Can someone just give a noob some guidance? I have another property that I need to start monitoring remotely when I'm not there. I figure that, whilst it will start with cameras, it will move to door sensors, temp sensors, tripwire, zombie traps and the full works.
Will Hubitat fit what I need? The cameras are perhaps an aside, they would probably have their own management tool, but woud Hubitat allow me to manage those sensors?
Also, is it only Zigbee compat devices I should look at?
Is there a brand that does a good range of sensors that I can stick to? I've heard people recommend Sonoff with Hubitat and they seem cheap and do a range of bits.
I'll probably have the Hubitat unit in a central location next to the router and have bits around it either on ethernet or wifi, with wifi extenders/meshes.
Short answer Hubitat can do it. Longer answer regardless if you choose Zigbee or ZWave you will need to make sure you build a solid mesh for your sensors. Direct camera integration isn’t in the current firmware, but there are ways to use some of them as motion sensors for other automations.
You will get lots of different recommendations and also a fair amount of conflicting experiences. It depends on your environment and as @thebearmay says strength of your mesh. You might consider getting a hub and some devices to play around with as a test. Cost to play is not very much given what you want to use it for.
If you decide to go the HE route for your remote property I would also consider buying 2 hubs - to have one on hand in case of failure. Also recommend the backup service as well.
For security - maybe the Ring Security system. You might even be able to use that instead of HE depending on your use-case.
When talking zigbee meshes, I'm assuming like a WiFi mesh, the more devices in a given area, the more paths back to the hub? So it's a case of getting more devices and, if I have a small number of devices, getting those small USB zigbee extenders you see on ebay?
As for backing up. Good point. I'm assuming that the hubs can do some kind of scheduled backup? I won't do two units initially as, honestly, I'm on a budget. I was looking at open source HA but kinda fancied something outta-the-box.
It depends on the ZB devices and where they are placed. Some ZB devices do not repeat others like Tuya/Aqara pre-Zigbee3 have issues outside of their hubs. In terms of a strong mesh, yeah outlets are usually a good bet. I would only get Zigbee 3 devices at this point.
Automated backups already occur with HE out of the box and since you are using only Zigbee, you might be good to go. Note: the backup does NOT include Z-Wave devices or other niceties available via their service. Another thing to consider if not using a VPN for remote access is their remote admin service.
In terms of "out of the box" functionality - I would say that HE lives somewhere between HA and a system like Google or Amazon in terms of setup/ease of use and flexibility. Again depends on what you want to do.
I can highly recommend Hubitat for a remote location, and goodness knows I'm a big Hubitat fan, with four hubs across four different buildings/two properties. For automation, it's the best thing available, in my view. But that said, I would not rely on it for security. Buy a dedicated, monitored security system, for that.
We have a hard-wired, professionally installed security system at our home, and a Simplisafe system at a small local shop we own. If I had to install a system in a new, not-too-big property, I'd go with Simplisafe.
My reasoning is that I've had Z-wave and Zigbee sensors fail or "drop off" suddenly, for no apparent reason and with a great mesh, while I've never had that happen with a true security system sensor. The level of reliability between the two types of systems is dramatic.
So, others may disagree, but I'd say match the device (and hub) with the purpose.
@user3091 IF you are looking for an “instant”, turn-key, one vendor approach you may be more satisfied with other options such as Eufy, Ring, Blink, Kasa, SimpliSafe, etc.
For example, Eufy has cameras, video doorbell, door/window sensor, motion sensor, door lock and a central hub (called Homebase) where videos and data stored LOCALLY. Many of the cameras have long battery life, optional solar panel charging, built-in solar charging and the Homebase has an optional battery backup so your monitoring continues even during power outage. It lacks temp/humidity sensor, fire/smoke/CO detectors and any devices to control (turn on/off) things. Unlike the other vendors, NO monthly fees unless you want optional cloud storage and/or professional monitoring.
Hubitat is your best option IF you want to do monitoring and control of devices from multiple vendors with the ability to customize and add some intelligence (if then logic) to how your system responds to various conditions.
I don't know what your intended "use case" might be but I highly recommend a thermostat with remote monitoring/control options. Mine does not work with Hubitat but several do. I also second the Flume water monitor. Mine has paid for itself many times over - partly because my water company rebated much of the cost.
I have Hubitat @ home. But 2 places I monitor. A camper with a cellular gateway and a second kinda remote home with T-mobile 5g gateway. Hubitat is great for my house, but both the other places I don’t see a local need, or benefit. The camper has 3 Wyze ( V3 pro 2K ) and 2 wyze outdoor ( battery last 80+ days ) and their AI is pretty good ( it says my “pets” are deer, possums, bear, turkeys, cats ) but it detects a sparrow at 30+ feet. For the camper there are a few Tuya wifi sensors for temps in fridge, camper and outside.
The home has 6 wyze cameras, Sengled Zigbee lights - hub, about 8 tuya zigbee sensors / hub and a wifi august lock . It’s not all together in one hub, but it’s all reliable. If we ever use the house permanently or it’s used more than a week a year, I stayed all Zigbee so I can roll the Zigbee into a Hubitat. Notifications from Hubitat in the app aren’t all that and a bag of chips. Maybe when a new Hubitat hub is released, I’ll move the current one there. Unless you go all in on Wyze, Blink or some others, you don’t get video on the automation app / hub anyway, so you’re not really consolidating anything with the inclusion of a Hubitat hub.
