Moving from Wink

📐 Rule Machine® All things Rule Machine
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I currently have a Wink hub which appears to be essentially shutting down. I mainly use Z Wave switches by GE which won't be a problem to move over. I use some of the Lutron Connected Bulb Remotes which I understand won't transfer over. I have ordered a Lutron Bridge Pro and some of the Pico remotes which if I understand things correctly will allow me to replicate the triggers from the LCBRs. We also have Echo setup and connected with Wink for some simple voice control and a Logitech Harmony Elite Remote with the Hub Extender which allows the remote to control some lights.

I understand that Hubitat doesn't really have an app and since I am starting from basically the ground up I am trying to decide how best to connect everything up and am hoping for some feedback from those with experience and knowledge.

Should I connect everything to the Hubitat and then allow Echo to control those devices and then that control can flow down to the Logitech?

Should I connect everything to Echo and then use Hubitat's more advanced features control those devices through the automation routines and the Pico remotes linked through the Lutron Bridge?

We have Apple phones and tablets, should I get an Apple hub and have that be the primary Z Wave connecting point so we can use their app to control stuff?

It just occurred to me that for local control I might need to have the Hubitat be the primary controller of all the devices, is that correct or could I still use local control should Echo or Apple be unavailable if I went that route?

Any suggestions are appreciated, the sudden shutdown of Wink has left us in a bit of a pickle and while I want to get everything back up and running quickly I don't want to lose some of the more custom features. Along those lines is there anything similar to the Wink Relay (basically a wall mounted smartphone) that works well with Hubitat?

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Apple Homekit doesn't directly support Z-Wave, so you will need to connect your Z-Wave devices to Hubitat. My understanding is that Echo can only connect directly to Zigbee devices but they can be exposed to Echo (Alexa) like Wink with the app built into Hubitat.

I too moved from Wink to Hubitat a while back and use Homebridge to link Apple Home to my devices in Hubitat. Apple Home interface is much better and also allows access outside your network. Technically, Hubitat does have an app and you can create "Dashboards" to control your devices, but it is quite a bit of work and not nearly as nice as the Wink UI.

I have also exposed my devices to Alexa via the Alexa Echo Skill app in Hubitat. We hardly use Alexa but it's nice to have it available to turn off lights if needed. I have kept all the logic in Hubitat. The rules engine (RM) has a bit of a learning curve compared to Wink robots but also has many more capabilities.

I think you would need external connectivity to control devices through Alexa. On the Apple front, since you cannot connect Z-Wave devices directly, you would be unable to control the devices if you were away from home. All devices and logic will continue to work if your rules and devices are connected to Hubitat.

Hope this helps.

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Be sure to read the Hubitat Documentation on building a solid z-wave mesh:

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=How_to_Build_a_Solid_Z-Wave_Mesh

Correct. That being said, I just (this week) started using mine to control Hubitat-paired bulbs using a combination of zigbee2mqtt and Node-RED. Zigbee2mqtt to pair the Lutron CBRs with, and Node-RED to integrate zigbee2mqtt and Hubitat.

It does. The app will let you see your Hubitat dashboards, receive notifications, and be used for geofencing. It cannot be used to include/exclude devices.

There is no Apple hub that supports z-wave.

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Welcome to Hubitat! I know these guys mean well, but let's start slower.

You are going to want to slowly migrate things and get used to how different the experience is going to be here for you than Wink. Trust us, many of use like @aaiyar and myself are ex-Wink users. It's not at all the same interface, but you'll get the hang of it.

The docs are a great place to start. They're really geared toward the hub Web Interface as its known, and how to use the included apps, rather than walking you through step by step for the entire hub capabilities. There's a little bit of step by step, but then you're expected to know what you're doing after that. It's just that this hub is SO MUCH more flexible and capable than Wink, that the docs don't really cater to "do this, and then this and we're all out of tricks" like Wink does.

Registration and Setup doc is here

Compatible devices are here

Tons of community integrations and a very welcoming community. Ready to answer questions if you're kind (you're off to a good start :wink:). Unlike Wink where you were given a small set of compatible device and then couldn't use anything that wasn't listed, Hubitat Elevation allows you to use custom code from the community. It's very simple. Either copy and paste, or there is a community built app named Package Manager that a lot of the community developers have added their apps and drivers to and you can auto install and update using it.
~
In case you're wondering:
A driver is what allows devices to communicate with the hub (The guy driving the car in a way).

An app adds capabilities to the hub and in some cases it works together with a driver to assist in configuring the driver and adding to its capabilities to work within the hub (e.g. The app is the car that the driver is driving :wink:).
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Things. will be confusing if you're comparing Hubitat Elevation to Wink, so do yourself a favor and don't. It's a hub for simple to complex automations. It's not a glorified remote control on your cellphone.

There is a mobile app, but it's for geolocaton, Z-Wave tools, User management, quick access to documentation and diagnostic tools. Not for directly controlling your devices. You can access Hubitat Dashboards which let you connect to devices remotely through any mobile device or a desktop, but they're for device control, not administration. You have to setup your own dashboards and customize them the way you want. Here's the Dashboard documentation when you're ready.

Word of advice about devices. Learn about the device details and test your devices there. Don't head right to dashboards and start using that to confirm device operation.

Down the road, you will probably want to setup Homebridge so you can get Hubitat devices (pretty well any device on Hubitat) into HomeKit. For an iOS user that's a very nice alternative way to control devices and very quick to access from the iOS control center or the Home app from a MacOS computer. But that requires a separate computer like a RaspberryPi to run Homebridge. There's an easy to setup and use version of Homebridge called Hoobs. Here's the link to the Hoobs images when you're ready for that step. All you need to do is image it to an SD card for the appropriate Raspberry Pi and you're on your way. Or if you want to support the guys that wrote Hoobs, you can buy their ready-made box. Then you'll need the plugin for Hubitat, but Hoobs makes that pretty easy to setup and there are instructions right there with the plugin. But again, get yourself comfortable with using Hubitat Elevation before you get into these third-party integrations.

Good luck and post questions when you have them. The community is willing and ready.

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Thank you for all the responses and assistance. I had a decent grasp on all the technology five years ago when I put the Wink system in but since then all I have done is added a couple of switches and done some other easy stuff. So getting knowledgeable again, and trying to do it quickly while all of my stuff is fairly well horsed up, is a challenge. I do look forward to the expanded features, should give me plenty to tinker with to help retain knowledge.

My plan:

  1. Get the Hubitat and set it up.
  2. Start adding my GE switches, might be a challenge as some are models without factory reset options.
  3. Make sure all switches have been properly added.
  4. Run a Z-Wave Repair to optimize the mesh network.
  5. Add other products that don't have repeaters such as Garage Door opener and sensor.
  6. Connect up the Lutron Bridge and get the Pico remotes working, I appreciate the LCBR suggestion but that's a bit advanced and I have two lights with "hidden" switches that I need to get control of quickly.
  7. Revisit the suggestions for how best to expand the functionality once the basics are done.

If that's a poor plan let me know, hoping to have the Hubitat within a few days. We can live without the advanced features for a bit longer.

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I'm watching this post.
I'm a long time Wink user. I have 5 Lutron Caseta dimmers, 12 smart bulbs with a mixture of GE Link and Philips Hue. I have a few smart Logitech smart plugs, locks, Arlo cams, and so far 2 philips outdoor motion sensors. I liked that Wink was able to take a bunch of devices and provide me a place to make them work with schedules and interact with each other. I was hoping the subscription model would sustain Wink for at least some time into the future, but it looks like it's circling the drain: My first interaction with Wink support since the subscription models took over a month. Now, Echo integration has dropped off line for several days, there has been no information from Wink, and Amazon sent me a letter trying to sell me a hub integrated Echo. It seems like the right time to take the plunge and finally set up my Hubitat Elevation. When I've read about setting up things with Hubitat, it scares me away and I keep hoping my easy Wink interface will stay above the drain.
I've had a Hubitat connected to my Mesh Wifi for 6 months. When I read the tutorials on setting it up, my head hurts. I feel like I'm back in college trying to program the mainframe computer again (40 years ago). I've come to the main Hubitat site many times and watched the tutorial videos and get discouraged. So here I am. Time to take the plunge and learn how to use my new hub. Any help is appreciated.

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Welcome!

You will need the Lutron Caseta Smart Bridge Pro to control these via Hubitat.

Need some details on these. Are they z-wave? Which model numbers?

These work with Hubitat. I have a couple.

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Hi Aaiyar!
The lock is a Schlage and it's Z-wave, and I'm not too worried about the plug, but I was wrong it's an iHome not Logitech. It controls a generic rope light and I'll probably switch to a Philips Hue smart strip. Since the decline of Wink, I've been reluctant to purchase more smart home devices until I move in a direction and assemble a system that works. One think I'm really going to miss is that I used to use my Arlo cameras to trigger lights around the house, and Arlo seems to have become a dead end.

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While these cannot be controlled locally by Hubitat, they can be controlled using Alexa routines and Hubitat's Amazon Echo Skill integration.

Totally understandable. I would recommend sticking with z-wave+ and zigbee (zha1.2/zigbee 3.0) devices because they are platform agnostic and will work with any z-wave controller or zigbee coordinator that is zha1.2 compliant.

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Also, adding some repeaters when switching from Wink to HE can be helpful.
It seemed to stabilize things quite a bit with my transition to a C5 hub.
Tradfri for ZigBee, Ring for Z-wave.

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Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately you're speaking complete greek to me. Consider me a 60 year old complete noob.

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GE Link bulbs do not have the best reputation when used directly with the HE hub.
They can cause lots of trouble with your ZigBee mesh.
But if you'd like to keep the GE bulbs, they are compatible with the Philips Hue Bridge hub.
Hue Bridge hubs are easy to integrate with HE for stable bulb control.

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Hubitat relies highly on the mesh nature of z-wave and zigbee for its function. @Ranchitat was indicating two items regarded to be excellent zigbee repeaters (Tradfri USB repeaters), and z-wave repeaters (Ring repeaters).

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Dooh, I thought @casaflyr was referring to your post.

History and Etymology for agnostic

Noun

Greek ágnōstos "unknown, unknowable" (from a- A- entry 2 + gnōstós "known," variant of gnōtós, verbal adjective of gignṓskein "to KNOW entry 1") + -IC entry 2 (after GNOSTIC)

:wink:

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I'm going to hook up my Hubitat for the first time, but the Wink outage is holding my devices hostage. Any way to recover the older GE dimmer switches, and Yale door locks for the migration to Hubitat?

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They claim they are implementing a fix, not holding my breath but it might be worth it to wait a few days to see if we can get access to Wink again to properly remove them. Some of the GE stuff can be reset, some cannot. I started working on a list of what I have, listed below, and what can be reset but then realized they all look the same and I won't be pulling them to look at model numbers so I will try to reset all using the normal routine (three times on and three times off) a few times. Once I have done that I intend to cut power to all of them for a few minutes, power them back up, and then I will try to add them. I have a 100' ethernet cable and an extension cord ready to go so I can haul the Hubitat around to be close to them. If they cannot be added then I will exclude and add. My hope is that none are bricked. If less than 1/2 are bricked I will replace them with a better unit, if more than 1/2 are bricked then they will all go. Hopefully there is some ability to resell them on ebay to recoup some of the cost. I hear you can send them in to Jasco for a reset so I would do that with the broken ones before selling them.

46202
14292
12724
12722 - no reset?
12727
12718
45605
12729

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Homebridge works really especially for Ring and even Arlo devices.

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Hello, welcome to the Hubitat forum.

You can use any Zwave hub to exclude any Zwave device. All you need to do is find the pairing instructions (or exclusion instructions if they are different) for your particular device, tell Hubitat to exclude, then repeat the process to include. In fact, I exclude even brand new devices before including.

So in short, you can unplug the Wink hub, and just use the Hubitat to do everything.

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You definitely want to do the exclude and include with the Hubitat. Otherwise, they are "stuck" with the Wink hub. There is no reason they should be "bricked".

You might want newer devices, and this would be a terrific time to start fresh with newer devices, but the old ones should work at some basic level.

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Join and Reset instructions for your devices can be found here.

https://docs.hubitat.com/index.php?title=Join_and_Reset_Instructions

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