Entry/Exit Zones & Assumed Presence

Entry/Exit zones and Assumed Presence work together to reduce false clears when a tracked target is lost near a doorway or blind spot.

Note: This feature is only available for Everything Presence Lite (EPL).

What This Feature Does Today

This is currently a best-effort occupancy hold feature, not a full people-counting or door-event system.

When enabled, EPL keeps a short history of target movement near your configured entry zones. If a target disappears and the recent path does not look like a valid exit through an entry zone, EPL can hold occupancy for a configurable timeout instead of clearing immediately.

This is most useful when:

  1. Someone moves through a blind spot near a doorway

  2. Someone is seated still and tracking drops briefly

  3. A target is lost close to the room boundary but has probably not left the room

How It Works

  1. Entry zone: You place one or two entry zones at doorway areas

  2. Path review: When a tracked target disappears, EPL looks at that target's recent movement history near the entry zone

  3. Exit check: If the disappearance looks like a valid exit through the entry zone, occupancy is allowed to clear normally

  4. Assumed Presence hold: If the disappearance does not look like a valid exit, EPL can hold occupancy for the configured timeout

This means the feature is heuristic-based. It does not currently expose dedicated entry or exit event entities, and it is not a true "bee in a box" room counter.


Setting Up Entry Zones

Step 1: Create an Entry Zone

  1. Open the Zone Editor

  2. Click Add Zone

  3. Draw a zone covering the doorway area

  4. In the zone properties, set Type to Entry

Step 2: Position the Zone Correctly

The entry zone should:

  • Cover the full doorway width

  • Extend slightly into the room

  • Avoid overlapping normal occupancy zones where possible

  • Be kept simple and rectangular where possible

Tip: Start with a rectangle that fully covers the doorway path before experimenting with more complex shapes.

Step 3: Save to Device

Click Save to Device to push the entry zone configuration to your EPL.

Configuration Options

Entry/Exit Enabled

Turns on the entry/exit heuristic and Assumed Presence logic.

Exit Threshold Pct

Adjusts how much tracked movement inside the entry zone is required before EPL treats a disappearance as a valid exit.

  • Lower values make exit detection easier to trigger

  • Higher values make EPL more likely to hold Assumed Presence instead of clearing

If you are seeing Assumed Presence clear too easily, try reducing this carefully. If you are seeing Assumed Presence hold when someone clearly left through the doorway, try increasing it.

Assume Present Timeout

Maximum time to hold Assumed Presence after a target is lost without a valid exit being detected.

Default: 30 minutes
Current maximum: 12 hours

Setting guidance:

  • Too short: occupancy may clear while someone is still in the room

  • Too long: occupancy may stay on after someone left if the exit was missed

  • Good starting point: 30-60 minutes for bedrooms, offices, and similar rooms

Entities Available Today

The current EPL firmware exposes:

Entity

Description

binary_sensor.[device]_assumed_present

Whether EPL is currently holding occupancy using Assumed Presence

sensor.[device]_assumed_present_remaining

Remaining time, in seconds, before the Assumed Presence hold expires

Entry/exit count entities are not currently exposed in EPL firmware.

Recommended Use Cases

Bedroom or Office

If someone enters, then becomes very still, Assumed Presence can help stop the room clearing immediately when tracking briefly drops.

Doorway Blind Spots

If tracking is occasionally lost near the room entrance, entry zones plus Assumed Presence can reduce false clears.

Limitations

Please be aware of the current limits:

  • This is not a full room people-count system

  • There are no dedicated entry or exit event entities today

  • Polygon entry zones may be harder to tune than simple rectangular doorway zones

  • The feature works best as a fallback hold for occupancy, not as a precise door-crossing counter

Troubleshooting

Issue

Try this

Assumed Presence triggers too often

Check entry zone placement, avoid overlap, try a simpler rectangle, adjust Exit Threshold Pct

Assumed Presence never seems to help

Increase Assume Present Timeout and confirm Entry/Exit Enabled is on

Occupancy still clears while someone is present

Increase Assume Present Timeout and review doorway placement / blind spots

Feature feels inconsistent

Rebuild the entry zone as a simple rectangle and retest before tuning further

Next Steps