The learning curve on this device is more than I care for. That said, I can manage it, if it's worth it.
Having been with Wink for a few years, it's beyond disappointing to migrate to this device/platform only to find that when placed in the EXACT same place as the Wink, the HE radios are either too weak or lack the sensitivity to receive reports back.
Both a Zigee RGBW lamp and a ZWave outlet, both fail to work from 20' away through a single outside wall that is vinyl siding. Unless my device bad or there is a setting somewhere to increase radio output, like may routers have, This is feeling like a dead end. Adding a Lutron Smart Hub Pro is adding to the disappointment.
Is there a solution to this weak range issue? More equipment? My house is sMALL. If I have to move the hub further from the middle of house, I'm betting the lamps in the back of the house will lose connection. What the...
When I switched from SmartThings to Hubitat, all of sudden I had z-wave range issues. I’m convinced that the SmartThings radio is stronger than Hubitat’s radio.
To solve the problem, I added a Z-wave repeater and a Zigbee repeater near the hub (in the same room, less than 10’ away) and now all is well.
Wow. That does stink as far as I'm concerned. A small 1100sqf house and they need repeaters. Hard to feel its great when this is the start of my experience. Makes me want to just return the thing.
Both Z-Wave and Zigbee networks depend on repeaters. It’s how these networks are designed to work.
More repeaters, within reason, make your network more resilient and less prone to failure. With more repeaters, your devices have more than one path to communicate with your hub.
Be sure to get the Caseta Smartbridge Pro. You specifically need the Pro version for integration with Hubitat.
The Lutron integration, in my experience, is very good. The Pico remotes are very convenient. You know how sometimes you wish you could add another light switch on this or that wall? With Pico, you can have that, and more. You can mount the Pico on the wall, or you get a little stand for it to place on a flat surface, such as a bedside table or desk. I even have a few Picos attached with Velcro to the side of a end table next to my easy chair. The Pico only costs about $15 and the battery lasts a really long time.
As far as “buying more stuff”, if you really get into the Home Automation hobby, unfortunately you will be doing that pretty often!
I get you. And I have a great deal already My system is mostly Lutron.
There is simply no reason to add smart equipment to my entryway. The area is seldom used as we enter/exit via the garage. I have no need whatsoever for a device between the hub and the front porch. Adding smart lamps, which don't relay well except to other lamps, complicates traditional wall control.
The absurd range will force me to just buy a plug in repeater that serves no other purpose, except to take an outlet away, or create a switched outlet I don't want switched.
It is what it is, but thus far, it feels like a lot of hype. Losing Nest therm and protects, ring integration sucks, myq integration sucks needs added sensors. Unnecessarily complicated due to all the damned corporations wanting to have a proprietary offering, hamstringing cross-platform compatibility.
I already have a lot invested and really have all i want at this point. (Blinds/shades are a wish, but they won't help solve this issue.) Except I'll have to buy more to move forward since HE isn't working for me, when Wink did out of the box. And that's a range complaint and nothing else.
No one can blame bad range on a learning curve. This won't be a system of convenience. It looks like a system you need to learn coding to use.
I'll quit posting. Doesn't matter anyway. I either like it or I don't. At this point, I don't.
Quite honestly devices are different, antenna placements are different in devices. I have a 1,625 sq ft home and my Hubitat sits in the same place where my Wink sat. After almost 7 days since installation, I've found that the connectivity that I had there with the Wink is still there. I did do a Zwave repair function after about 5 days of use. Prior to that I had 1 loss where a bedroom GE outdoor switch (using it inside) missed a turn off at 11:30 pm turn off command. I did the Zwave repair and have not missed anything since. Personally I'm not sure if the repair did the trick since I only have 3 zwave devices in the house and none are in the area of that switch.
On the other hand I have a Ring home security system and it has it's own Zwave network to monitor communicate with all the security devices. I especially like it because it can easily push firmware updates to all the devices. Where I'm going is that my controller sits about 25 feet in a direct line of site as my living room door sensor. I was having issues with the door sensor chewing through it's CR123 battery. Typical life on those sensor batteries are about 3 years. It turned out the connectivity between the door sensor was weak and that caused the radio to be broadcasting much more often due to missed packets. Ring suggest adding a repeater which I put in a wall outlet about 20 feet out from the controller. That did the trick and when I repowered the sensor with a new battery, the sensor (according) to Ring support started communicating with the repeater and then the controller. So what seems to be a clear cut path for communications may not be as clear as you think. As it ended up Ring sent me the repeater for free. And when you buy a Ring alarm package, they always provide a repeater in that Package, along with the control panel, monitor and various sensors. The one that came with my package I placed in the closest bedroom outlet which is on the opposite side of the home from the front door (so that repeater wasn't of help to the door).
So when dealing with Zwave hubs of any brands, it is always a crap shoot as to coverage and the signal patterns. I would tend to believe that FCC regs would dictate the power level of Zwave radios so my guess is that the major factor in signal propagation is the antenna, and most likely not the radio strength.
When I went to the Hubitat I truly would not have been upset if a repeater was necessary. Most folks doing reviews of zwave hubs talk about the need at times for a repeater or two. It's just the nature of the beast.
For me it's a trade off. Do I want the stellar range of ST or the incredible flexibility of Hubitat. Yes I was pissed off, until I realized the full potential of HE. Yes i needed 2 zigbee repeaters and 2 z-wave, but those came as outlets I needed anyway. I have many more now, but the stability and flexibility of my setup is amazing and I wouldn't go back.
I’m coming around to it, but it’s irritating. Assuming I’m able to leverage its capabilities, upgrading to a superior system should cost more. I just didn’t expect those costs to be so steep and fast.
My home automation thus far has been rather simple lighting scenes and a switched outlet. Heavy Caseta & pico usage. The other devices I have are zigbee and zwave lamps.
I’m small potatoes.
I ought to add a zwave flood sensor, humidistat (and take over the humidity control for furnace humidifier via smart outlet) Those devices close the range and should add stability.
It’s a shift of gears I didn’t expect beyond basic setup. Still bumming that the devices don’t work as they did with Wink. Oh well.
Sensors are not typically repeaters, but there may be an exception here or there. The outlet should be a repeater.
If you are shopping for devices, and want to ensure they are repeaters, use the Catalog of Certified Z-Wave Products for U.S. / Canada / Mexico site, find and select your device (their search works fairly decent). Look in the Z-Wave Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (VIEW) and it will say "beaming" in the Z-Wave Product Information section if it is a repeater.
Another reply as it is a little different topic. Wink's radio is sort of known to be on the strong side, maybe even exceeding allowable power in some cases. Hubitat, and most other hubs are probably closer "to spec".
Hubitat isn't the only hub that seems to be weak in comparison to Wink, lots of complaints with former Wink users on lots of sites.
So there is a tradeoff. A piece of terrific hardware that is basically no longer supported, and now charge a fee. Or like Hubitat, maybe the hardware is just average, but the support, software and automations totally make up for it.
Just for the record, I came from Wink. I did have some initial mesh issues in Hubitat, but once I installed a couple repeaters, and some more Zwave switches, everything leveled out and I have not had any issues since. The mesh was at its worst when I had devices on both hubs.
Another thing that many don't realize, and got me, was when the Wink hub was still powered up, even with no devices on it, Wink was interfering with Hubitat just being turned on.
Good to know. I suspect the outlet may not be great GE ZW1001. Lamp is Lightify. Figured it should be good. I just need more stuff. My Wink is still managing Lutron devices now. I did seem to have success in getting the devices installed. Receptacle works, doesn't report back. Lamp is no go. Suspect both are mesh issues.
For repeaters, check out the below outlets. Some have had mixed luck with these (please research on here) but I have a bunch of these. They are both Zigbee and Zwave repeaters, and an outlet you can control. Some people claim mesh issues, and have had problems, but I have not. They are an inexpensive way to try though, especially if you need outlets for lamps etc.
Edit: that seller is a favorite on this board, we have purchased LOTS of stuff from him.
