Just joined the community and I'm in need of some guidance. I currently have 6 caseta switches, 1 wemo wifi plug in, and a Google home mini. I have grand plans of automating things around my house.
The first thing I'm looking for is non-wifi plugs. In searching these forums there doesn't seem to be a good consensus on a specific plug that will definitely work. I'd like to be sure that if I buy X product it will work with HE. Is this more like a YMMV thing?
Update: I found the list of compatible devices so I'll take a look at those as well.
There are good and bad offerings in every part of the world.
"Caseta" implies North America and Lutron is certainly one of the best of the best. But Lutron has ther own radio standard called ClearConnect and at this time they don't license it to anyone. Wink (and the defunct Staples Connect) had 'grandfathered' agreements that Lutron is not offering any more. Hubitat asked and got told no, years back. The only solution is to purchase a Lutron SmartBridge PRO (repeat.. PRO) and Hubitat has the most amazing integration with that bridge.
That leaves two mesh radio options.. Zigbee and ZWave to augment your Lutron. Do you have a preference?? Zigbee is sparse, they have very few in-wall offerings. Mostly they have 'wall wart' outlets. GE/Jasco had in-wall long ago and I JUST SAW a message that they were about to release the new "Enbrighten" versions of them. ZWave on the other hand has a lot of in-wall outlet offerings. I prefer in-wall because none of my family members can unplug them and hide them in a drawer to make the house 'look nice'. You may have better luck. I have both Zigbee (in very small quantities) and ZWave (more than 100 of them.) So mix and match BUT be aware of the Mesh Requirements. It's the mesh requirements that tend to drive you to one ZRadio or the other.
@aaiyar and @ogiewon are going to provide even better advice, I predict...
I've been waiting to purchase either zigbee or zwave to see what recommendations you folks have. I've looked at several recommendations throughout this forum and everyone seems to have different opinions on what is best. The only thing people are in agreement it seems is the hubitat hub which I'm sold on
Almost all my in-wall dimmers and switches are Caseta. I do have a few Zooz z-wave+ switches. In addition to extremely reliable control, another advantage of the Caseta system (and having the Caseta Pro bridge), is that Hubitat permits the use of Pico remotes as button controllers to control any other device paired to Hubitat (z-wave, zigbee, or LAN).
I have no major preference between zigbee and z-wave. As you have no zigbee or z-wave devices currently, it seems prudent to pick one protocol and stick with it as it will give you a robust mesh.
If you get zigbee devices, be especially careful with light bulbs. Many zigbee bulbs are designed to function as repeaters in a zigbee mesh but function poorly as repeaters, causing zigbee end-devices (like sensors) to fall off the network. This will also happen if power is disconnected from a light bulb by a switch being turned off. So it is advisable to get zigbee bulbs that are designed not to function as repeaters (eg. Sengled brand bulbs).
I am a Lutron fan for Switches, Dimmers, Fan Controllers, And Pico Remotes. I then use Zigbee Motion, Contact, and Leak sensors. I augment the Zigbee mesh network with Zigbee outlets. This has been a very reliable configuration for my needs.
You'll get a lot of answers here. For Zigbee sensors, anything OEMed by Centralite is/was good, which would include the Iris v2 sensors mentioned above. The current gen SmartThings outlet and sensors are all good in my opinion, and the (v5/2018/current-gen) outlet is one of my favorite Zigbee repeaters, or at least my network seems to like them. Just avoid the long, rectangular Wi-Fi one that won't work with Hubitat. Ikea has some cheap outlets and a USB repeater, but they are bulky and seem to be less-favored routers in my network. Your preferences and results may vary.
I have a mix of Zigbee and Z-Wave leak sensors and a few motion and multi-purpose Z-Wave sensors besides my collection of Zigbee ones; my only issue with Z-Wave is that many Z-Wave motion sensors tend to be slower than Zigbee (not blaming the protocol for that, but it's the reality of nearly every sensor I've tried). Not sure if you're looking to go with Z-Wave so I won't go on about that, but there are lots of well recognized brands I wouldn't hesitate to buy and very few I'd avoid (some just because I perceive the price-vs.-feature ratio to be poor, not because they're bad).
One question about ST. Are the individual devices, outlets and sensors, etc. Zigbee? Is the ST hub what makes them connect to the cloud? So if I had them connected to HE they would all be local?
FWIW, if you want "in-wall" outlets, Jasco/GE/Honeywell seem to be about the best option for Price vs capability. They make both Zwave Plus and Zigbee (just released), and while I wish Inovelli or Zooz would make in-wall outlets, I have no complaints with the Zwave Plus outlets I have from Jasco. I've just sent off for a couple of the new Zigbee models, and if they work well, will likely use a bunch of those to get rid of some of the "unsightly" plug in plugs scattered around my house.
I am in the process of moving from WInk to Hubitat. I did not own a SmartBridge pro and am quickly figuring out that I need to buy one. I have over 30 Lutron devices.
I am also looking for any other tips for this move.
Lutron licensed StaplesConnect and Wink to include a ClearConnect radio. No one else has that deal, they are all forced to use the SmartBridge PRO. Sadly, Wink used their advantage poorly.
Hubitat has the best Lutron integration in my opinion. Pico’s alone are worth the admission They can, via button controller, cause any device to be used pretty much any way you can conceive.
Thank you for your reply. I have over 20 Pico remotes. I also have 9 Serena smart roller blinds. Another 2 question about integrating the smart bird pro, will everything still be controlled locally or am I now relying on Lutron’s cloud? When my smartbridge pro arrives do i link my shades, switches and picos to the smartbridge first? I am sure there is a proper order.
Thank you!!
Everything will be controlled locally over your LAN. The Hubitat Hub talks to the SmartBridge Pro via Telnet. Only the "Pro" model has Telnet functionality, which is why that specific model is required. Hubitat does NOT support Lutron Cloud-to-Cloud connectivity. Hubitat only support the local communcations option. It works great!
Yes, link all of your Lutron devices to the SmartBridge Pro and make sure they function correctly before even attempting to integrate them with Hubitat.
Follow the Lutron Integrator instructions from Hubitat. Take your time and have fun. Once it is set up, it works extremely well!
P.S. The one extra tip I would suggest, is to make sure the IP Address of your Lutron SmartBridge Pro does not change. I personally use my home Router's DHCP feature for reserving IP addresses for my Lutron and Hubitat hub. Keeping them both from changing their IP addresses will greatly reduce any chances of the two losing communications with each other. Also, it is advised to plug these devices into a small UPS, especially the Hubitat hub, to prevent possible data loss/corruption during power outages.
One addition to @ogiewon's thorough response. It is recommended strongly to assign your Lutron Smartbridge Pro a static IP address (one that doesn't change) in your router's DHCP table. You may wish to do the same for your Hubitat.
I have both Zigbee (in very small quantities) and ZWave (more than 100 of them.) So mix and match BUT be aware of the Mesh Requirements. It's the mesh requirements that tend to drive you to one ZRadio or the other.
For Zigbee sensors, anything OEMed by Centralite is/was good, which would include the Iris v2 sensors mentioned above. The current gen SmartThings outlet and sensors are all good in my opinion, and the (v5/2018/current-gen) outlet is one of my favorite Zigbee repeaters, or at least my network seems to like them. Just avoid the long, rectangular Wi-Fi one that won't work with Hubitat. Ikea has some cheap outlets and a USB repeater, but they are bulky and seem to be less-favored routers in my network. Your preferences and results may vary.
