I just dug back in my e-mail archives to see I started with SmartThings in January 2014. I'm recalling the developer sessions using BlueJeans conferencing. Also remembering the unpredictable latency if any devices or applications were in the cloud (several of mine were). My how far we have come!
Sometime around July of 2018 I started moving to Hubitat after much frustration with the latency in apps running in the SmartThings cloud.
In the winter of 2018-2019 I began replacing all my dimmers and switches with Lutron Caséta. This was a good move!
I bought a v1 ST kit in March 2014 that included a motion, multi, and a few other sensors. The multi has been on my garage since that time and still going strong with AAAA batteries that last about 2 years. Everything else has been retired.
Bought HE in early Feb 2018 and fully migrated in March (4 years after starting ST journey) and have been loving it since then.
Hardwired mains analog timeclocks - 1977
Leviton x10 - 1979
Hardwired mains timeclocks controlling hardwired relays & contactors - 1989
Digital Leviton timeclocks, controlling hardwired mains relays & contactors - 2005-ish
Echo Dots - 2016-2017
Ecobee4 - Apr 2018
Assorted app-controlled device to replace digital Leviton timeclocks - Jun 2018
HE C4 - Aug 2018 (started as zwave). Switched devices to zigbee Jan 2019
HE C7 - May 2022 (lightning fried my C4)
Still using the original 1989 hardwired mains relay & contactor for the water heater. It made it through all the transitions from the analog timeclock to HE/Alexa.
I started around 2013 or 14 with wink, used Lutron Caseta off the bat also used those horrible GE bulbs... Eventually bought a wink 2. When they announced they were going to the pay model I jumped ship to Hubitat after a good bit of research... Then my home automation education really began. Thinking back to what I was doing then to now is so radically different simply because I know more now...Remote control versus actual automation...
I think I started sometime in 2015 with a Smartthings V2 Hub and a few outlets, a Hue Hub for a couple of outside lights. That was it for several years until I realised more was possible with Smartthings than just using the phone app. After getting some large curtains that I didn't fancy manually drawing twice a day, I discovered Z Wave and added motors and modules to all my curtains. I don't remember exactly what prompted me to move to Hubitat, but since I did just under 2 years ago, it has become a hobby and I'm almost obsessively looking for the next thing to control or automate - there's not much left!
I've learned so much from this forum and its regulars and I'm always on here looking through what others need help with, in case I can pass some of that knowledge on.
I’ve stopped at Life360. The ping that tells me my wife has left work is the signal for me to return the house to how she left it within 15 minutes. Though maybe I should back that up with a countdown timer and announcements on Sonos
Yeah - I curse myself when (I think) everything has been tidied up but I’ve forgot one thing….. the XBox controller is sat on the chair arm instead of the media stand. The tell tale sign that I’ve spent several hours playing Call of Duty doh!
