One of the most useful smart home automations is making your security system react automatically when you leave or arrive home. Instead of manually opening an app every day to arm or disarm cameras, Home Assistant can use your iPhone’s location to handle everything in the background.

In this guide, we will build a reliable automation that automatically arms Eufy Security cameras when everyone leaves home and disarms them when somebody arrives back home. The setup uses Home Assistant, the iPhone Companion App, and the Eufy Security integration.

The result is a security system that feels much smarter and removes one more daily task from your routine.

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Why Automate Eufy Security Cameras?

Many people install indoor cameras for security, but quickly discover one major annoyance: cameras recording while you are home.

Nobody wants motion alerts every time someone walks into the kitchen or living room. Constant notifications can make users disable cameras entirely, which defeats the purpose of having them.

By using presence detection from your iPhone, Home Assistant can:

• Arm cameras automatically when the house becomes empty
• Disarm cameras when somebody comes home
• Reduce false notifications
• Improve privacy
• Save time every day
• Make the system feel fully automatic

This type of automation works especially well for families because Home Assistant can track multiple devices and only arm the cameras when everybody has left.

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Components Used

This setup requires only a few components.

Home Assistant

Home Assistant is the central automation platform that connects your iPhone presence detection with the Eufy Security system.

You can run Home Assistant on:

• Raspberry Pi
• Mini PC
• Virtual machine
• NAS
• Home Assistant Green

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Home Assistant Companion App for iPhone

The iPhone Companion App provides highly reliable presence detection using GPS, Wi-Fi, and background location updates.

Once installed and logged in, the app creates a device_tracker entity in Home Assistant.

Typical entity example:

device_tracker.john_iphone

The app can detect whether the phone is:

• Home
• Away
• At work
• In another zone

For this automation, we mainly care about home and not_home.

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Eufy Security Integration

There are several ways to integrate Eufy devices with Home Assistant, but the most popular method is the community integration through HACS.

The integration exposes entities such as:

• Cameras
• Motion sensors
• Alarm controls
• Security modes

Depending on your setup, you may see entities like:

alarm_control_panel.eufy_security

or camera-specific switches.

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Why iPhone Presence Detection Works Well

Some users try to arm cameras based on Wi-Fi connectivity alone, but this can sometimes be unreliable. Phones may briefly disconnect from Wi-Fi while still at home.

The Home Assistant Companion App combines several signals:

• GPS location
• Wi-Fi network
• Bluetooth
• Significant location changes
• Background app updates

This creates much more reliable home detection.

For best results:

• Allow “Always” location access
• Enable precise location
• Disable aggressive battery-saving settings
• Keep the app logged in

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Recommended Automation Strategy

A common mistake is instantly arming cameras the second someone leaves the home zone.

This can create problems:

• Cameras arm while taking out garbage
• Cameras arm during short walks
• GPS briefly updates incorrectly

Instead, it is better to:

1. Wait a few minutes after everyone leaves
2. Confirm nobody is still home
3. Arm the system only then

The same logic applies when arriving home.

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Example Scenario

Imagine this daily routine:

Leaving Home

• The last family member leaves home
• Home Assistant waits 5 minutes
• Cameras switch to Away mode
• Notifications become active

Returning Home

• Somebody arrives home
• Cameras immediately disarm
• Indoor privacy is restored
• Motion alerts stop

This feels seamless and fully automatic.

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Creating a Family Group

If you have multiple people in the household, it is best to create a group.

Example:

group:
  family:
    name: Family
    entities:
      - device_tracker.john_iphone
      - device_tracker.jane_iphone

The group becomes:

group.family

Home Assistant will then consider the group “home” if at least one person is still home.

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Automation Example: Arm Eufy Cameras When Everyone Leaves

This automation waits 5 minutes after the family leaves before arming the cameras.

alias: Arm Eufy Cameras When Away
description: Automatically arm Eufy Security when everyone leaves home
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: group.family
    from: "home"
    to: "not_home"
    for:
      minutes: 5

condition: []

action:
  - service: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
    target:
      entity_id: alarm_control_panel.eufy_security

mode: single

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Automation Example: Disarm Cameras When Somebody Arrives Home

This automation disarms the system immediately when someone returns.

alias: Disarm Eufy Cameras When Home
description: Automatically disarm Eufy Security upon arrival
trigger:
  - platform: state
    entity_id: group.family
    from: "not_home"
    to: "home"

condition: []

action:
  - service: alarm_control_panel.alarm_disarm
    target:
      entity_id: alarm_control_panel.eufy_security

mode: single

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Adding Notification Feedback

It is useful to receive confirmation notifications on your phone.

Example:

action:
  - service: alarm_control_panel.alarm_arm_away
    target:
      entity_id: alarm_control_panel.eufy_security

  - service: notify.mobile_app_john_iphone
    data:
      title: Security System
      message: Eufy cameras armed automatically

You can do the same for disarming events.

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Preventing False Arming

There are several ways to make the automation smarter.

Use Wi-Fi Conditions

You can require that phones are disconnected from home Wi-Fi before arming.

Example condition:

condition:
  - condition: not
    conditions:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: sensor.john_iphone_connection_type
        state: "Wi-Fi"

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Add Time-Based Conditions

Some users only want indoor cameras active at night.

Example:

condition:
  - condition: time
    after: "22:00:00"

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Ignore Short Trips

Increase the delay to 10 or 15 minutes if you frequently take short walks nearby.

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Using Zones for Better Accuracy

Home Assistant supports custom zones.

For example:

• Home
• Work
• Cabin
• Gym

This can improve automation reliability and allow more advanced logic.

Example:

• Arm cameras only if everybody leaves the “Home” zone
• Disable notifications while at the cabin
• Trigger heating when leaving work

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Privacy Considerations

Indoor cameras can create privacy concerns, especially in shared family spaces.

Automations like this help reduce that issue significantly.

Recommended practices:

• Disable indoor cameras while home
• Use physical privacy shutters if available
• Avoid placing cameras in sensitive areas
• Use local storage when possible
• Restrict cloud access if not needed

Automation improves both convenience and privacy.

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Expanding the Automation

Once presence detection is working reliably, you can expand the system further.

Examples:

Turn Off Lights When Leaving

service: light.turn_off
target:
  entity_id: all

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Lower Heating Automatically

service: climate.set_temperature
target:
  entity_id: climate.house
data:
  temperature: 18

Using Celsius makes temperature automations much easier for European households.

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Pause Media Devices

service: media_player.turn_off
target:
  entity_id: media_player.living_room_tv

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Enable Night Security Mode

You can also create a nighttime automation:

• Arm outdoor cameras at 23:00
• Keep indoor cameras disabled
• Enable motion notifications
• Turn on outdoor lights if motion is detected

This creates layered security without reducing comfort.

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Troubleshooting Tips

If automations do not trigger reliably, check the following:

iPhone Location Permissions

On iPhone:

• Settings
• Privacy & Security
• Location Services
• Home Assistant
• Allow “Always”

Also enable:

• Precise Location

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Home Assistant Zones

Ensure your Home zone radius is large enough.

A radius of 100–150 meters often works better than very small zones.

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Battery Optimization

Low Power Mode can delay updates.

Ensure the Home Assistant app can refresh in the background.

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Verify Entity States

Developer Tools → States is extremely useful for testing.

Check:

device_tracker.john_iphone

and confirm it properly changes between:

home

and:

not_home

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Final Thoughts

Presence-based automations are one of the best examples of what makes Home Assistant powerful. By combining iPhone device tracking with Eufy Security cameras, you can create a security system that reacts automatically without requiring manual interaction.

The biggest advantage is convenience. Cameras arm when the house becomes empty and disarm when somebody returns home. No forgotten alarm states, fewer false notifications, and significantly improved privacy.

Once you start using presence automations, you will likely expand them into lighting, heating, media control, and energy-saving routines throughout the home.

The result is a smart home that truly adapts to daily life.