Manufacturers device accounts

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1

Hi All
I am getting ready to dive into this for the first time. I don't have a system yet, but when I do go for it (which will be in the next few months) I am going with HE. Love the local processing.

Here's my first question that I can't find an answer to: devices - it seems like every device I shop for (and I'm going mostly for security purposes BTW) requires you to use the device manufacturer's app and sign up for an account with them. I absolutely DO NOT want to do this. Is this required of most devices? Or is it just something the manufacturer would LIKE you to do. My setup is going to be a few cameras or camera system, deadbolts, motion sensors, door and window sensors, etc. I just don't want to have to have all of these accounts and have to deal with their cloud. That's why I want local processing in the first place.

Thanks in advance.

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Then you should avoid many/most WiFi devices and stick with Zigbee, Zwave, or Lutron. There are some WiFi devices that can be used exclusively local, but it is much easier to just stick with the protocols that don't involve cloud at all.

And welcome to Hubitat forums, hope you enjoy your stay. :slightly_smiling_face:

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3

Hi, thanks for the response.

That's kinda what I thought. But even zigbee/zwave devices seem to be this way. I don't have anything yet, so I have no experience. That's just how it seems in the descriptions.

4

Zigbee and Zwave are not that way. I've never made an account for either of those types of devices, and I literally have hundreds of them now.

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5

No, they aren't.

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6

Ninja!

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7

Great! Thank you all so much for putting my mind at ease. Stick with the Z's and get to it! I will start getting it together soon.

Thanks again!

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8

Note - there are some WiFi devices that can be controlled locally without a manufacturer's account. One example being MagicLight LED lights - @adamkempenich has written a community integration for them. There are other examples of this nature as well.

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9

Although this isn't a complete list of everything that works with Hubitat, these are tested and known to work. List of Compatible Devices - Hubitat Documentation

There are other devices that may work, so you might want to search the forums before purchasing devices.

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10

The only time I've ever seen an account like interaction with the mfg is when you want to download an updated firmware for the device. And then its not really an account but more like joining a forum.

You might post some of the devices you see mfg accounts required. I'm sure someone has experience with them and can provide you with their take on your concern.

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11

Thanks everyone. So if I understand correctly: Zigbee/Zwave should be ok, wifi devices - I should check with the community first?

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12

Yes

Personally I stay away from WiFi. I prefer not to add yet another "Hub" in the path of my devices. Remember if your router locks up you loose control of the WiFi based devices.

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13

Great, thanks.

Any recommendations on a video doorbell? This seems to be a roadblock.

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Some locks have dual capabilities via bluetooth or wifi as well as zigbee/z-wave. These can give you local control via zigbee or z-wave and also the ability to register for a cloud account to get access to other features like bluetooth key management or remote lock/unlock. Sometimes these type of devices will require account registration in order to connect and manage the lock. (The August Smart Lock Pro, for example, uses bluetooth and z-wave, but you have to setup the mobile app and create an account before you can get the device to join a z-wave network.)

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This is what I'm running into on my searches. I just don't know which ones require an account and which ones don't. I'll probably just have to buy some, with the understanding that I might have to return it.

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The set instructions should make it pretty obvious, and you can usually look at them before purchasing.