I recently purchased my first house and I'm starting to look into home automation. I was looking into Samsung's SmartThings, but came across the Hubitat and was wondering if this can be the device for me. I'm very new to this and I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can from this community. Below are the devices I have, will be buying, and may buy in the future. I've also included what I would like to do from the dashboard. Thank you, all!
Have:
2 August Lock Pro 3rd Gen
3 Yi Dome Cameras (May switch to Wyze)
4 TP-Link Kasa Smart Plugs
2 TP-Link Kasa Power Strips
1 Nexx Garage Opener
Buying:
1 Nest or Ecobee Thermostat (Open to others)
1 Ring Video Doorbell 2 (Open to others)
Hubitat Elevation
Amazon Fire HD 8
May Buy:
Water Sensor
Door/Window Sensor
Smart Smoke/CO Detector
Abilities:
Lock front door and garage door from dashboard (August Lock Pro 3rd Gen)
View security cameras from dashboard (Yi or Wyze)
Control thermostat from dashboard
Check status of doors -- locked or unlocked from dashboard (August Lock Pro 3rd Gen)
Check status of garage door - open or closed from dashboard (Nexx Garage Opener)
View location of family members from dashboard (Life360)
Welcome @xkdx! I'm relatively new to Hubitat and this is one of those YMMV questions but I'll give you my perspective. As background, I was previously using X-10 devices which, although limited, provided basic lighting automation. I'd been looking to switch to something more modern and kept hoping Wink would gain traction. I came across Hubitat and it seemed like a good fit. I'm very happy with the "switch" (although my wife thinks I've gone too far sometimes such as when the dehumidifier says it needs to be emptied via Alexa).
As far as your list above goes:
I have the same August Lock. I generally use the August native auto-lock and auto-unlock capabilities but have it connected to Hubitat and from there exposed to Alexa.
I have 3 TP-Link HS105 plugs and an HS220 dimmer switch. I'm using the community driver for them and they work fine.
I have an Ecobee 3 and have it connected via the built-in integration. It's exposed and controlled from my dashboard. I think there is also a community driver that provides greatly extended functionality but I haven't seen a need for it.
I have an iHome WiFi water sensor (before I got Hubitat) integrated via IFTTT and a Samsung Zigbee sensor.
A few other comments:
I have a few Zooz motion detectors and really like the ability to have the garage lights go on (and turn off) automatically. I also have an upstairs hall light go on when it's dark based on an illumination sensor.
I used to have a pushbutton controller for my 16 X-10 switches but now find it's easier to use the Hubitat dashboard or Alexa to control things. For example, "Alexa, turn on nightwatch" turns on the TV and receiver via a Harmony Hub and sets the overhead lights and a lamp to 30%. I also have Alexa announce that my wife or I are almost home if the other one is home. I use the Hubitat app for presence since the Life360 (and partner) privacy policies go too far (or really, not far enough for me).
Related to not using Life360, I like the local processing and privacy provided by Hubitat vs. SmartThings.
This community is amazing. Searching the community posts is easy and typically answers most questions I have. If there is something unique, people are always ready to jump in with helpful advice. Finally, the community provides a lot of outstanding extensions (apps and device drivers) for things that aren't currently supported by Hubitat out of the box.
Lastly, the support from the Hubitat team is outstanding. Enhancements are made regularly and support has been responsive. If you haven't seen them already, search for the YouTube "Hubitat Live" shows to get a sense of the people involved.
I hope this helps some. I'm sure there will be other people jumping in but let us know if there are other questions.
I would buy a z-wave or zigbee thermostat as a rule. Since HE can do most of the smarts that NEST and Ecobee can do, I find it better to just be the master of everything and not have another controller.
@RichCNJ - thank you for your response! The zooz motion detectors that has the ability to turn on and off lights automatically is something I'd love to add!
@napalmcsr - thank you as well! I'll look into a z-wave or zigbee thermostat
I had the ring and now have the nest hello. Personally I prefer the nest hello, looks and ability.
But I did already have protects and the thermostat so it makes sense to have one app over two.
If there was such a thing as a powered ZigBee thermostat with opentherm capabilities, I also would go down that route as well rather than using the cloud.
