Presence sensing is slow (Google Wifi Pro & Pixel)

[Kitsu]

Having splashed out on three Google Wifi Pro access points to complement my Nest cam and Pixel phone, I've been disappointed with how slow the presence sensing is (please don't suggest I reinstall the app, as I've done that a number of times in the past - including very recently when an update caused all of my Matter smart plugs to stop working properly).

The onus seems to be on the mobile handset (you know, the things that want to preserve their battery even when all of the correct location services settings are applied) rather than the Google wifi access points, which seems bizarre to me.

Could the access point not actively monitor when the device used for presence sensing (Pixel) is connected, then when that device's IP drops off the network it would 'ping' the phone to geolocate it and if it's within the geofence then you're still home, and if it's outside then you're away. The access point is always connected to power and knows when the device is connected, so surely it wouldn't be a big ask for things to work as described above rather than waiting for the handset to tell the home network that it isn't there anymore, thus significantly reducing the delay in updating the home/away status?

[GabrielaG]

Hi @Kitsu,

Thanks for reaching out to the community. I’m sorry you're experiencing delays with presence sensing on your Nest WiFi Pro, Nest Cameras, and your Google Pixel. I can certainly understand the frustration of dealing with slow presence sensing, especially when you've already put in the work to troubleshoot it yourself. I'm here to help you. 

Because presence sensing relies heavily on a stable connection, I’d like to rule out any underlying network bottlenecks. Could you please answer a few quick questions to help me pinpoint the cause?

• Approximately how many square feet is your home, and how many access points are you using?
• About how many devices are actively using the internet at once?
• Who is your Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
• Do you use a modem and router combo?
• Is your Google WiFi Pro the only device connected directly to the modem, and is there a switch anywhere on the network?
• Have you tried to run a speed test while connected directly to the modem?

Keep me posted so I can provide you with further assistance.

Regards,

Gabriela

[Kitsu]

Hello, thanks for replying. I'm fairly certain that it's down to the way your devices ascertain whether or not somebody is at home but I'll answer your questions in the hope that I'm wrong and you can shed some light on the issue.

The home is arouns 800sqft.

I have three Google wifi access points.

There are usually three main active devices connected (Nest cam, laptop, phone) but also a small number of smart plugs (five, I think) and a Chromecast at times.

One access point is wired to the router. There are no switches or additional ethernet connections.

Speed tests all come back great, as do the access point connection statuses.

Today, I was sat at home when I received a notification from the Nest cam. I'd been at home for hours, but suddenly Google Home thought I'd magically disappeared and was away at that moment. My phone was in the room with me, which is baffling.

Why does the Google wifi not geolocate the phone when it thinks it's 'away' to check that it's actually away? Surely that's a fairly simple thing to implement in your software (as much as I'd rather not have another software update forced out that forgets all of my smart plugs again, truth be told). It's such a shame, having invested heavily in the Google ecosystem that it doesn't 'just work' as expected.

[Kitsu]

Further to the above, when Google Home switched to 'away' earlier I also had the Chromecast on and streaming - and yes, the Chromecast is set up specifically as a device that allows presence sensing to know when I'm at home! How is that even possible? Truly baffling.

[GabrielaG]

Hi @Kitsu,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the time you took to respond to my questions. I'm glad to continue assisting you.

Could you please check the following setting in your Google Home app:

• Open the Google Home app.
• At the top right, tap your profile picture or initial.
• Tap Home settings.
• Under "Home features," tap Presence sensing.
• Tap Home WiFi networks.
• Check if your network is listed there.

Please let me know if these suggestions were helpful.

Regards,

Gabriela

[Kitsu]

Hi Gabriela, thanks for getting back to me to try and help with this.

I've just checked, and all of those settings are fine - I honestly don't think this is an issue with any of my settings or devices (although my Pixel 9 does do odd things sometimes, much more noiceably than the Pixel 6a I'd been happily using until Google's update decimated the battery life, forcing me to buy a new phone - I'll try a different brand next time) and more of a shortcoming in the way that Google have programmed the presence sensing to work. I honestly can't understand how, even if my phone momentarily disconnected from my wifi network for some reason, Google Home could think that I've left home when the Chromecast is streaming (with the device enabled as allowing presence sensing) and my phone is 100% inside the geofence. So this post is more of a suggestion to someone at Google to reevaluate the way that presence sensing operates to make it more resilient, as I'm not the only one experiencing issues like this.

Thanks!