Hello,

my goal is to write an app, which changes some settings in my smartphone, depending where I am.
standard -> ringtone 100%, vibration on, screen bright
somewhere in my flat -> ringtone 60%, vibration on, screen bright
in my car -> ringont 80%, vibration on, screen bright / dim depending on daylight (solved in phone. not the sensors job)
Close to Bed -> ringtone silent, no vibration, dim screen

you get the idea. I have set up something linke this with NFC tags place around my flat and working desk, but I always had to place my phone on them and this got forgotten very often...

Hence, I am looking for an sensor, which is capable of detecting my smartphone. It should be able to detect a closer distance (about 2m) for night mode and a larger distance (about 10m) for in flat detection.
It is fine to place several sensors on the places it should detect, but they should be powered by either 12V (or lower) for the car, or by 220V for the flat.
It would be ok to place a small marker or something between the smartphone and a silicone case.

All the proximity sensors I found so far are for close distance. Some millimeter or the like.
Do you have a suggestion what I could use for this case?

Thanks in advance,
Andreas

 

If your phone can detect IR; I believe most can either via dedicated detectors or a camera; several pulse code modulated IR emitters placed strategically and perhaps with their power limited could be used to define your desired zones. Fortunately, the hardware is readily available and inexpensive.