Hey there! I'm new to Hubitat (few weeks). So far set up three Inovelli z-wave switches/dimmers and a z-wave contact sensor (dog food bin) and have some automations working and such. Good stuff... EXCEPT for one thing. We're big voice control people -- "Alexa, turn off the kitchen lights", "Hey Google, turn on the family room lights", etc. I have both Alexa and Google integrations working. However, if the Hubitat hasn't been exercised in a while (especially overnight), it seems to "go to sleep". I wake up in the morning and ask Alexa to turn on the kitchen lights. Alexa says it's no go. Ask Google and it more specifically says "Hubitat is not responding." I can open both the Alexa and Google Home apps on my phone and have the same experience. THEN all it takes is for me to open the Hubitat app on my phone (sometimes don't even need to exercise anything in the dashboard) OR manually click on a light at the switch, and MAGIC... Alexa/GH start working immediately. It's like the Hubitat fell asleep and once you wake it up with its own native app or switches then it starts listening again. It mostly happens in the morning but it has happened mid-day/evening. Please HELP or my Hubitat is probably heading back to where it came from. Thanks!
p.s. One more little bit of tech info that may be helpful... A couple times now I witnessed that if I manually hit the switch on and then off it will switch right back on a second later... like as if there was a queue of on commands from my irritated demands to Alexa/Google to turn on the damn switch, and now that it's awake it listens to them.
I don’t believe this is an HE issue. I have the same problem from time to time where neither Alexa or Google work. If one doesn’t work, neither does the other. I attribute it more to an internet problem, but don’t really know. Usually starts working again on its own after a while.
Thanks I read through it. Sounds like the same exact issue. Even though my IP address had not changed, I just went into my router and set up a DHCP reservation and set it to static IP within Hubitat. Hopefully it fixes this issue. Thanks.
Complete bummer. I've done everything from reinstall Inovelli drivers, to set static IP on Hubitat, to set DHCP reservation on my router. I confirmed that it's not the Inovelli by creating a virtual Test Switch and it has the same access problems at the same time.
All I have to do is physically operate a z-wave switch OR simply open the Hubitat app on my iPhone and everything wakes up and starts working (virtual or real switches).
It's a shame, I wanted to really like Hubitat. But I think it's heading back to Amazon and Home Assistant is next.
OP from the other linked post here. I think the Hubitat problems might be because of the connection algorithm Hubitat is using being incompatible with certain ISP's. Can you tell me, what service provider are you using for internet on your hub?
I'm collecting this information because I have a support ticket in with Hubitat at the moment, and I'm not quite ready to give up on the problem myself just yet, looking to see if they can fix it first.
I noticed when I switch from our apartment's Starry internet provider and use a T Mobile connected LTE router, everything works perfectly over there.
I have very stable Cox cable high speed internet in a well established neighborhood. On that topic though, my new house I'm testing all this out for is more rural on a few acres and I'm expecting to have much worse internet based on talks with the neighbors. It's the edge of where Comcast will deliver its service, and some have Century Link DSL and others have satellite or line of sight internet such as Bluespan.
My router is a Medialink AC1200. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MS84IIF/
Have you been able to differentiate if fixing your issue relates to the ISP or the router?
Is there some very simple periodic call I could make from the Hubitat TO Alexa & GH to just keep them talking to each other? Like every 15 minutes the Hubitat flips a virtual switch in those other environments? I don't think Alexa/GH have virtual switches, so what could I do?
I saw someone suggest flipping a virtual contact sensor in Hubitat, which is read by Alexa, which then instructs Hubitat to flip a virtual switch. I didn't know Alexa could do cloud automations... I know Google can't really do detections like that.
Thanks for your input. I hope Hubitat comes back to me with an answer about what's going on and possible solutions.
