, thus the open beta. Apple does not offer such an option, unfortunatelly, they still require an email address and name.

Mobile app for webCoRE
#82

I seem to have an issue if the app is killed. I thought I read somewhere in this post when I first read it that the app doesn’t need to be running. Is that the case, cause I have it get stuck in away when I have app killed and then it wouldn’t update until I reopened the app.

Also, my friend lives down the block and our places over lap. Just the leave circles though. I tried to make a place for him so it can tell if I’m there and then I assumed if you entered a new place it would trigger you leaving the other. Not sure this will be a common problem but it’s an odd scenario for me.

Also, anytime I return I pass his place. I don’t have any rules for arriving at his place, but I’m trying to figure out the best approach for this since if I leave my house for his I can’t get my house to go away. It keeps flip flopping since it’s so close between away and arrived even tho his house is about .17 miles away and I’m definitely outside the enter zone for my place. Like I said, I know this is odd, but any ideas would be appreciated.

#83

Leave the inside circles at the minimum. Make the outside circles large enough, even if they overlap. Make sure after changing circles (if you did that on a PC) you go to your app and click Settings and Apply the new circles - a future version will automatically update, but for now, you need to manually update the circles in the app. The app should report circle entry/exit even when killed. If you haven’t applied Settings changes using the app do so, then go for a walk outside of the outside circle.

#84

I have done all of that. It definitely stops tracking sometimes for me though. Happened again where I needed to reopen the app. The application has location access always but when I open it the site has to re-request it. Wondering if it has something to do with that.

#85

So I installed the presence sensor app and believe it has a lot of potential. My main reason was that I live in sort of a triangle of land. The standard geofence in ST would not go small enough to not overlap with a main highway (marked in red). So when I would drive on that road, I would have arrival/departures. Yes, I could have set a delay, but then I felt it would limit my options to use it for opening say the garage door on time.

The webCoRE app allows me to make a more appropriate geofence and the arrival seems to work better when it actually works. My issue is that I can not make the departure geofence any smaller than my picture. This is causing me an issue because of the path I highlighted in green. For me to break the departure geofence may take me a little time. In the summer, it really doesn’t matter, but when it is -20 F here in the winter, I would like to have a little smaller area so that it closes faster.

From what I have seen, it acts like there is some proportion or a minimum departure geofence in relation to the arrival geofence. Can someone confirm?

Presense_Sensor
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#86

Thanks!

#87

Not sure if the thanks was for me, because I had an actual question in my post :smile:

Is there some limitation in the proportion or size of the departure geofence in relation to the arrival?

#88

That’s actually written above in the original post about how to set up the sensor.

The minimum inner circle radius is 50m and the minimum separation between the circles is 200m.

Basically, the answer to your question is yes… there is a limitation to the separation and that limitation is 200m.

#89

Ok, so is this a limitation of the application or the location setup in ST?

As this separation really won’t work well in these types of cases and I actually live in a suburb so have more flexibility on my geofence. Someone that live in a more compact surrounding in a city would have a really tough time I believe.

#90

Unfortunately I don’t know the answer to that question.

#91

This was implemented in the application

#92

Since this is still in Beta, is there room to change this?

I am getting all sorts of false arrival and departures because of the geofence limitations. I suppose I could try to slide my arrival geofence east in my map, but I would hope someone could consider making the 200 m minimum on the arrival geofence smaller.

#93

The minimum sizes are dictated by the geofencing of both iOS and Android. Making them smaller will result in more false updates.

#94

It was implemented because there needs to be a decent sized buffer between the circles.

#95

I can understand the thought process behind this, but what are the beta testing results coming back with? Has someone actually tried allowing the departure geofence say 100M, 50M and see that it really won’t work?

It would be nice to configure your ratio as see fits in beta testing. If there are too many complaints, put that feedback into the final version.

This whole, not being able to make a small enough geofence, is why there are so many posts where people in more condensed cities can not even use standard geofence.

I was hoping if you can’t allow us to control that ratio, please help me find a solution to solve my issue. This is the core reason why people use alternative presence sensors or wifi presence. If you are saying there is no chance that this will be resolved, I will have to explore other options. I am sure I will not be alone in that.