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Here's a SmartThings question. Their latest update on the 2.0 hub and sensors has the potential release date being pushed back to as late as Q3. Which could be as far back as Sept. Or more. We know how release dates slip. I'm pretty antsy to get my place set up with a security system, not to mention the automation benefits. Does anyone think it's worthwhile to just go ahead and grab the available components now? Then, whenever 2.0 is released, I can just get the new hub and either eBay or gift the old hub. Does this sound like stupidity or sense? I'm trying to curb my "but I waaaaaaant it" tendencies. However I do really need a security system sometime soonish. (Neighborhood is getting targeted lately.)
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Apr 3, 2015 17:54
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There will always be something better. However in the case of home automation we're definitely in the rebirth phase of all of this stuff, if you can wait 6 months it most likely will be worth it, this isn't like your phone where you're going to replace it every 18 months anyways, theoretically alot of the sensors/lights should be lasting 5-10 years, 6 months is nothing for that lifespan. That being said most likely everything will be compatible so 
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Apr 3, 2015 18:50
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My mom has a z-wave thermostat. What are my options for setting her controlling it via her iphone? I don't really need internet access, but I guess it might be nice. Shes got this thermostat. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BA5VVU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I don't see it as compatible on the smart things website, but isn't zwave just a standard? kri kri fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Apr 9, 2015 |
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Apr 9, 2015 23:35
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I picked up some Hue lights and holy poo poo, what a great system. I was able to ditch some old lovely light timers around the house by just scheduling them to turn on and off as needed (and fade between several scenes over the course of the evening). Also controllable by Echo, although that could be a lot better with some updates. Going from lights that are on or off to a huge variety of option is nice. I'm going to get a bunch more for some other key areas. I ordered a Tap switch to put some physical buttons in the room just in case as well. The switch is cool because it doesn't need batteries or power. Now I just need all of these things to get on the same page - door locks, thermostat, lights, media. It would be cool to tell my Echo that I'm having a party, and have the door stay unlocked, a little more A/C than usual going, the lights set to something fun and a playlist going. Luckily the chance of me actually needing that level of functionality is near-zero. SLOSifl fucked around with this message at 14:36 on May 26, 2015 |
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May 26, 2015 14:33
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Ordered a "Friends of Hue" Bloom light for my office. I like the idea of something like f.lux but with real light. I'll update (or triple post most likely) when I get it set up. My Tap switch should be here today as well so I'll provide a mini-review as well. I super shockingly (really) don't mind using my phone for my main room's lights - I have a notification center widget with my favorite themes (and 'off') and it's super quick to use. However, my wife doesn't always keep her phone on hand, and the control through Echo is somewhat limited, so the switch may fill that gap for now. edit: Tap Switch mini-review: The device is smaller than I expected, which is good. The entire surface is one large clicky button, with three smaller buttons exposed as well. The buttons have a nice travel and a solid click. Sounds and feels a bit like a normal light switch. I just stuck it on a convenient wall and used the app to set it up and configure the buttons. I picked Off for the big one and three scenes on the smaller ones. The button comes off of the faceplate so it can be used as a remote. There's not much else to say - the device has no batteries or lights or anything. Just "Philips" and dots for each button. It stuck to the wall like it was supposed to and when I push the buttons the lights do stuff. A+ SLOSifl fucked around with this message at 18:47 on May 27, 2015 |
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May 27, 2015 13:53
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Weird question. I've got a small problem to fix, and I've got a number of ways to do it. Would love some input. I just moved into a house and the main living room light is not on a switch. The house is old, single-story, and I guess the original owners would just have reached up and pulled the cord on it. But I'd rather have it switched. There's even room on the switch by the door for an extra switch, if only I had a wire. I was thinking about smart homes and how I could avoid climbing around in the attic and swearing a lot to run a new wire from the light to the switchbox. I should mention ahead of time that I'll probably be doing some other smart-house stuff later, this is just the first step. Option A - The Boring One Ignore all the home automation stuff, climb up in the attic, run a wire from the light to the switch, install a normal-rear end one-pole switch Pros: - Super cheap. Already got the wire and the switch, so the only cost would be in time. - Absolutely no changes needed when I move out in a few years for the next owner Cons: -- Boring - Climbing around in the god-drat attic Option B - Probably the smart one Exactly like Option A, but after I'm done, I replace the normal switch with a smart switch, so I can also turn the lights on and off from my phone / Amazon Echo. Pros: - Easy to swap the switch out with a normal one when I move out. - Cheap. Only expense is the smart-switch Cons: - Still gotta climb around in the attic Option C - the lazy option Put smart bulbs in the fixture. Only able to turn lights on and off from smart phone or echo. Pros: - Basically no work required Cons: - No switch - If we get a brownout, I think the lights would default to on? It would be annoying for that to happen in the middle of the night. (We get a fair number of brownouts around here my last place probably saw one a week) Option D - The slightly less-lazy option Put a smart switch in the wall (hooked up to power, but not actually switching anything). Put smart-bulbs in the fixture. Use some sort of IFTTT setup to make it so when I push the switch, the smart-bulbs turn themselves on Pros: - Easiest setup. Replace the bulbs, install the switch. No attic. - As it's not actually wired, could put multiple switches in to turn on living room lights from multiple approaches to room. - If I have the bulbs wired up to always-on, I could use some of the fancy color-changing bulbs, controlled from smartphone. Cons: - With no actual wire pulled, if I strip it all out when I move, the next owner would have to pull the cord on the light to turn it on. Thoughts? Bobulus fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Sep 4, 2015 |
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Sep 4, 2015 03:07
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Hue Lux for a colorless option, or Hue bulbs if you want color, and a Tap switch. It doesn't use batteries, sticks to a holder on the wall, and comes off to act as a remote. 4 settings (one is almost always "off" of course). No wire pulls, a switch that is also portable, timers you can schedule on your phone. I really found after even a few days that, given the choice, there's a lot of options between "on" and "off" for lighting. Sometimes a nice hard blue light is good for focusing on stuff, and a very light "luna" theme is nice for movies, etc. Yes the lights default to "on" after a power outage, but at the same time, if the outlet is on a switch and someone keeps using the switch, it will basically act like a normal lightbulb (going back to the last color you used). edit: You can also get what are basically extension cords with remote control and fading built in. I have one in my bedroom and don't even remember what the actual device looks like. It has a tiny little remote that attaches to a clip (and would work nicely as a wall switch), with on, off, a "favorite" setting, and fade up/down. It was cheap whatever it is. The downside is it wouldn't be able to coordinate lights at all. SLOSifl fucked around with this message at 03:36 on Sep 4, 2015 |
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Sep 4, 2015 03:33
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One reason I was cautious about hue bulbs was that the ones I looked up (the color ones) were only equivalent to 60w, and I've got 4x CFLs equivalent to 100w in the fixture now, so it would be a significant reduction in brightness. And, of course, if I go with a wireless option, the next owner is poo poo out of luck.
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Sep 4, 2015 03:37
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Bobulus posted:One reason I was cautious about hue bulbs was that the ones I looked up (the color ones) were only equivalent to 60w, and I've got 4x CFLs equivalent to 100w in the fixture now, so it would be a significant reduction in brightness.
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Sep 4, 2015 04:20
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You're missing option E: Stick a relay in the light fixture's box and then replace the normal switch with a compatible smart one. Insteon and Z Wave (generally) hardware remembers state between power outages. krysmopompas fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Sep 4, 2015 |
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Sep 4, 2015 05:35
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Sorry to ask so many questions.  I'm tentatively thinking of starting with the Hue starter kit (3x RGBW bulbs and the bridge). I'd be able to control that with the Echo and my phone. ...but if I did want to add a HA switch to this setup, so that I could just slap the wall when I don't feel like unlocking my phone or talking, what are the good options? - Tap switch would work, but I find the circular design a bit ugly. And from reviews, it seems like the smaller buttons don't work as well as the big one? - WeMo switches seem to have a lot of complaints. - There's a whole bunch of z-wave switches, but looks like I'd need the ST hub for that, not just the hue bridge. - ??? krysmopompas posted:You're missing option E: I'll have to investigate this. It's a combination light/fan, and I think I can wire it up so the fan is always-on, but the light could be wired to a control like this, but I need to double-check. But this could solve a problem in another room. Thanks!
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Sep 4, 2015 07:34
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Philips is supposed to be releasing another dimmer switch this month that looks more like a normal light switch. http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/25/philips-hue-wireless-dimming-kit/
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Sep 4, 2015 07:44
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Bobulus posted:I'll have to investigate this. It's a combination light/fan, and I think I can wire it up so the fan is always-on, but the light could be wired to a control like this, but I need to double-check. But this could solve a problem in another room. Thanks!
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Sep 4, 2015 19:09
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Do they make relays like those on zigbee / z-wave? I'm not sure I want three competing standards all in the house.
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Sep 4, 2015 19:37
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Bobulus posted:Do they make relays like those on zigbee / z-wave? I'm not sure I want three competing standards all in the house.
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Sep 4, 2015 19:55
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Dumb question: All the zigbee switches I can find are for controlling the switch. So, like wire the switch into your house's pre-existing wiring to control dumb-bulbs with your smart phone via the switch. What I'm looking for is a physically-controlled switch that sends a signal to a zigbee bulb. Something like the Hue wireless dimming kit, but mounted inside a normal bank of wall switches and run off your house's power, but stuck to the wall with glue and run off batteries.
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Sep 6, 2015 04:37
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Bobulus posted:Dumb question: All the zigbee switches I can find are for controlling the switch. So, like wire the switch into your house's pre-existing wiring to control dumb-bulbs with your smart phone via the switch. What I'm looking for is a physically-controlled switch that sends a signal to a zigbee bulb. I just got this battery powered switch since the boxes in my house are too shallow to fit a wired smart switch: http://smartenit.com/product/zbws3b/ Has to be added as a custom device in Smartthings but works just fine after that. Now I have our porch lights configured to turn on if motion is sensed or one of us comes home, and they can also be turned on/off without using an app.
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Sep 6, 2015 13:58
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Ah, sorry, I typo'd. I want a zigbee switch that does run off your house power.
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Sep 8, 2015 23:23
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Okay, after some basic research, I think I'm going to do a little-at-a-time upgrading of the system. Starting with some Z-wave tech, as that's compatible with most of the hubs, and I believe via 'association' can work without a hub so that I have some things working in the house after I move out and take my hub with me. The steps are arranged in such a way that if one of them fails, I've put off the expensive purchases, and have time to rethink things. Bedroom lights and fan: Currently, lights and fan are set to one switch. Fan speed is set via a pull-cord. There is is no 4th wire (blue in my fan's operator's manual) for controlling the light and fan separately, but there is a two-switch outlet box by the wall, so I've got room for two switches...if I had that wire. Step 1: Purchase some twelve-gauge insulated wire and a ladder. Climb up in my attic and attempt to run this wire down between the switch box and my fan's ceiling connection. Step 2: Using the new wire, get light and fan on separate dumb switches. Step 3: Purchase a GE 12729 toggle dimmer switch and a a GE 12727 toggle on/off switch, ideally from Amazon, who are having a 15% off sale until Sunday on both. (Both are z-wave switches) Step 4: Replace light and fan dumb switches with smart switches. (Fan gets a on/off switch because light dimmer switches aren't compatible with fan motors and would rather have a toggle switch than a huge square switch that is compatible). Step 5: Get a Aeon Labs Minimote and associate it with the switches so I can be a lazy rear end in a top hat and turn on/off/dim my bedroom lights from bed. Once that's all in place, I can fiddle with using the existing hardware I have to try to get some other stuff working. Living room lights The living room is tricky, because there's no physical switch hooked to the light, other than the pull-cord. So it's a choice between running a lot of wire or setting up a wireless solution. Step 1: Purchase a monoprice on/off z-wave relay Step 2: Pair it with the existing 12727 toggle switch I have??? Step 3: If this works, buy another 12727 toggle switch, put in the wall, and put the relay in my ceiling fan light circuit Automation By the time I've got all this done, I'll be ready for some automation. Pick up a hub capable of handling z-wave (probably Smartthings? I'm hearing mixed things about the new v2 hub) and link it to my gear and the Amazon Echo. Have voice control over my lights and stuff. Would this work?
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Sep 12, 2015 05:57
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Bobulus posted:Okay, after some basic research, I think I'm going to do a little-at-a-time upgrading of the system. Starting with some Z-wave tech, as that's compatible with most of the hubs, and I believe via 'association' can work without a hub so that I have some things working in the house after I move out and take my hub with me. The steps are arranged in such a way that if one of them fails, I've put off the expensive purchases, and have time to rethink things. I could be wrong but I'm pretty certain you would need a hub to do this. I've not heard of it working like that. I really like SmartThings. It's not perfect, none of these things are, but I think it's the best overall solution out there.
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Sep 13, 2015 02:44
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Well, Amazon is suggesting 1 month to 4 month delay on ordering the Smartthings V2 hub. So I'm seeing what I can do without it. For the bedroom, I'm just pairing a switch with a remote. No hub required there. For the living room, I'm pairing a switch with a relay. I think I can do this without a hub, but if I can't, I just have to wait until I can order the hub. No big loss.
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Sep 13, 2015 03:56
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Red Warrior posted:I really like SmartThings. It's not perfect, none of these things are, but I think it's the best overall solution out there. 
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Sep 13, 2015 09:53
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