My HE, HA system status, and where I am going. Sanity check please

I am noticing a lot of changes in Home Automation / Security and with me coming over to Hubitat from Smartthings, I figure now would be a good time to do a sanity check, what I have working so far, what I Need to work on, and where I am trying to go with this...

The hardware already configured.
3 each Zooz Zen22 and Zen27 dimmers.
15 Iris v1 contact sensors. 1 each at every entry point except for.
2 Iris v2 contact sensors at the remaining entry points.
10 Iris v2 motion sensors.
GE Ceiling fan controller
2 @ Nutone Zwave 15 amp switches. These handle higher loads than most, for my workshop lighting, and kitchen flourescent fixtures that have been converted to LED.
4@ Utilitech 100db sirens. Someone triggers an alarm it's going to get attention.
16 Sylvania I believe is the MFG, "Lightify" bulbs
2@ Iris v2 smart outlets
10 @ Ikea Tradfri Smart plugs.
5 currently working, or being installed Hampton Bay (King of Fans) zigbee ceiling fan / light controllers. 1 for each bedroom, 1 for the kitchen.
6 Amazon Echo Dots
Amazon Echo full size
Fire Edition TV with Alexa enabled remote. Guest room TV
3 @ 202 model Fire sticks with Alexa enabled remotes. Master suite, Kids room / nursery TV, and of course LIving room TV

Not yet configured, but items I need to give serious through to how to integrate into Hubitat. And I might not get anywhere as the vendor may not have it compatible but here goes.

2 @ Ring Spotlight Cam wired. I want access to the lights, and sirens from within HE IF possible.

Ring Floodlight cam. The one that mounts in an old school style round box and is hard wired to the mains. Same as the spotlight cams above.

Related to, but not particularly useful to HE is my Ring Chime, and Ring Chime Pro. They came as parts of bundles, but basically extended doorbell chimes, one with built in WiFi extender. May put the Chime Pro / extender in the garage to get WiFi to the garage camera better.

Iris v2 keypad. Need batteries and to integrate this.

I have 2 Wyze cam 3s on order but they seem to be taking forever to ship and are VERY unresponsive / hard to get a hold of for customer support / status updates on shipping. I am seriously considering cancelling my order but kind of want these items. Might have to go through Amazon to get them...

I have about 5 extra Iris v1 contact sensors that I want to keep workable as in inventory spares, HOWEVER, I am a woodworker, and I am building a lockable conbination liquor cabinet / china cabinet. We occasionally have guests in our home that are not of age or responsibility to have access to liquor and have a history of letting their fingers to the walking when they see it. (teenagers).

Future expansion plans are...

I have 6 light circuits that are using Smart Bulbs right now, I want to migrate to switches. They are 3 that need dimmers, and 3 that don't need, or can't use dimmers. The non dimmers are Driveway lights, Front porch lights, and guest bathroom fan / light. The 3 that do need dimmers are. guest bathroom, laundry room, and front bedroom walk in closet. Since I am familiar with them, I am planning on going with the Zooz Zen22 for the dimmers, and the Nutone NWS15Z Zwave 15 amp wall switch, overkill, but they work, and are easy to include / exclude etc... I like em.

I have a total of 7 ceiling fans / light combos in the house. The living room is handled by separate switches, everything else though is handled by a single switch thus the Hampton Bay controllers, and 1 not yet controlled fan. I would like to eventually swap over to a good in wall controller so as to preclude anyone from accidentally turning off my fan / lights and keeping it from responding to automations. For now the Decora switches are literally taped into the on position using packing tape.

I am wanting 4 smart outlets in weatherproof boxes outside. If the boxes will provide the weather protection I need I would seriously consider staying with Zooz and just going with a non dimmer Zwave plus switch. HOWEVER, the outlets need to carry current loads for items like an electric hedge trimmer, weed eater etc... Not sure if smart switches are such a great idea...

Smart control for LED surround / backlighting in bathrooms behind mirror frames, and behind the flat screen TVs of which we have 4.

I am wanting leak detectors, but not sure where to even start with those. 3 for each bathroom. To cover under each sink, and to cover behind / next to the toilet / between toilet and shower. Plus leak detector for under the kitchen sink, and at the washing machine in the laundry.

Automated sprinkler system. This one is a toughie, but I want some sort of smart valve controller for a pending in ground sprinkler system. And here is where I am probably wanting what doesn't exist yet. I am thinking I need some sort of moisture sensor for the ground, NWS forecast input, and some way to automate input from watering bans. The idea being, fi the ground is already soaked, the NWS is calling for rain within the day, OR a watering ban is in place by my local authorities, DO NOT run the sprinkler system.

I am already implementing motion and mode lighting automations, and going through the tutorials on Safety Monitor.

I want to be able to set up the Iris keypad to arm / disarm the system and set it to home or away modes.

I am pretty sure it would require IFTTT but I would like the mode changes from the keypad, or honestly from anywhere in my Hubitat deployment to be able to turn on Alexa guard, likewise I want to be able to when I set Alexa guard to away it sets the system to away / armed. I do NOT however want ANY voice interaction with disarming the system.

I am wanting to be able to control the various vents throughout the house via the system. Not something that happens all the time, but for example, We have a 4 bedroom house, one BR is a home office, one is a guest room, one is the master bedroom, and one is where we are praying we can fill with a little one. Not sure baby monitors are even a good idea IOT wise, but I want to make sure any monitors won't interfere with the system. Anyway, The nursery and guest room don't need the same airflow as the other rooms until they get used. The living room / kitchen / laundry room should be throttled back during sleep hours as they don't need AC / Heat nearly as much as the bedrooms. And then during the day the Master suite should be throttled back and center part of the house more airflow etc...

So that's my thoughts. What did I miss? Am I aiming for a unicorn?

Dunno about all of it, but if you already have a bunch of Ring stuff, why not look at the Ring alarm system? It's easy to integrate with HSM and the HE integration is solid and works locally against the Ring Alarm Hub.

For the smart vents, I haven't used it but there's apps built into the Ecobee Suite for HE and I've been happy with the other parts of the suite. Works with the top 2 smart vent solutions out there.

Hope that helps

To be blunt, I am less than impressed with Ring devices / services. WiFi is super slow / weak. My 2.4ghz band is easily caught by my phone accross the street from my house, but my Ring Spotlight Cam wired attached to the outside of the garage struggles to maintain a solid WiFi connection even though the WAP is less than 30' away... So yeah, not going with Ring on anything that needs to be reliable.

Honestly have some serious buyers regret on those cams. I do like the floodlight cam though. WiFi seems stronger there...

I thought Ecobee was just thermostats. Have to look into them.

Well, I don't have those Ring products, but my Ring Alarm system has been good and it's all Z-Wave Plus.

For the Ecobee, I was talking about this suite for HE:

I love Zooz, but the Innovelli LZW36 is the bees knees. Installs like the HBFC, in that it has a module in the canopy, but its absolutely superior in terms of features and reliability.

https://inovelli.com/red-series-fan-light-switch-z-wave/

S

I have read contradictory things about the Inovelli switch. In particular that the receiver that mounts in the canopy is too big for a hugger type fan. The fan this is intended for is our master suite vanity / dressing room area fan and it is definately a hugger. From the perspective of the attic and rewiring, it is a somewhat trivial matter to back pull the 12/2 Romex and pull 12/3 (code here calls for 12, not 14 for some reason). I need to do this for my Guest vanity as well but for a different reason. Guest vanity is a 3 way and needs a traveller wire. Anyway, the reason I haven't yet bought the Zooz is honestly, electrical work in the attic is not my definition of fun. IF the Inovelli is compatible with hugger fans, I'm sold.

Both fans I have them in are huggers. (Actually the one in my Master bedroom has a very short downrod...sorry) If you can fit the HFBC in there, you can fit the Inovelli. The Inovelli RF control box is virtually identical to the HFBC.

If anything, the Inovelli is slightly smaller.

The Fan shown above has an Inovelli, and the ones below have HFBCs in them still.

1 Like

Thanks for that feedback.

Will order an Inovelli shortly at least for that fan.

I'm doing some crafty stuff with pull out or fans that are original to the house. This one is original but lightly used, and a now unobtainable and unique "Black Chrome" finish that just fits this bathroom perfectly. Not super current fashion trends, but we like it.

1 Like

So the status so far is...

#1. Everything that was working under Smartthings that existed carried over to HE with the exception of the failed Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan controller in the kitchen. I am pending receipt / arrival of a replacement.
#2. I am waiting the arrival of 4 Iris v3 motion sensors, 1 for each bathroom, 1 for the master vanity, and 1 for the guest vanity. The ones in the bathrooms will be put to full function later on for controlling vent fans.
#3. I have added 3 Wyze Cam V3s. Pending final routing of power instead of extension cords through bathroom window. Have a couple of the super long USB power cords on order from Amazon to get this done. Need to figure out routing...
#4. Have the motion / mode lighting I want done.
#5. I think I have the concepts down to get the rule set written for the fans. Once the Iris V3 motion sensors come I will swap out the V2s currently in place and distribute the V3s to the bedrooms basically close to where the beds are as that is where we want to experience the correct temp and breeze...
#6. HSM is set up, but testing showed I had something messed up as it would trigger the siren, but no alerts were sent to my phone. Need to figure this out.

With the current batch of goodies coming in, I will be able to get most of my intended automation and voice integration done. I will still be lacking.

#1. Switches instead of bulbs in the guest bath, guest vanity, front porch light, and driveway light still need to be acquired and installed.
#2. Guest bath needs an AC motor compatible switch. Just on / off for the ventilator fan. Master bath needs a ventilator fan installed, along with the wiring to support it, and a switch of course. Another AC motor compatible switch.
#3. Smart automated watering system. For now I have orbit timers. They work okay just to get the time of day right, but honestly this is a drag the hose out and jam sprinklers in the yard ordeal. I want in ground pop ups that are automated. That is a much further down the road issue.
#4. Some way to automate turning the temp up / down on the water heater. A "Vacation mode" that includes in / out access for a pet sitter. Need to work on that one...

So here is the update from the list above...

#1. The 4 Iris v3 motion sensors have arrived, been fitted with fresh batteries, and installed. Master Bathroom, Master Vanity,l in guest bathroom, and 1 in laundry room, The associated V2 Iris motion sensors have been moved to the bedrooms. I need motion sensors / thermal sensors for the living room.
#2. I have the 2 42 foot Micro USB power cables and have not yet installed them for the Wyze V3 cams mounted outside.
#3. I have exterior security cam mounts that are being recycled from the Iris cams. I have made certain adjustments to them and am basically ready to relocate the cams to a better angle and get the power routed.
#4. I have the thermal adjustment / automated by temperature set up for the front bedroom, and am proceeding forward for the remainng rooms once I get the other rooms fans working.
#5. I set up HSM, and got the hiccup on texting fixed. I forgot to check the phone to send to...
#6. I am working on getting the rest of the Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan / Light controllers. I believe I screwed up installing them. Will try again. Once I get that figured out, deploy the thermal control and at least in the kitchen, motion / mode lighting. I have controllers for the kitchen, and all 4 bedrooms. Right now I only have the kitchen and front bedroom install done and working correctly.
#7. They haven't arrived yet, but the remaining Iris V2 keypads have shipped, once they come in, I am ready to do the install and configuration in HSM.

I am curious about something. I am using the Ikea Tradfri Zigbee smart plugs as repeaters in the same rooms as the fans with the Hampton Bay controllers, However this is kind of a lousy solution as they don't allow for dimming.

I was wondering if anyone knows is the Sylvania / Lightify Smart+ Zigbee bulbs function as Zigbee repeaters as well, it would be much nicer to use smart bulbs in these lamps instead of just blunt on / off switches.

For anyone interested, my remaining deployment plan for the Hampton Bay ceiling fan controllers is as follows. These are either installs, or reinstalls since I had trouble getting them to play nice when I moved everything over to Hubitat from Smartthings.

#1. Front bedroom, done.
#2. Kitchen. done.
#3. Middle bedroom / Home office. Next in line to get done. Due to the computers, this is the room that warms up first, and really needs fan control.
#4. Back Bedroom / Nursery. Next after middle bedroom.
#5. Master suite. This requires a new to that room fan. I am refurbishing it in the garage as I type this. I have stripped the gloss clear off of the 1990s polished brass, and have everything disassembled / ready for paint. I am cleaning off my workbench and will be spraying the parts over the next few days with some misting coats of Oil Rubbed Bronze paint with a matte clear coat. Once it is dry and ready to go, I will install it, insure it works right, THEN do the controller install. The original fan in this space was some horrible 1980s Taiwan import that did NOT hold up to the test of time, and it has a super wierd mounting method that would NOT allow for anything to be mounted under the canopy.

And while fishing through my parts box. I literally found, and I have no clue why it never got installed, but I found I have a Zen22 just waiting to be installed. Bathroom light getting automated this week without the funky bulbs!

1 Like

Another day, another update. Today seems non productive but I did put some effort in.

#1. Removed and fought like crazy to figure out how to reset and put the Kitchen ceiling fan's Hampton Bay controller back into pairing mode. Finally got it.
#2. Added kitchen light back to lighting automations and tested. Works good so far.
#3. Added both kitchen fan and light child objects to Alexa, tested control, works how it should.
#4. Mounted side of house Wyze cam above fence on the side of the house. Need to undo that. I HATE it. I am NOT trying to get a view of my neighbors yard, only when my neighbors yard overruns into mine. Moving it back down probably tomorrow.
#5. First coat of oil rubbed bronze paint on the fan parts. WIll likely go for about 5 and then 3 clear to insure longevity.

Items I have incoming or on hand now that will likely get installed in the very near future.

Zen22. This will be installed in the guest bathroom to control the main fixture and get rid of the Sylvania bulbs.

2 @ Iris V2 keypads. These should be here by Friday. I have the peel and stick velcro since they are coming in with no mounts. Will mount these to the wall by the back door, and between the garage doors. Shipping estimate says Friday. Have batteries on hand for these..

3 Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan / Light controllers. Assuming I can recover the former kitchen controller and I think I figured it out.

Home office / middle bedroom and master bedroom for sure are getting them. Master bedroom pending fan refinishing and reassembly. This will probably take 2 weeks as I want the finish to fully cure. Trying to work the issues on the master vanity control out but pretty close there... The big issue is to do the office / middle bedroom fan I have to take my cable modem / router offline, it's on THAT circuit...

Route the permanent power cable for the wyze cam on the master bedroom side of the house...

Tonight I will likely not do any hardware work but rather set up the kitchen fan control rules to allow it to react to temperature readings...

1 Like

Ahhh! The joys of home automation, and just about any Hobby I put my mind to! LOL

S.

1 Like

LOL...

Got the kitchen fan automation done last night no problem. Having some issues with the light responding to commands though. More digging necessary. I need to secure the canopy, and the antennae so there is that... Removed / reinstalled the Motion Lighting with modes app for the kitchen fan and it works fine now it seems.

The laundry room light with the new to me Iris V3 motion sensor wouldn't turn off. Looking into it, it looks like the sensor gets stuck in the active detection of motion mode. Not good. Swapped it with a not yet in use but present as a thermal sensor only V2 motion sensor in the home office / middle bedroom. I now have my motion lighting working fine. However I need to validate the temp readings on this V3. Have already contacted the ebay seller as I have had this thing less than 2 weeks and it has been flaky since day 1.

The Iris v2 keypads are in and installed. I got lucky and one of them had the wall mount, The other is attached with peel and stick velcro. Not sure I wouldn't have been better off with Alien Tape as this velcro is REALLY strong stuff, and I am scared it might just take drywall with it.

I have a friend that likes doing 3D printing projects. Might see if I can con him into replicating this mount.

Got the keypads into HSM, they arm the system fine, but disarming. Not a clue how with it. Posted that question back to arnb as he seems to be the HSM / Nyckelharpa guru around these parts...

So much to do still, but making so much headway. Definately wanting the fans automated soon. At least in the home office, and living room!

I dug through my parts bin as it were, and found that I had a couple of double gang old work boxes in there. And no the Hampton Bay Ceiling fan controller will NOT fit in one of those. They are just a shave too small in each direction.

HOWEVER a triple gang box would be a perfect fit.

So Home Depot shopping list.
#1. Triple gang new work box.
#2. Blank triple gang cover plate and mounting screws.
#3. 14awg wire. 20' of white as there are 2 white conductors. 10' of each black, red, and blue.
#4. Looking into code it looks like the reason to run contained in conduit would be for weathertight fittings, not relevant in an attic. I'll take an automotive approach and use some 3/4" split loom and electrical tape to protect the wire bundle. Stresses, temps, vibration here are FAR less than underhood in a car.

I am starting to see a better defined system. It will be nice to cross that finish line!

1 Like

Update again.

Working way too late into the night last night, I got the keypads finally figured out for HSM, and I got Nyckelharpa installed and configured.

Now all I have to do is from any of the keypads...
#1. Push ON, and wait the timeout period, arm away is set.
#2. Push Partial and wait the timeout period, and arm home is set.
#3. Enter PIN + OFF and HSM disarms.

I have a minor bug in my configuration somewhere I need to figure out, or my wife did something I don't know about as the system should have been disarmed this morning but it was in armed away, AND there was no delay from opening the door to take the trash out, and the alarm going off. Oops...

The ebay seller is shipping me a replacement for the defective V3 sensor. I ordered 2 more so that I can replace the guest vanity sensors with one with RH reading as well. I will take the V2 sensors from there are put them in the living room to control the ceiling fan.

That will actually leave me with one extra V3 motion sensor. Might not be a bad idea just to verify its function and keep it as a spare.

Shopping list at this point.
#1. 6 roll set 14awg wire. This gives me 100ft rolls of every needed color plus yellow and green. This is honestly for this AND restocking my workshop. https://amzn.to/3gs8KOk
#2. Triple gang new work box with lid. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Carlon-3-Gang-44-cu-in-New-Work-PVC-Electrical-Outlet-Box-B344AB/100404028 (Box) https://amzn.to/3n9gkih (Cover plate / lid).
#3. 3/4" split loom. After looking into my supplies, I have 1.5" I use for network bundles, and .25" for protecting phone / ethernet runs and keeping them together. I need 3/4"...

I'm struggling with a knee injury right now, so climbinb the ladder to install the ceiling fan controllers is going to wait, HOWEVER, the Zen22 needs to be installed so guest bath is getting a switch probably tonight... I need my family off the WiFi long enough to have that breaker down for the count while I do it.

I MAY if it is not pushing things too hard, push for at least one more Hampton BayZigbee fan controller install for today. I may go ahead and try to install and configure the one I thought may have been bad because I had so many problems getting it to factory reset. I stumbled upon the concept that it may actually BE reset already, I just need to trip it into pairing mode and pair it to the hub.

I feel I am at the point of massaging the system, finessing it and not really bludgeoing my way through. Which is good.

I still need to identify and source up at least 2 GOOD Zwave or Zigbee sirens that are relaible, blend in with their environment I.E. paintable, can get LOUD, have a BRIGHT noticeable strobe, and can be used outdoors in an under the eaves type installation. Most of the recommendations I have seen in that area won't pass HOA scrutiny. It needs to be as non noticeable as physically possible.

1 Like

So yesterday wasn't super productive, and I don't think I got anything on my to do yesterday list done, but I did get some things done.

#1. Ran the power line for the Wyze Cam that was fed through the bathroom window. I fed it up into the attic and made my connections inside, caulked up the hole so this is now more or less a permanent installI am looking for some brick color-ish paint to paint the cable where it runs along the brick as camoflauge, the rest along the siding I have paint for.
#2. Got the shipping notifications for the Iris V3 motion sensors remaining to add.

I have GOT to get hte family off the WiFi for about an hour so I can get these fan controllers installed!

Okay so here is my update. It's been a couple of days.

Got the family off of WiFi and was able to have power down long enough to get the kitchen, and fromt bedroom Hampton Bay Ceiling fan controllers double and triple checked. And then run for a couple of days. So far no problems, feeling good so far.

I had removed the kitchen controller in favor of a new one thinking it was a dud. Well I went ahead and took a shot, installed it in the fan in the middle bedroom / home office. Sure enough it paired straight away with no hesitation whatsoever. Set up the child devices, exported to Alexa and sure enough, it works without a hitch. Need dimmable bulbs now.

Because of the trouble I was having with factory resets and pairing, I pulled the remainders, and one was never installed (new to me, gifted by a very generous member here), so...

Back bedroom fan, may, or may not get installed tonight, depends on if I am feeling it tonight.

Master bedroom still waiting. It's been humid and rainy which means humidity in my shop is sky high, I don't want to paint in high humidity.

Master vanity fan needs a shopping trip to remote mount the controller, AND I need to fix the wiring in it. The pull chain switch for the lights themselves is broken in the on position, so when power is applied to the switch I can not turn them off... I want to get the fan and light kit back to 100% before doing the install.

I found my Iris V3 smart plug and am using it in the middle bedroom / home office as a repeater for the fan controller, even though the hub is literally 10' away in the living room...

I have the living room thermal control rule set written and running, and I am happy with it. It is using the GE controller and Zooz light switch though so a huge difference in device confidence...

I attempted to install the Zen22 in the guest bath for the light fixture and found a nightmare of wiring in the box. Not gonna touch that. I know electricians are spendy. I have a hookup though... And I need him to restring the guest vanity switches and fixtures for a traveller wire and install a Zen27.

At this point I am hard pressed to decide though. Folks complain about the Sylvania bulbs messing up the Zigbee, but they are talking about the rebranded Osram bulbs. Mine are labelled LEDVANCE, not sure if that matters. I'd like to, if I can avoid spending the $$ right off for switches run these bulbs longer, and replace the Ikea smart plugs with Iris V3 while I can still get some. All other things being 100% equal, the Iris plugs can fit 2 to a duplex recepticle, and have a manual bypass button...

Things to do this weekend?

#1. Install back bedroom / nursery fan controller and get it paired.
#2. Write my Rules machine rules for the Kitchen, Front bedroom, middle bedroom, and back bedroom fans to automatically adjust to temp.
#3. Set up motion lighting with modes for middle bedroom / office. When I stumble in to go to work I'd like to see my keyboard.

That should more than do it for the weekend.

I am considering the following upgrades and a regifting to a couple I know could use it...

#1. Replace my Ikea Tradfri smart plugs with Iris V3.
#2. Replace my Iris V1 contact sensors with Iris V2.
#3. Replace my Sylvania smart+ bulbs with Zooz Zen22 switches, except for front porch, and driveway, where I would use Zen26 switches.(non dimmer).

Osram & Sylvania are both brands that have been used under license by Ledvance since 2016. So, basically they are all Ledvance, whatever their label.

I think the issues with bulbs have to do with whether a specific bulb tries to act as a repeater. Those that do are bad, those that don't might be OK. :wink:

FWIW, I generally use smart switches/dimmers and dumb bulbs. However, in certain cases, I find the Hues, Gledopto LED controllers (on my Hue hub) and Erias (also on my Hue hub) to work well.

S.

Well, I am trying ot avoid replacing the bulbs too quickly. Mostly due to budget. Dollars spent on switches now mean fewer dollars for other projects. Not going to not do it at all, just was hoping to do it a couple at a time...

I have a Rachio sprinkler controller and I am super happy with it. I have not tried to integrate it with Hubitat and see no reason to do so.

It is so smart if doesn't even need a rain or soil moisture sensor. It will check the weather on the internet and not water today if it is going to rain tomorrow! You can tell it about each zone - soil type, slope, plantings, and it will time the water appropriately.

It will break up long watering times to allow the water to soak in rather than run off.

I could torture myself into dreaming up some reason to integrate with Hubitat but I don't have time right now.

That's far and away more sophisticated than the simple Orbit timers I have now. Mind you my current watering system is 2 Orbit hose bib timers, hoses, and stake sprinklers. Far from truly automated.

My only question with the Rachio, is can it block out watering if say there is a watering ban due to drought or similar conditions?

My thought process of having the smart done in hub is aggregation of more data sources than I would have thought possible on a watering controller, but if if can all be done by the controller, that only leaves one item. I also want a robotic mower. It would be nice if the mower and watering system could communicate. I.E. don't water right now I'm mowing... That could be precluded pretty simply I would think by mowing in the evenings, and watering only in the overnight hours which is better for the lawn anyway.

That would leave the only partially in jest question... How do I apply weed n feed to the lawn in an at least semi automated fashion? They make robomowers, why not robo-fertilizers?