Hi Guys,
Long time ST user here whos thinking of jumping ship to Hubitat for that local execution goodness but I have a question...
The background (and reasoning):
Following the recent changeover to the new ST app I decided to check out the new Automation capability. I've been interested in local execution for some time and have tinkered with HA and OpenHAB in the past but to no real end. Now that ST are touting local, I thought I'd give it a shot with the kit I already have. I sat down last night to see how many of my 32 webCoRE pistons can now be moved back into ST and I was thoroughly disappointed to find only 1 makes use solely of devices that are processed locally (Visonic Door Contacts to auto-lock Kwikset locks).
Most of the devices in my home are using DTHs installed via the ST IDE, and I've seen here that a lot of my devices are supported in Hubitat (Inovelli, Sonoff, Kwikset, Iris, Securify), so I'd like to get clarification on if the same thing applies in Hubitat, i.e if any devices are using Community Device Drivers are used in an automation then the execution must be processed in the cloud?
The only cloud use is what you might specify. If you want to use a driver that relies on a cloud resource (like a company's API) or make your dashboard available over the cloud... those will not be local (their use). But that same dashboard is available locally also and many developers try to make their drivers as "local" as possible to the Hubitat and device directly.
Plus, any Rules or automations you set up on the Hubitat, even if they use a cloud-accessing driver from an API will still be run locally.
Example: I have a weather-service checking device created that uses a driver that accesses the weather company's API. When it checks for data, it is using the cloud. However, the Hubitat Rule I have that checks the device to see if it is dangerously windy, and do stuff as a result? That is all operating local on the Hubitat.
Just to add to that. Some companies like Rheem, some of the Honeywell (the TCC) thermostats, MyQ garage doors, and a few other things are reliant on having internet to work. That is a risk of those type devices. But the drivers/apps are on the Hubitat hub and the processing lives on your hub.
You could run into a situation where the internet is down (or a particular service was down) and you would lose the ability to control or use the data from those particular devices. BUT everything else like all your light switches, locks, notifications, and so on would operate just fine and all the rules associated with those local devices would continue to work.
So for one specific example, using MyQ, pretend their server is down. You get a notification from Hubitat that the door is open for too long, but you would not be able to remotely close the door. You would get this alert because you have a tilt sensor integrated with Hubitat and not going through MyQ. Hubitat did it's part, it watched how long the door was open. That rule ran and the sensor info was processed locally.
I have recently migrated from ST to a new Hubitat C7, exactly for the same reasons that you mention. Please be awhere that the current C7 implimentation of z-wave is not as robust as ST. When I was on ST I never had z-wave devices drop off the mesh, I can't say the same about the C7. Go to the Hubitat compatibility list and make sure your devices are on it, if they are not, there is a reason. I'm not trying to scare you off, but Hubitat is now a $140 investment and I have found it to be more hands on than ST. I'm nowhere near ditching Hubitat, but I really hope the next release fixes this. Now that ST has closed down the classic app, I'm interested in what it will look like when they close the Groovy IDE.
I suggest the Ring Extender 2 devices (I have 4). They work well, have battery backup, and, if paired S2, report power fail events so that you can do appropriate notifications and Rule Machine automations.
So does that mean that the range improvements touted with the 700 series module in the C-7 are only valid when communicating with other 700 series devices? There is no improvement for earlier devices? Might explain why adding 700 series repeaters at first really help build a good mesh.
There is still only one SmartApp that is 'capable' of running locally on a ST Hub... and that is SmartLighting.
5+ years later - no other SmartApps can run on the ST hub locally. Sure, they've added more DTH's locally, but what good is that if you're running webCoRE? A year ago they discussed a local Rules API...but there is still nothing available for anyone to use.
And now that Samsung is handing over their Hub and Sensor hardware to Aeotec, I don't know what to expect...except I doubt there is any more local processing coming any time soon...
So even though my door contact sensors and Kwikset 916s show as "local" in the IDE, you mean to tell me that if I pull the patch cord out of my ST hub that automation wont run?
Correct. ONLY SmartLighting has a chance of running locally at this time...and only IF you're in a region where it is supported, and only IF all of the DTHs are also running locally, and only IF you don't lose power on your ST hub.
The 500 series device would be the one used in the C5 hub? Ive got a watch on a couple of these that are at a reasonable price atm, I dont have the funds to shell out for a new C7 atm.
My first ZWave device is about 3M from where the hub will sit on top of my media cabinet, and there are Zigbee repeaters (peanut plugs) in the rooms on either side through one block wall.
With ST I don't have any issues atm with devices dropping off in this setup, and everything is pretty responsive compared to some of the worst case videos I've seen of delays others are suffering with ST.
Do you guys think I'll be OK like that or am I likely to have issues?
A year ago they discussed a local Rules API...but there is still nothing available for anyone to use.
