I've been lurking for a couple days. I was in process of starting to dive into Insteon but the hub I bought off eBay stopped working and I discovered they sort of went under as I was mid buying process.
So I spoke with someone who has a Zwave house and it sounded more up my alley. However, now I'm in the process of learning a new system.
So I bought the new C-8 hub and am looking at Maestro Lutrons to start as switches for my basement Apt / Zwave test install.
I read somewhere you can mix Lutron switches and ZigBee motion sensors is that correct?
Are there better switches to get besides the Maestros for about the same price?
Are there limitations on the Maestros I might not be aware of?
What motion sensors do you suggest would pair well?
Are there any top notch YouTubers to follow for insights and tips?
Hubitat allows you to "mix" any compatible devices, regardless of protocol: List of Compatible Devices | Hubitat Documentation. For example, you could have a Zigbee motion sensor turn on a Z-Wave light. That is, in a general sense, the purpose of the hub: being able to tie different kinds of devices together using whatever automations you can think of on the hub.
But regarding Lutron Maestro, I don't think they are Z-Wave. I'm not aware of anything Lutron makes that is Z-Wave (and only a couple of niche products that are Zigbee). You would need something like Caseta with the Smart Bridge Pro (L-BDGPRO-2), RA2 Select with a RA2 Select Main Reater, or Radio RA2 with a Main Repeater, any of which are capable of integrating with Hubitat over your LAN via the bridge/repeater (this is actually a LAN integration, as most Lutron devices use a proprietary protocol called Clear Connect that needs one of these as an intermediary -- but it has a rock-solid reputation no matter what line you choose).
For motion sensors, I have my favorites, but it depends on what's important to you: speed of detection, price, protocol, etc. Many of my favorites have been discontinued, but IMHO anything made by Centralite has worked well for me, though their Micro Motion (3328-C) appears to be the only one currently available. They've manufactured devices for Iris (the "v2" generation), SmartThings (various generations), and others, some of which may still be available on the secondary market. I'm not as huge of a fan of most Z-Wave motion sensors since they almost all seem to be slower, but two I could tolerate are the Zooz ZSE40 700 (make sure you get the 700-series) or the Neo Coolcam Z-Wave 700 5-in-1/Motion Sensor (hard to find in the US, but could come from AliExpress in a few weeks if you don't mind). Others may have more ideas.
I'm not a huge fan of most YouTubers, as it often seems that the focus is putting on a show rather than conveying accurate information. There are rare exceptions, and I might suggest DIYSmartHomeGuy. Hubitat also has a YouTube channel, often with "how to" videos showing examples of what you can create on the hub or sometimes showing off new features or releases. The forum (here) is probably the best spot for getting help, seeing what others are up to, or learning more.
Zigbee motion sensors are typically faster than Z-Wave, but if you do want to stick w/Z-Wave as your primary focus, the following make Z-Wave motion sensors:
Zooz
Ecolink
Aeotec
Fibaro
GE Enbrighten motion sensing light switches
I might try one of 2-3 options to start and see which works best. I read somewhere that the Zigbee sensors were better, so I'm leaning toward trying this as the first cross-platform item. Any recommendations on Zigbee motion sensor options?
I'm thinking of getting multiple sensors and using them in different spots of the house with the switches to see if one works better than another.
If you go w/Zigbee you may have to purchase a few Zigbee plugs/repeaters to support your Zigbee mesh, depending on the distance from the hub to the sensors. Battery devices can't repeat/help other devices so you'd need something that plugs in to build your Zigbee mesh.
Some favored Zigbee contact/motion sensors around here are:
Third Reality (due to batteries used, one of the longest lasting)
Centralite
Aeotec
Phillips Hue
Also check out the compatible devices link that Robert shared w/you above.
Yup, you can have two mesh networks w/the Hubitat, Z-wave and Zigbee and they are independent and don't interact directly. You bring them together in automations on the hub - e.g., Zigbee motion sensor goes off, Z-Wave light switch turns on.
So each mesh uses its own repeaters to extend throughout your home. How many repeaters/where depends on home size, construction, placement of hub, network congestion, etc. The C8 has larger Zigbee/Z-Wave antennas so it shouldn't need as much help w/repeaters as the previous hubs did.
You'll want to build your mesh outwards from your hub, adding repeaters (plugs, switches, outlets, just plain single-purpose repeaters) as you move away from the hub.
See the links on building strong Zigbee and Z-Wave meshes on the page below:
