Just wanted to introduce myself and say WOW, what a great community here.
This is my first foray into HA and the wealth of knowledge here is making my head spin and I'm finding myself stuck in a bit of 'Analysis Paralysis'. My device list in order of acquisition is: (4) GH devices, (9) Sengled bulbs, Nest Thermostat, (6) Wyzecams, HE Hub, and (5) IRiS Motion Sensor (to be delivered today).
I've also setup Homebridge on a Raspberry PI that I had laying around (although this took me WAY to long to get working) with the goal of somehow using it to assist in toggling 'Away' mode and discovered that I can flash my Asus TM-AC1900 router to AC68U firmware and leverage IFTTT.
I first started with the bulbs and IFTTT but quickly found limitations in the control I had. I then incorporate Stringify but again found limitations pretty quick. That's how I ended up here. I started by making a basic list of rooms, functions I'd like to control, and devices.
Here are some of the automations I'd like to accomplish:
- Turn lights off when room is not occupied and/or nobody is home
- Set thermostat to Eco when nobody is home
- Turn a light on when someone arrives home after sunset
- Set default brightness based on Mode
Anyway, I look forward to figuring this stuff out and apologize now for the basic questions that I'm sure are to follow.
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Good luck! All is doable, but I will say that presence detection - RELIABLE presence detection - is one of the hardest parts of home automation. Most of us can get it 'good enough' but very few people can honestly say it works 100% of the time.
Some thoughts:
-
Turn lights off when room is not occupied and/or nobody is home
Jason - Usually done with motion sensors on a room occupied basis and/or reliable presence detection on a whole home basis.
-
Set thermostat to Eco when nobody is home
Jason - I don't have a Nest, so can't comment there.
-
Turn a light on when someone arrives home after sunset
Jason - Very easy to do if you have reliable presence detection working.
-
Set default brightness based on Mode
Jason - Easy-ish to do. 
There is built in capability to do mode based light brightness, but sometimes it is more complicated than you think once combined with manual brightness overrides, on/off on occupancy, etc. Doable, though.
I notice you have a few GE Motion Dimmers - I have a lot of those and the Motion Switches myself. Note that since you can't really set 'turn on' dim level easily, you typically have run these in MANUAL mode and then handle the on/off in RM rules on the HE - that way you can specify the brightness to turn on to by mode.
Technically the turn on dim level is settable, but not with the built-in HE driver. There are some custom drivers that can help with that, but to set the turn on dim level will still take some custom logic, that is why it is just easier to run them in MANUAL mode and do the on/off/dim in rules.
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Yeah, everything I've read tells me reliable presence is difficult at best when attempting to determine if someone is home. My hope is to figure out how to use the IFTTT integration with my Asus router coupled with our iPhones & homebridge, contact sensors on main entry doors, and activating the garage door opener to determine when someone arrives and turn off 'Away'. Changing mode TO 'Away' is going to be the more difficult task.
As for the GE switches, I haven't actually purchased any of them yet. That list was an attempt to document basic device requirements; a shopping list of sorts.
Gotcha!
I've had very GOOD luck overall with the Life360 app integration coupled with setting up a HE RM rule to force refresh it every 5 minutes. BUT, I make my 'home circle' pretty large. If you want very tight home detection (like <1 block) that probably wouldn't refresh fast enough.
Nice inventory management my man.
Welcome!
Thanks for introducing yourself I'll keep an eye out for your questions.
Welcome to the club! Nice looking list you got. Not sure what kind of buget or type of visual for switches you have in mind other than GE but take a look at Lutron Caseta devices with a pro bridge. They are super reliable and compatible with Hubitat and the best part is no zigbee or Z-wave mesh issue to deal wit the.
Lutron is not zigbee or Z-WAVE so it won't help your mesh in that route if you are buying more battery operated zigbee/Z-wave devices.
Wife isn't bought into the whole automation thing yet so budget is limited. Just planning to add a few new switches each month until all switches have been upgraded. I figure as I add rooms I'll learn more and figure out what other functions I want to automate in the house.
I'm also not committed to the GE switched either. I had originally planned to use Inovelli but their supply chain issues ruled them out. Then I looked at Zooz and now settled on GE/Jasco
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Definitely watching this thread.. Iām 1-2 steps behind the OP, I just got my HE a week or so ago, and have no automation experience yet.
I second the Lutron Caseta suggestion. They're a bit more expensive than the GE's, but only for single switch circuits. If there are two ("3 way"), then the two-switch set required for the GE's is a bit MORE expensive than using a Caseta dimmer and installing its (included) Pico remote on the wall plate. The Casetas don't need a Neutral wire either, which makes them a bit easier to install. (Some older houses don't have them, and they're often hard to get to.)
And for every Caseta dimmer that doesn't need its included Pico, you end up with an extra remote - which are VERY useful in Hubitat. (Each one has 5 buttons that can be clicked or held, for up to 10 functions.) Also note that the Picos can pair with multiple switches. For example, I have ceiling lights and hanging lamps over the island in the kitchen. Their primary controls operate them independently, but I also have two remotes installed at different places (i.e., a "4 way" setup), that operate them together. You can make that work with Hubitat automations too, but with Casetas, it works independently even of its own hub, so they work even if the whole system is down.
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BTW - Be careful. This hobby is addictive. I've been playing with it for almost a year, starting with a Wink 2, then SmartThings, and now Hubitat (thanks to the SmartThings limit of one Caseta hub, so 50 devices (including Picos!) max.
Here's my list, so far (96 total, including virtual switches):
| Label |
Type |
| !Thermostat |
Generic Z-Wave Thermostat |
|
#Back door |
Generic Z-Wave Lock |
|
#Front door |
Generic Z-Wave Lock |
| -Away |
Virtual Switch |
| -Day |
Virtual Switch |
| -Evening |
Virtual Switch |
| -Morning |
Virtual Switch |
| -Night |
Virtual Switch |
|
@Door Cam |
Virtual Switch |
|
@Drive Cam |
Virtual Switch |
| @Lightify |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STCS A |
SmartSense Multi Sensor V4 |
|
@STMS A |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STMS B |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STMS C |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STMS D |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STMS E |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STMS F |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@STMS G |
Generic Zigbee Motion Sensor |
|
@Visonic CS |
Generic Zigbee Contact Sensor |
| Bathroom ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Bathroom heater |
Generic Z-Wave Outlet |
| Bathroom shower |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Bedroom dresser |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Bedroom fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Bedroom Patti's nightstand |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Bedroom Steve's nightstand |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Craftroom cabinets |
Generic Zigbee Outlet |
| Craftroom ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Guestroom nightstands |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Hall bedroom |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Hall front |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Hall middle |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Hall outlet |
Generic Zigbee Outlet |
| Hall side |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Kitchen cabinets |
Generic Z-Wave Outlet |
| Kitchen ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Kitchen island |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Kitchen pantry |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Kitchen table |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Kitchenette cabinets |
Generic Zigbee Outlet |
| Kitchenette ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Laundry room ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Livingroom cabinets |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Livingroom ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Livingroom fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Livingroom Patti's table |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Livingroom Steve's table |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Lutron Telnet |
Lutron Telnet |
| Lutron Telnet |
Lutron Telnet |
| Office ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Office fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Outside deck |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Outside driveway |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Outside outlet |
Generic Z-Wave Switch |
| Outside porch |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Playroom Fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Playroom socket |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Recroom ceiling |
Lutron Switch |
| Recroom fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Retreat ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Retreat heater |
Generic Z-Wave Switch |
| Stair ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Storeroom ceiling |
Lutron Switch |
| Study ceiling |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Study fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Study guest |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Study reading |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Study table |
Lutron Dimmer |
| Theater ceiling |
Lutron Switch |
| Theater fan |
Lutron Switch |
| Workshop ceiling |
Lutron Switch |
| Workshop workbench |
Generic Zigbee Outlet |
| ~Bathroom |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Bedroom Dr |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Bedroom PN |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Bedroom SN |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Hall front |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Hall guest |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Hall laundry |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Hall LR |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Hall middle |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Hall side |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Kitchen back |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Kitchen L |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Kitchen M |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Kitchen pantry |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Kitchen R |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Livingroom L |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Livingroom R |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Livingroom table |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Outside driveway |
Lutron Pico |
| ~Stairway |
Lutron Pico |
One thing you'll notice is the naming convention. All the devices are named {Room} {area}, so they cluster by room. Some are also prefixed with punctuation characters. They recommend against using anything but letters & numbers, but I've had no problem with doing it this way.
In this scheme, "!" prefixes "misc" devices that I want at the top; "#" indicates locks (also sorted to the top), "-" prefixes virtual switches that Alexa can turn on (momentarily) to trigger things; "@" prefixes motion and other sensors, and "~" (at the end) indicates Pico remotes, saving lots of space and sorting them out of the way.
The drawback to this is that the Hubitat app totally botched the concepts of "name" and "label". These should be different columns in the list (so you can sort both ways). The NAME column should be shown first (as the hyperlink), and be required to be unique. It should tolerate punctuation so it can be used to cluster things in groups. Then the LABEL field can be used to give things "friendly" names, like "Steve's nightstand" instead of "Bedroom Steve's Nightstand" or "Front hall" instead of "Hall Front". The Friendly names can be used by the dashboard app to label the buttons, and maybe even utilized by Alexa eventually.
Hopefully they'll do this at some point, and also get rid of the newline character embedded in the middle of the Zigbee IDs. That way the grid will use just one line per device instead of 2, and allow me to see more than just 15 devices on a 1920x1080 display with the browser full-screen. (Which is a totally ridiculous and unnecessary problem to have to deal with when it could be fixed by any competent web developer in about 15 minutes.)
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The addictiveness of this is already becoming apparent and I'm already having fun coming up with new automations.
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Hello, I notice You have some Z wave outlets and some zigbee outlets (two). Which would you choose if you could start again, and why?
