Setup Recommendations

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Hello HE Community,

I am doing a complete re-work of my home automation setup and I am looking for configuration recommendations . I've been patchworking for years using Google Home and Smartthings and I am ready to convert to a clean Alexa/Hubitat/Node-Red setup (my HE is on the way!). My automations are not complex (yet), mostly turn x off/on at y time. Based on reading through these forums it seems the most optimal setup of these to avoid any potential nuisance issues (slowdowns/reboots/restarts/etc) is to use the Hubitat as the device hub for the Zigbee and Z-Wave stuff, Alexa for the network stuff (Konnected I/O, RGB LED lights, and such) and put the automations on Node-Red.

We do a lot of voice commands so the plan is to allow Alexa to control devices on Hubitat and the automations will be handled by Node-Red.

People with experience, what is your recommendation for a reliable, stable setup? Do I put some automations that are more straightforward on HE, put them all on Node-Red, etc? I've been designing/programming industrial automation for decades so I'm ok with, and know how, to debug but the rest of the family needs something that will run indefinitely without much issue or I'm gonna hear about it. So having hub slowdowns, forced restarts/reboots, is something I prefer to avoid.

Thanks!

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I have come to believe that it is best to utilize best of breed subsystems, to help provide the highest reliability and integration options.

For example:

If you want to use smart bulbs, consider using a Philips Hue bridge to pair the Zigbee bulbs to, and then integrate the Hue bridge with Hubitat, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Logitech Harmony, Node-RED, etc...

For in-wall switches, dimmers, fan controllers, and button controllers, take a look at Lutron’s lighting system. It also can be directly integrated with Hubitat, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Logitech Harmony, Node-RED, etc...

For a smart thermostat, consider something that can be programmed to run completely autonomously, but still allows for integration possibilities.

You can then add Zigbee/Z-wave sensors and devices to the mix via Hubitat, as well as things like Sonos speakers, Ecobee thermostats, etc... Hubitat can also run automations controlling all of the aforementioned devices. Or, you can add something like Node-RED into the mix to allow for more integrations and automations.

Keep your options open. If something is going to fail, hopefully you’ve designed the system in a way that allows for some functionality to continue.

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If you are going to be using NR anyway then I might suggest doing your logic there. Having rules split between systems can get complicated especially if you need them to interact. Stick with one development paradigm if possible - just easier to maintain over time.

That being said certain apps work really well in HE like @ogiewon mentioned and you may be better served by leaving them in HE.

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I like to run 1 hub (each hub running both zigbee and zwave) per floor and connect them with HubConnect.
I tried running only Zigbee on one hub and Zwave on another but did not see any improvement.
I do see some improvement running one per floor and if one hub fails I only lose 1 floor of automation.
Slowly adding Node-Red.

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I'd echo (pun intended...) the recommendation by @ogiewon to select devices / platforms / setups that keep your options open. I've watched many of Matt Ferrell's home automation videos on Youtube and he talks a lot about choosing platform agnostic devices, i.e. one's that can work with as many different platforms as possible, so that if you choose to move to a different one, much of your setup and experience can remain the same. It also opens up more possibilities.

As an example, I recently installed Somfy motors into some roller blinds / shades in my home, which come with a physical remote to operate them. I have also purchased a Bond Hub that allows me to also control the blinds through an app on my phone, but which also integrates with both Google Home and HE. This opens up control using the physical remote, the Bond app, voice using a Google Mini or my phone, HE automations, dashboards, physical switches, etc. Each of these can be switched out for something different, such as Amazon Alexa in place of Google Home or a different switch connected to HE.

Another example would be my decision to purchase a Raspberry Pi, which opens up a whole world of opportunities.

Simon

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I am also conscious of where my rules are maintained, like @erktrek talks about. My initial entry into home automation was almost entirely in setting up rules on my hue bridge. Once I got my HE I was intending to bring them over and centralise them with any other rules. Based on reading other people's recommendations and a couple of minor sticking points around scenes and dimmer switches, I have kept almost all my lighting rules on the hue bridge, with only control options made available through HE, e.g. switches on dashboards and triggering mode changes. At least this way there is still a clear distinction about where my rules are defined.

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Thanks for the feedback, a lot to digest.
I'm looking forward to having some fun with the new setup.

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There are no "wrong" answers here. Thanks to the flexibility of the HE platform you are not locked in and can change as needed if the first approach does not do what you want..

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I would just point out that if you haven’t even setup your hub yet, it’s entirely possible you can use your HE hub for local device connections, cloud connections and automation logic.

Naturally, we hear more in the forum from people whose setup isn’t working perfectly well for one reason or another. And @ogiewon’s suggestion to segmentize the components (and rule logic) of a home automation setup is absolutlely a very sensible one.

But the HE hub doesn’t have to be automatically consigned to a fate of slowdowns and lockups just because one has a “busy” setup at home.

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10

Fair enough, I completely understand your point. No disrespect for HE, I was soliciting input from the group (the good and the bad) to be able to objectively chose a configuration path. I'm leaning toward putting all the 'critical' automations (time based off/on events, arrival/departure events, etc) on HE and leave the non-critical stuff on the NR. Alexa will simply just be the voice interface and provide HE and/or NR with device info that is Alexa specific.

Again, thanks all for the feedback.

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