Hi all, I continue to explore the capabilities of my C-7 and set up various rules and automations. So far I've been using the following apps:
Amazon Echo Skill
Echo Speaks
Hubitat Dashboard
Hubitat Safety Monitor
Hue Bridge Integration
IFTTT Integration
Mode Manager
Rule Machine
Simple Automation Rules
I have assortment of smart bulbs, dimmers, contact and motion sensors, and buttons.
However, I suspect I am missing out on some great apps out there that I am not aware of. Thus, I was wondering what were some of people's favourite apps? Something that you couldn't live without?
Auto_Off by CSteele
Auto Lock by Lewis.Heidrick
ABC Button Controller by stephack
Battery Monitor
Groups and Scenes
Hubitat Package Manager - THIS IS A MUST!
Zone Motion Controller
I started with Battery Monitor, but lithium batteries are difficult to monitor, so I switched to Device Activity Check, which Iāve liked a lot more, as I can monitor non-battery devices too (e.g. WiFi presence, Konnected, Roomba, weather station) for any connectivity issues.
It looks like it's for Z-Wave mesh only...? I don't (yet?) have any Z-Wave devices, only Zigbee. Generally, I find Z-Wave offering in the UK pretty much non-existent. Everything that I find or am recommended is Zigbee...
Guys, I am trying to create a simple 'scene', 'rule' or whatever you want to call it that creates my 'office doorbell'. I have a button right outside my home office and want people to use it to 'knock' so that I know someone is out there even if I have my headphones on. So:
Press the doorbell, my light goes to 100
After 2 sec it transitions to 10%, for 2 sec
After 2 sec it transitions back to 100%, for 2 sec.
[Repeat a few times]
This sequence stops after 12 sec or so
Fairly simple and I have set it up in Rule Machine, but I've been doing some reading up and the general recommendation is to try to avoid Rule Machine when possible and set things up in lighter apps. There are so many apps that in my mind do pretty much the same thing:
Rule Machine
Simple Automation Rules
Event Engine
Groups & Scenes
...and I am sure tons of others. However, I can't figure out how to do what I want to do in any of them, apart from Rule Machine. Which one would you recommend for setting this up, other than Rule Machine...?
I made a similar comment about what I thought was the general recommendation of avoiding RM for lighting due to its size, making the comment on a thread Bruce was also part of. Bruce responded to my post clarifying that while RM can be a relatively large app to load compared to others, and obviously time matters in lighting rules, the actual impact of using RM doesn't necessarily warrant avoiding it entirely, even for lighting. I'll try and find it and update with a link.
EDIT: Like most things I tend to go off memory, which is not always accurate. Bruce gave a very balanced answer which at least leans towards using ML over RM, but he was careful not to overstate the impact, I guess that was what I was remembering most.
In terms of other apps (like Bruce talks about) you may also be interested to look at the motion lighting built in app, which may still work with the button... But I can't be 100% sure.... Oh and I also hear good things about Event Engine, which you mentioned, so that does sound like a good one to check out.
This is RM 100%. It's designed for odd cases like this. The comment on not using RM are for use cases when it's a very simple request, like at this time turn on light and at this time turn off. Or motion lighting set-ups in all those conditions the other more simple apps would be quicker to use.
Another addition that I would make is that, to me, it makes sense to work out what you want by trialling ideas and options through RM rules then, once you know what will work, finding the right solution in terms of the most appropriate app, etc. I'm not saying I got any impression I needed to make that point from the original post, just offering it up as an approach for anyone weighing up how best to get started.
