Not at all. They are complete apps that run on hubitat.
Right once authorized it's perpetual... For Maker api, just create an instance and tell it what devices you want to be available...Just mouse click and go.
Pretty much all built in automation apps are subsets of rule machine... Using Simple Automation app can be easier than using RM to build an automation.
Yes almost everything has an endpoint.
The endpoints if you allow them to be exposed to the cloud go through hubitat's servers. If you just use the local ones, you can use a VPN when outside your lan..
@JohnBentley Here is an example of a complete app that runs on hubiat. This is cocohue. It integrated Hue bridges and their attached devices into Hubitat.
I don't see anything in that post that isn't also true for Hubitat. For both systems, the mobile app is completely optional, and you can do everything from the web interface. (There are minor exceptions for both--Home Assistant needs the app for Matter for some reason, even if you aren't commissioning a device; and Hubitat needs it for Z-Wave QR codes, but traditional inclusion still works.)
You could also write your own app, or whatever interface you want for Hubitat, using Maker API (or a custom app on the hub that responds to your app, or whatever you need it to do).
As @bertabcd1234 put it you have 100% local control and access through the app or web interface (I hate using the app for doing stuff outside of the occasional dashboard, I primarily use my PC. This also goes for HA). Even integrations with cocohue and lutron and the like are 100% local.
I have an ASUS router and routinely access my hubs via VPN (Instant Guard, Asusâs own built-in VPN) and web browser. No need for a remote admin account at all. I rarely use the Mobile app as most of the features I have found to be unstable (notifications and geo-fencing in particular) The dashboards are very stable, but as @jtp10181 points out arenât very aesthetically pleasing without a lot of CSS work. I suspect if you kept your VPN connected whenever away you could always connect locally.
I am one who wanted to get away from Hueâs cloud requirement (mostly motion sensors). Those can be paired directly to the hub without the hue hub. They donât pair to a C8 if you already have Zigbee 3.0 devices on it, however. You would need to remove those first, pair the hue motion sensors, and then add the Zigbee 3.0 devices back. I recently spent a week figuring that one out. They will pair to a C7 with Zigbee 3.0 devices just fine.
In the end, if you want purely local control it is obtainable, but keep in mind some devices do require a cloud connection to function (ecobee thermostat for example), so you would need to find an alternative that doesnât, and this community is a great place to find suggestions for alternatives. If it is out there, someone here knows about it or has it.
I'd second (fourth / echo) the comments made here... there may be cloud requirements for certain functions in HE, but where possible the HE dev's will provide a local option. One of the driving forces behind the creation of the hub was local control in favour of the cloud-based control offered by Smartthings (at the time). Early adopters, some involved in this conversation, also adopted a similar philosophy and enjoyed the benefits this brought.... and so have all since....
That said, this does not mean the developers of Home Assistant have not adopted a similar approach, and I am not going to claim any extensive experience or knowledge in this space... But I would be interested to hear the areas you feel HE and HA differ in this regard.
Wow, that sounds more formal that I intended.... Tell us what we are missing out on What made you choose HA over HE? What features would make you choose HE if they included them?
I would be curious to know what HA can do locally that HE can't. I have only seen wifi integrations that HA has over HE but those are not local. I only experiment with HA because it is way too complicated so I only know the basics.
Thinking more about it... and this does not relate to the day-to-day experience... But I must say the experience of having things like Hue, Harmony, Bond, Sonos and Chromecast automatically detected and setup for me when I first opened HA was nice.
"Find hubs" works just fine over VPN. In fact, until I learned about using the button for "Registered Hubs" in the app, it was the primary way I accessed my hub for admin when I was out and about. The only thing that doesn't work when I am outside of my lan is the direct "Connect to Hub" button on the app. But, that is likely because my Firewall changes the DNS names and the app doesn't use the IP address. Once I go into the registered hubs, I click the button for my hub and it connects as if I were at home.
The dashboard shortcuts I have on my phone are all local IP, as opposed to cloud, and work just fine as well.
What made you choose HA over HE? What features would make you choose HE if they included them?
