I want to automate a few things around my house. I install my Hubitat hub on my network, I register it, set the time zone, enter my location, the total square footage and number of floors in my house. I answer a few more questions and check off the names of rooms like dinning, kitchen, covered porch, etc. This takes about twenty minutes; I start wondering how much time home automation takes.
Then I start adding devices. My first purchase is a ZigBee bulb, motion sensor, and contact sensor. I pair them, put them in place and assign them to a room I had selected during setup called âEntry Wayâ. I go to the now present âEntry Wayâ tab and see a visual representation of each assigned device with some additional status data. Iâm not sure what to do so I click the rooms configure icon. A menu unfolds with a simple slider that shows auto configure already selected. Feeling slightly foolish, I walk to the front door and to my surprise the bulb turns on with motion. I also learn through some semi-timid experimentation that the bulb turns on when the door opens. Feeling much less foolish now, I take a break and enjoy my first automation for a few days.
Itâs the weekend; home automation was so fun and simple; I wonder what else it can do? I go to the hub main page, click âEntry Wayâ and re-open the configuration menu. I turn off the auto configure slider, and underneath the slider a drop-down menu with check boxes labeled advanced automations appears. The advanced automations menu has options for âlights on with motionâ, âlights on with contact openâ, and âlights on with contact closedâ. I select the first two and realize I just recreated the default auto-configuration. I find out later that these are context aware, when I remove the motion sensor from the âEntry Wayâ to reuse in another automation and the motion-based options are now gone. But for now, I am unsatisfied with reproducing the default configuration. Itâs time to go deeper and check out the customize room link at the bottom of the page. This causes another fly-out page where I can further customize the selected profiles by specifying bulb: level, color, or CT based on modes, and the delay to turn off the light and something else called motion time-out. I set a 5-minute delay that cancels on motion. I experiment with these for a few minutes and call it quits until after lunch.
Now with a full belly and beverage in hand I go back to the hubs main configuration page and notice the Hubitat Automations Store icon. Itâs a terrible name because no money is collected, but itâs otherwise a fantastic place to explore. This is where other users/developers have posted rules and automations that I can download and add to my rooms! When I later learn I can search by developer I start vacuuming up apps from my favorite contributors. I donât even have all the devices needed for some of them, but I donât care, this is so easy and fun! I solemnly explain to my wife that I HAVE to run to the store to pick-up some much needed new light bulbs (and sensors).
Itâs fantasy⌠I like what Hubitat Elevation has created⌠It could be twice as difficult to use, and Iâd still be here. Someone will make it this easy and theyâre going to take the market.
