If your Home Assistant setup randomly marks you as “homeassistant randomly thinks i’m away and back home” (“away” and then “back home,” ) the issue is likely related to how Home Assistant tracks your presence. Below are some potential causes and troubleshooting tips to address the issue:
1. Unstable Location Tracking
Home Assistant often relies on GPS-based location tracking from your smartphone (e.g., through the Home Assistant companion app). If the GPS signal is weak or fluctuates, it might cause Home Assistant to think you are leaving and returning.
Solutions:
- Ensure GPS accuracy: Check your phone’s location settings and enable “High Accuracy Mode” (Android) or ensure “Precise Location” is enabled (iOS).
- Check app permissions: Ensure the Home Assistant app has permission to run in the background and access location data at all times.
- Avoid battery-saving modes: Battery optimization features on phones may stop location updates. Add the Home Assistant app to the list of apps exempted from battery optimization.
2. Wi-Fi Connection Issues
If your Home Assistant uses Wi-Fi as part of the presence detection, temporary Wi-Fi disconnects or delays in reconnecting to your home network could result in inaccurate status updates.
Solutions:
- Ensure your router or Wi-Fi network is stable.
- Check if your phone disconnects from Wi-Fi frequently, especially when idle.
- Use a reliable static IP for Home Assistant if it communicates with other devices.
3. Misconfigured Presence Detection
If you’re using multiple methods for presence detection (e.g., GPS, Bluetooth, or router-based tracking), they might conflict or provide inconsistent results.
Solutions:
- Review your device tracker configuration in Home Assistant. Avoid overlapping or redundant tracking methods unless they are well-coordinated.
- If you are using multiple trackers (e.g., the app, router, and Bluetooth), consider creating a “Person” entity in Home Assistant. This entity can combine multiple device trackers for a single individual and reduce inconsistencies.
4. Short “Away” Timeouts
Some device trackers have a short timeout period before marking someone as “away,” especially router-based trackers.
Solutions:
- For router-based tracking: Adjust the consider home setting in the configuration. For example:
- Increase this timeout so short disconnects don’t trigger a status change.
5. Companion App Debugging
The Home Assistant companion app has debugging tools to identify what’s causing the issue.
Steps:
- Open the app and go to Settings > Companion App > Debugging > Location Logs.
- Check for unusual changes or errors in the location updates.
- Adjust app or device settings based on what you find.
Other probable issues of “homeassistant randomly thinks i’m away and back home” are Bluetooth-Based Issues and Automation or Template Errors
Once you identify the problem, you can refine your setup to ensure more accurate presence detection. Let me know if you need help with specific configurations!
