I've been a Wink user for years now and have enjoyed it very much but with the rumors of Wink's demise, I've purchased a Hubitat hub, moved a couple lights over and purchased 4-5 additional zigbee bulbs, motion detector and other Samsung Button, to get my feet wet with the new system.
I have a couple questions that maybe someone can point me in the right direction:
I'm looking for a RGB bulb (candelabra or E26 bulb that works well with Hubitat (that doesn't require another hub) that allows control of on/off as well as color. My goal is to maybe put a sensor on the garage door and then flash the light when the door opens and maybe even change the color to Red if the garage door has been open for 20-30 minutes.
#2: Can you confirm that Hubatat has no way to control wifi bulbs or devices?
There are wifi bulbs that work with Hubitat, just via community written apps/drivers. Lifx is an example. I only have one Lifx bulb, but it seems to be pretty stable.
I'm not sure where the myth that Hubitat can't connect to Wi-Fi devices keeps coming from. Hubitat connects to your LAN and can communicate with any device that is accessible from your LAN: other LAN devices (like a Hue Bridge), including wireless devices (like Sonos), and cloud services if so desired (like Hubitat Dashboard, the Alexa skill, and Ecobee). Wi-Fi is not the problem. What is the problem is that many Wi-Fi devices have proprietary interfaces--i.e., their manufacturers did not provide a way for them to be integrated into other platforms. Ring is one example--they have no open, documented API, and the only integrations they allow are via "official" partnerships like the one Samsung managed to snag. Wyze, so far, is another, though I think their newer products will be more receptive to these desires. Most cheap Wi-Fi bulbs are closed, too (WiZ, etc.)
In this regard, protocols like Z-Wave and Zigbee tend to be better choices because they are more standardized. Hubitat has a few native Wi-Fi integrations, and many community ones are available as well. There's even a native integration for at least one type of Wi-FI bulb, Yeelight. It really just depends on the device. Ones that don't have native or community integrations can often still be controlled via IFTTT with some workarounds if the manufacturer supports IFTTT (even a lot of cheap ones do), but then you lose the "local" and "fast" part of Hubitat for those devices.
For your first question, there are lots of bulbs that work with Hubitat. I recommend looking through the compatible device list, List of Compatible Devices - Hubitat Documentation, to find one you like. But if you get a Zigbee smart bulb (and most are), I'd be careful--read the note about Zigbee bulbs at the end of this document (also good reading if you're new regardless): How to Build a Solid Zigbee Mesh - Hubitat Documentation. Inovelli just released new Z-Wave bulbs that look pretty cool (and more affordable than the Aeon bulb that is the only other reasonable color option I've seen; there's also the Hank, but it's pretty dim and the same price as the new Inovelli). Sengled bulbs are not subject to the problems mentioned before (but they have lots of bulb types and you'd need the Zigbee ones). Candeleabra bulbs are a bit harder to find, but I know both Hue and Ikea have some (I'd recommend a Hue Bridge if you go Zigbee).
[bertabcd1234]
thanks for taking the time to respond to my situation.
In general, I want to avoid: 1) adding a 2nd hub 2) investing in expensive bulbs, etc.
I will go back and examine the compatible RGB bulbs. This will exclude lifX bulbs, Philips Hue (needs additional Hub), etc.
Since I'm married, my wife doesn't accept things that don't work reliable or are overly complicated, that's why I only migrated 1 or 2 lights so far and just purchased an additional 4-5 zigbee bulbs that were not in our current Wink system.
You gave me several good ideas and homework that I need to review. I posted somewhere else, if the guys at Hubitat would do a detailed migration tutorial from Wink to Hubitat, they would gain a lot to takers. If you are not familiar with Wink... that system is fairly easy to setup and manage for the non-teche. I have some technical abilities and don't mind investing time to learn a new system and this has been a challenge even for me (and I'm just starting).
On a different subject (I will post this as a separate topic too...
We have a hot tub and we live in Indiana. Temps can often get in the teens and even single digits here. The hot tub is on a separate power circuit and sometimes it will trip the breaker. When that happens, if I don't catch it in time, the pipes will freeze and burst, resulting in a very expensive repair. I was thinking if there was a module that detects vibration I could use it to indicate that the pumps are working and the breaker is not tripped. Of course this sensor would need to be able to withstand outdoor temps and moisture. I didn't have one of those remote temp devices with the display unit in side the house and the detection device adjacent to the spa... these seem to not last very long or often loose connection with the indoor display. Any outdoor rugged vibration sensors? when the pump kicks on, there is definitely some vibration there.
There aren't a lot of vibration sensors, and I've had mixed luck with most I've used, even indoors. Any generation of SmartThings Multisensor has this feature. I have one outside measuring temperature but reasonably protected from direct exposure to the elements. They aren't meant to be used outside, but several people use this or similar products outdoors with some caution.
However, especially outdoors, I might be worried that phantom vibrations (wind, animals running, I don't know) might cause your sensor to report things unexpectedly. Have you considered other options, like power monitoring? The Zooz ZEN15 can handle a motor load (if it's a standard 15A/120V receptacle) and might be a more reliably way to measure what you're looking for. There are other, non-receptacle options, too.
I'd put a smart switch in the circuit between the breaker and the hot tub so that you can monitor the voltage going to the pumps. If the voltage is zero, the breaker has tripped. You can also monitor the current and energy usage too.
Man, this is not a 110 circuit so that's probably out of my comfort zone. If I tried something like that, my wife would probably find me knocked out on the ground... and it might take her days to discover I'm missing.
It'll be a bit before I get it installed as there's a few items I need for wiring. But it shouldn't be too difficult if your handy with tools and take care to be safe. If not, hire a local electrician. The cost of the device (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MBIRF5W/) and installation would probably be less than one "expensive repair" on the hot tub.
So I guess you could try the vibration sensor route, but they are kinda tricky to use. (I know it's a totally different purpose, but lots of people have tried to create laundry automations with these with mixed luck. Power monitoring is certainly better. Easy if yours plugs into a receptacle...less easy but not impossible if it's hardwired.) The SmartThings Mutli isn't super-expensive (I think something like $20 list but they're on sale for less now), and you'll at least get a decent contact and temperature sensor out of it if your experiment fails. I haven't used one for vibration so can't speak to how sensitive it is in that regard.
Regardless of what device you use, since this use is important to you, I'd consider something like Device Watchdog to monitor/guess if this device falls offline. I guess you'll probably know since the point would be to notify you if it doesn't detect vibration or a certain wattage or whatnot in a certain period of time (something that would also certainly happen in this case...unless it falls off while active or in use and you don't also monitor that for suspicious activity, I guess), but it's a neat app to have regardless.
A lot of reviews have unfortunately said this like WiFi and TCP/IP were somehow not connected in any way. It’s a strange thing to write or say. It makes me wonder if they think if their WiFi signal is strong, they will have internet no matter what.
This is a stupid idea, but I'm going to throw it out there because sometimes that box gets hard to see over the edge. But what about a contact sensor on the breaker switch? If you ask anyone around here, I've found some pretty interesting ways to accomplish some automations and I love contact sensors. The gocontrols allow for external contacts and an imagination.
I absolutely love this idea @april.brandt. The Samsung multisensor attached just right to the breaker box could indicate open if you affixed a neodymium magnet to the breaker switch. Like maybe a donut shape magnet affixed to the switch via the hole that is in breaker switches. And using a piece of stiff wire, attach the magnet to the breaker like you would with a twist tie.
Samsung SmartThings V5 multisensors have a pretty wide field of activation, so even if the magnet flopped around, it should still work if the sensor is properly positioned. The same sensor could also pick up vibration and measure temp.
I have a sump pump in my crawl and obviously ensuring the circuit is on is very important. I use a combination of a contact sensor, 5VDC relay, and a usb plug to monitor the power. If the GFI trips or power loss, I get notified. You can read more here:
Another option could be using a CT clamp hooked up to an ESP8266 board using @ogiewon’s HubDuino libraries and monitor voltage that way. I’ve got the part to set this up to monitor my hot water heater circulation pump, I just haven’t had time to set things up yet. This solution is MUCH cheaper than Aeotec device mentioned above.
would the magnet cause an ill effect on the breaker for any reason? I was just thinking of affixing the external wires on a gocontrol, one to the breaker lever and the other to the edge with break away connectors that would trigger when they were separated. No magnets. Just a thought.
Something along these lines at the end of the wires
maybe look at the Shelly wifi devices as they do power monitoring and are rated for up to 230v and can handle -40F/C. There are community drivers for these or can be flashed with other firmware like Tasmota which is easy to do.
I do think April’s idea is probably the least expensive and should do the job just fine, but I cannot argue with the Aeotec HEM to monitor either. V1 are still available on eBay and they work great. Last one I bought about a month ago was just $65 and you can monitor two different sources. It’s a completely non-intrusive install. I have two of them now.
