Greeting from New Zealand. Advise/Suggestions for new house build

[techwhizard]

Hello all,

I have purchased my first automation device (Hubitat) to be setup by me in our new house build in NZ. I thoroughly researched which hub or automation OS I should pick and after strolling through the Hubitat community and reading/watching reviews of the platform I was very impressed and bought one yesterday. It will hopefully turn up with in a week once it's shipped.

Also a big thank you to Hubitat for supporting NZ/Australia Z-Wave frequency. We rarely get any love when it comes to technology when it comes to various different voltage and various frequencies as described below.

I am looking for any advise/tips on what type of switch, dimmer, sensors etc I should buy and in general any other tips about inclusions in a new house build like CAT6 or 6A cabling in obvious places including ceiling for mounting PoE WiFi AP's.

Switches - I really like Lutron RA2 or Caseta and their wireless frequency is legally allowed to be used in NZ but they only support 110V which is a real shame so it rules this out. I cannot import any Z-Wave switches from US due to different frequency which is illegal here with a heavy fine and possible jail term.

Zigbee switches is an option as it's universal 2.4Ghz but I don't see any popular switches known to work very well and recommended by anyone in this community or elsewhere?

Are there any recommended Z-Wave switches (preferred) over Zigbee due to much better range that anyone knows is for the NZ/Australia frequency or as last resort Zigbee switches?

My last resort is to fall back to Fibaro or Aeotec modules available in NZ that I can install behind a traditional switch but these cost like $130 a piece here. Any recommendation on whether Fibaro vs Aeotec and which is better and works best with Hubitat?

Also I see that Xiaomi Zigbee devices are very cheap and available on the likes on Aliexpress. Will they work ok natively with Hubitat without requiring Xiaomi hub if the correct drivers are loaded? Has anyone tested the reliability of sensors like presence sensor between the Lowe's Iris range vs Xiaomi as these are Zigbee and I can import these.

I am also keen to install the Philips Hue outdoor lights as these are available in NZ and quite often go on 30% off sale. Do the Phlilps Hue natively connect to Hubitat without requiring a Phlilps Hue or is recommended to connect to Philips Hue hub first and then Hubitat? Ideally I would like avoid any cloud services connectivity with my new house build automation solution if possible.

I will be installing either multiple Cisco 581, 571 or Ubiquti Pro AC AP's to add significant WiFi range and bandwidth and would connect projector, TV, PC, servers, Xbox etc via a wire to keep congestion down. I work in IT so setup part will not be difficult for me and can write scripts every now and then.

My ultimate plan is to setup Hubitat with sharptools for a nice dashboard experience on a mounted tablet and mobile Hubitat website until a native app is available for me and my wife so ease of use is very important to me due to WAF.

Any tips or advise would be greatly appreciated. Also + 100 internet points for automatic saving of topics/posts in draft when creating them in Community.

[Somel]

Xiaomi devices should be fine with the community drivers. In doubt Purchase 1 of each to test it out.

Regarding Mesh Wifi after looking into a couple of system including google wifi, ubiquiti and others i end up with Netgear Orbi and im very pleased with their performance. In fact I bought the set with 2 sattelites and I'm just using one and I have max wifi in every single corner of the house.

[keithcroshaw]

I wish that I had little conduits run to my windows for blind control that doesn't require solar.
And hardwired door contact sensors for monitoring children late at night and turning on lights late at night.

[techwhizard]

Can I use a smart z-wave switch for example with a dumb motion sensor connected to that to do motion sensing smarts like time based dimming on LED's or other rules or does the motion sensor also needs to be a smart z-wave one?

Can I also use for example a z-wave switch connected to a zigbee sensor via Hubitat? i.e Z-wave and zigbee devices can complete the automaton tasks between one another's switch & sensors via Hubitat?

[Somel]

@techwhizard

Can I use a smart z-wave switch for example with a dumb motion sensor connected to that to do motion sensing smarts like time based dimming on LED's or other rules or does the motion sensor also needs to be a smart z-wave one?

You can but the sensor will still be dumb. Working as it is today. No.integration with HE.

@techwhizard

Can I also use for example a z-wave switch connected to a zigbee sensor via Hubitat? i.e Z-wave and zigbee devices can complete the automaton tasks between one another's switch & sensors via Hubitat?

Any device that connects with HE can interact with another device in HE. Technology will not be of much relevance (When related to the question you raised).

For Example you can have a zigbee motion sensor that when movement happens triggers a zwave outlet to turn on the coffee maker.

[dcoffing]

@techwhizard

dashboard experience on a mounted tablet and mobile Hubitat website until a native app is available for me and my wife so ease of use is very important to me due to WAF.

I hear you loud and clear on this one with WAF wife-acceptance-factor. Having as much as possible operate locally without the need for internet goes a long way to maximum WAF. I fought that with ST till I was blue in the face.

My two cents is to spend some time on building out the Z-Wave or Zigbee network mesh properly to minimize future issues. How to Build a Solid Z-Wave Mesh - Hubitat Documentation

Zwave and zigbee mesh network strength

As I consider moving my devices from SmartThings to HE I am curious about zwave and zigbee powered devices that act as repeaters. Does the mesh act like one network or will there be two separate? One from ST and one from HE. My thought is how to keep my zwave and zigbee mesh networks strong and healthy as I move devices over. Especially the powered devices which are acting as repeaters.

There is another post by @JDRoberts about building out the Zwave mesh properly but I couldn't find it.

It sounds like you have a really good grasp where you want to go with home automation my friend. Welcome to the HE family!

[techwhizard]

My Hubitat arrived at the local international airport yesterday so I should recieve it tomorrow. Was quick shipping considering it left on 9th Jan via USPS. Very happy with shipping speed. Have identified that models of bits I need and it stands at 46 Zigbee devices (all Aeotec), 10 Hue devices + Hue hub and 3 Xiaomi Zigbee sensors. I am going with Aeotec Multisensor 6 and to get updated and accurate readings, I will power it via PoE injector to 5V micro USB adapters as it will be the easiest and cleanest way to power them above the ceilings before plasterboard is put on.

I hope Hubitat will handle it all without any hiccups.

[techwhizard]

Can any one please confirm if something like a Axis 8105-E video door station can be used to trigger any multiple wired or wireless Z-Wave sirens? I should be able to get the video display very easily via a VMS like say Blue Iris or Sighthound into the sharptools dashboard if that helps. The 8105-E does have a 12V relay it can provide to a wired chime but we want multiple chimes in far locations from where the door bell will be.

And do Hubitat/Aeotec dimmer supports the same LED light be able to control via multiple LED dimmer switches in same room?

[vjv]

@techwhizard

Can any one please confirm if something like a Axis 8105-E video door station can be used to trigger any multiple wired or wireless Z-Wave sirens?

Per the info here

You can add a z wave contact sensor to this relay and make rules to make your z wave sirens chime.

[josh]

It seems like you have a few options.

1. HTTP Event from the Camera
2. Contact Sensor attached to the Digital Output
3. Blue Iris HTTP 'Web Alert'

1. HTTP Event from Camera

From what I can tell, it looks like the doorbell/camera has the ability to send a 'Notification Message' whenever it detects certain events. It looks like it has a nice rule system built-in where you can setup your own rules and define the 'Notification Event Server' to receive the event.

So it sounds like you could use this to post events to Hubitat's built-in Maker API app.

2. Contact Sensor attached to the Digital Output

As VJV noted, you could add a contact sensor to the digital output on the doorbell. Note that you would want a contact sensor that specifically has digital inputs on it. Some of them are just magnetic contact sensors, but there are some like the Monoprice door/window versions (15270) that have a wired input on them that would let you use an external input (eg. from your cameras digital out).

By default, the external sensor is disabled. There's an RBoy driver on the SmartThings Community, but I'm not sure if it has been ported over. Otherwise, it looks like you can use the Basic Z-wave Tool and the steps from the following thread to enable the external sensor:

Looking for a Driver for Monoprice 15270

@emersonvier, @dcoffing, et al, I'm using the "Generic Z-Wave Contact Sensor" driver for my Monoprice 15270 Door/Window Sensor and finally had success with the External contact. Out of the box, this version's External Sensor is DISABLED by default as indicated on page 7 of the User's Manual. I used the "Basic Z-Wave Tool" to enable it WHILE IT'S AWAKE (that was the key for me). Once set, the Magnet MUST be Attached for the Wires to Respond, and the Wires must be SHORTED for the Magnet to resp…

3. Blue Iris HTTP 'Web Alert'

Since you mentioned that you will likely be feeding the camera into Blue Iris, you can use the HTTP 'Web Alert' features of Blue Iris to send events to the Hubitat Maker API app.). Unlike the first option where you would be using the camera's built-in rule system, you would be using Blue Iris' analysis to determine when to send events. If you are specifically looking to trigger on the doorbell being pressed, then the first option is probably be better. But if you want to trigger off of motion... then using Blue Iris' motion detection features could be a nice option as they are frequently more powerful/flexible than those built-into cameras.

[techwhizard]

Thanks you for the detailed replies @vjv and @josh

Looks like I need to find a dry contact sensor that can take a input from a relay which support NZ Z Wave frequency or HTTP event from camera. I don’t want to rely on detection based chime rings as someone could be in the house and it could me walking up to my front door and ready to unlock by the smart lock and occupant in the house doesn’t need to hear the chime go off.

In regards to a security alarm, I will be installing close to 10 Aeotec Multisensor 6 units powered via PoE. Could I use the built in security suite into Hubitat to arm and disarm the home with a z wave keypad or do I need konnected with hard wired sensors?

My shopping list now includes

26 Aeotec Dimmer modules for led lights, 26 Aeotec Wall Swipe units to control the dimmer module, 4 Aeotec nano switch with power metering to control washing machine, dryer, dishwasher and another appliance and check their power usage and speak out when their washing or drying loads complete. 1 Aeotec garage door controller, 13 Aeotec nano shutter for motorised roller blinds and 20 Aeotec Multisensor 6 sensors.

Thanks

[dhrowe]

so how did all this go?

[techwhizard]

Hi dhrowe. New build has not started yet but I am currently using all the mentioned sensors in existing house in a specific location for testing and playing. I did drop the idea to buy the Axis A8105-E and buy the Fanvil i31S as it is much cheaper, sturdier and offers more features and gets regular firmware updates.

[shehzad]

@techwhizard I am doing exactly same in NZ. I have imported a different Hub though and ordering multiple Zigbee devices.
I am also thinking to order Fanvil i31S Video Door Phone.
just wondering hows your testing been so far.
make sure to have power points for curtain motors in new home ...