I have very simple requirements, which are currently being met by my ancient X10 switches, modules, and controller (mostly bought when Radio Shack still existed and the internet didn't).
The motivation to replace is the over-reaching nanny government declaration that incandescent light bulbs are illegal contraband. I use the X10 system for light timing when I am gone (e.g. vacation) and for a remote light switch in our bedrooms.
Everything works fine, but my illegal stash of incandescent bulbs is dwindling and the light switches and the controller don't work very well with LED bulbs.
So, my requirements are:
Totally local; no cloud at all for anything. This applies to the hub as well as the switches, outlet plugs and remote controls.
Plug-and-play setup and operation. No custom drivers or apps required to make the Hubitat hub work with the switches and outlet plugs.
Light switches (including 3-way and 4-way).
Outlet plugs.
Bedside remote control (not smart phone) for each bedroom
Rock-solid reliability.
I am a retired real-time software engineer, electronic engineer, and network manager, so while I am fully capable of setting up any wizz-bang system Hubitat can handle, and even could write custom software for it, I don't want to.
I just want to install a simple switch / outlet system and have it then work. No searching for custom drivers, no re-flashing of components, no finding double-secret settings to disable default cloud access (settings that then have to be remembered through updates/reboots/etc.). If it is not supported by the Hubitat hub as delivered, I'm not interested.
If you're still with me and haven't TL;DR'ed me, I'd like recommendations on the most reliable and simple-to-set-up with Hubitat light switches and outlet plugs. I'd prefer ZigBee, but that is not a hard requirement. Absolutely no cloud, no Google, no Amazon, no Apple.
Alternative solution: a black market in incandescent bulbs? J/K
Welcome. If you haven't already, you may want to join the owner's group to allow you to post images, and remove some of the anti-spamming restrictions.
As to switches, my personal favorites are from Inovelli, but they are frequently out of stock.
If you don't mind ZWave, Zooz has a good following here.
I used to have the power line carrier flavor. Never could get that to work reliably.
I remember I had a controller with a million buttons on it. It was wood-grained, lol.
Here's my jaded view:
"They" claim Hubitat is a totally local solution, but wait.......if you have any time-based routines, they'll supposedly (I haven't actually tried this) get out of whack pretty soon because Hubitat requires a "time server". And where do you think a time server may be accessed. The internet is one place. Oh, and maybe you could build yourself one. This is BS.
Now, my clock radio has a tiny little battery, and if I lose power for days, or I unplug it for months, it comes back right on time, within seconds one way or another I imagine, when power returns.
Anyway. That's my bitch. Maybe someone will prove me wrong.
Time server. Blech.
PS: Oh, and I love how those led bulbs last 10,000 hours as advertised...not.
Does "totally local" mean no Internet connection, or a solution that doesn't require internet access to perform its automation functions? I never gave any thought as to whether or not HE requires access to a time server, but if it does, I don't consider that as making it not "totally local".
If the OP considers time server access to render HE as not "totally local", you can buy a time server appliance for about $350 here...
That they should redesign the hub hardware for the relatively few users that need accurate timekeeping but can’t (or won’t) allow the hub to access an internet time server and can’t (or won’t) run an NTP server on their LAN?
Maybe... But I think there are some issues more relevant to the OP's request for a simple local setup before considering an NTP server, as important as it may be for some...
