Struggling to get started with Hubitat

[SmplTeddyBear]

Well this would be the step that was missed; but to be fair its not in the instructions of the documentation for Groups & Scenes (or in the video tutorial for it.)

Another design/code aspect of this Hubitat that is questionable.. why does a user have to go back and enable a group (device) to be usable on the Dashboard? If the user doesn't want a button for it, couldn't they simply just not add a button..

Or stick a option in the config when setting up a Group.. "Would you like to enable this for use on your dashboard(s)?"

[SmplTeddyBear]

A button is typically something you press or in sense of a computer "Click." - I wanted to add a button (that I can click) to turn on/off all the bulbs in the overhead light.. Granted its a "switching" action (on to off to on) but still its Clicked, not switched like a light switch.. Terminology difference I guess..

Also not sure why my bulbs show up as "DIMMERS" in the group app, instead of under "Bulbs"

[rlithgow1]

To make a device show up in an individual dashboard, you need to go to the dashboard app (not the dashboard itself) then pick the dashboard you want then click the devices section and mark the device available to that dash board..

[stephen_nutt]

These 2 videos are very helpful for dashboards.

How to use Hubitat Dashboard: Setup and Primary Features

Hubitat Elevation How To Dashboards & Devices Q&A

[stephen_nutt]

@SmplTeddyBear

A button is typically something you press or in sense of a computer "Click." - I wanted to add a button (that I can click) to turn on/off all the bulbs in the overhead light.

In Hubitat World, a button is like a button on a remote. You can't choose a Button template to control a light or group of lights directly. You have to use a Switch Template. However you can change the icons if you don't like the default option.

[rlithgow1]

I'd also point you here for your dashboards

An (in)complete Guide to HE Dashboards [Wiki]

There are many Dashboard threads, and several "how-to's". The intent of this post is to showcase a few small things that can greatly improve the overall Hubitat Dashboard experience. At the end we will also give a few other well known options in case the HE platform still does not meet your needs. The Hubitat Official Dashboard documentation does a great job covering the basics, of installation, and creation of the Dashboards app. If you have never used, or do not have the Dashboard app install…

and

Show Off Your Dashboards!

We would love to see what you are doing with Hubitat Dashboard (or any other dashboard solution integrated with Hubitat). Feel free to post screen shots, videos, etc. of what you are doing with dashboards, how you are using them and what your plans for the future are. Sharing what you are doing can help inspire others to do the same. If you want to even share your dashboard layout which will include any custom colors, backgrounds, rows, and columns, you can paste in the layout json file. Thi…

Literally thousands of examples to help you get started.

I will say I am of the mind that the interface means little in terms of control (in my opinion) Home automation is just that, automation. I take a set and forget attitude towards it. Create an automation that works and never touch it again. I only use the dashboard occasionally and thats simply to look at status or if I receive a message about something. Other than that it's pretty hands off, so that "prettiness" of a dash for me is no big deal.

Once you wrap your head around some of the concepts it's really not complicated. We're all here to help you..

As to switches that replace your existing switches (The preferred way) that don't require a neutral, I would reccomend either Lutron Caseta (The best) Or Innovelli. Both are fabulous and will serve to function better than using individual bulbs (personally I use bulbs only for the occasional table lamp and those are on a hue bridge I picked up at home depot on clearence for $35.00). I also use lutron PICO switches, I'm still running 6 years in on the batteries for the majority of them.

Now above you site lack of available compatible products. I'm not sure where you get that from but if you look at the compatibility list of officially supported products, it's pretty extensive, not to mention the compatible stuff not on the list in addition to community supported devices,

We are all here to help you, including the phenomenal staff at HE. Be patient and take things one step at a time.

[SmplTeddyBear]

To add to the confusion of terms used.. there is a separate template option called "Switch" where as I'm using the "Bulb" template

[SmplTeddyBear]

@stephen_nutt

Hubitat Elevation How To Dashboards & Devices Q&A

One thing I find hilarious about this video.. Its close to a year old, and there still is not drag & drop function in the dashboards?

[djw1191]

@SmplTeddyBear

One thing I find hilarious about this video.. Its close to a year old, and there still is not drag & drop function in the dashboards?

It's all about prioritization. Hubitat is a small company, they don't have unlimited man power to do everything you might think is necessary.

[thebearmay]

While not drag-n-drop I did accidently find out that if you click on the 3 vertical dots to bring up the tile edit dialog, clicking in the dashboard grid will change the row and column and move the tile to that location

[672southmain]

@SmplTeddyBear

there still is not drag & drop function in the dashboards?

There is drag-and-drop function, provided by a community contributed project (Smartly project). For reasons I won’t detail here, the Smartly threads were removed from the Hubitat forum by the Hubitat staff, and are now located here:

Smartly Support

I use Smartly, and it’s great.

[brad5]

@cjkeenan

I think some Lutron Caseta switches do not require a neutral, but that requires their hub, which is reportedly rock-solid/bullet-proof in terms of reliability, but someone can correct me on that since I do not own them

Lutron Caseta dimmers do not require a neutral and are fantastic. They can be used with the equally awesome pico remotes for all sorts of cool stuff. Some of the other Caseta switches, like the fan control switch, do require a neutral. Lutron integration requires the Lutron PRO hub, not the regular hub, but it is, as you say, rock solid. The HE Lutron integration is simple to set up and has been bulletproof. I went through and ripped out all of my z-wave switches and replaced them with Lutron just because.

I really prefer switches controlling a series of bulbs rather than smart bulbs, In most cases, unless you need individual control of the bulb, a switch is going to be much better in the long run.

[rlithgow1]

As said above, prioritization. Now it's pretty easy to make your dashboards look any way you want

(Mine on my iphone)

But as I said above, it's about automation, not remote control.

[SmplTeddyBear]

@672southmain

There is drag-and-drop function, provided by a community contributed project (Smartly project). For reasons I won’t detail here, the Smartly threads were removed from the Hubitat forum by the Hubitat staff, and are now located here:

I think one of my points I tried to come across in the original message, was not having to diving down the rabbit hole of searching for alternative solutions for things.. to have a device that has things built-in from the start, that don't depend on a community provided solution where the developer eventually gets bored with the side project and then the code doesn't even work properly after the main code (Hubitat) is updated with changes.. or other possible reason it stops working at some point..

Perhaps it was removed for a good reason? Perhaps the code has some sort of malicious intent that the non-developer/coder wouldn't know about.. I'm just pull straws here at examples.. since I'm unable to read the original post

[joeplayspiano]

@SmplTeddyBear

Now onto Alexa.. I read in a few articles, that its possible to still control the lights/devices, from Alexa, even though they are all paired to the Hubitat.. but HOW?

Not sure if this has been answered but the goal is to NOT use Echo Plus as your hub if you have hubitat. If you paired your Zigbee devices to the Echo, unpair them or you will run into duplicate devices showing in Alexa. Personally I recommend adding everything in Hubitat first, including groups and scenes, and then linking Alexa using the Skill. I found it's a pain to juggle between routines and automations in the Alexa App / Google Home App and Hubitat. Create your scenes and automations in Hubitat, which you can port to a switch in the Alexa App. Hit the switch and it will trigger your scene via hubitat. It will drive you nuts to combine both so again, add all devices in hubitat first, install the apps you want to use, then slowly start to bring things in to your voice assistants.

[robertsonslodge]

I feel compelled to throw in here, a bit of uplift for the Hubitat team and hopefully encouragement to smplteddybear.
I am not a programer and the last formal education I've had with computer languages was in the days of Fortran and Cobal (yes, decades ago). I appreciate the work and the product you guys have put together. It is working well. I also appreciate the continued support via this media and that you are constantly refining.
To smplteddtbear, I offer, work the process, one step at a time and let the team here help you. They each may have a slightly different approach, so one of them will suit your needs.

[672southmain]

@SmplTeddyBear

I think one of my points I tried to come across in the original message, was not having to diving down the rabbit hole of searching for alternative solutions for things.

I understood your original post. I am not part of the Hubitat staff, and I have no more influence on the product than you do.

That said, you really need to understand that the Hubitat hub is very early in its development. The company is tiny, with only a few people. Hubitat does not have the product maturity or resources that a large enterprise could bring to the table.

As others said upthread, it’s a question of priorities with limited resources.

I believe that the Hubitat Terms of Service, to which all of us agree when we register and update our hubs, states it well in paragraph 1.c.:

c. Customer acknowledges that the Hubitat Platform is under continuous development, is not complete or otherwise at the final stage of development and that Hubitat makes no representation that the Hubitat Platform is error or bug free. Customer acknowledges and agrees that the Hubitat Platform may experience unscheduled downtime and agrees that Hubitat shall not be liable for any harm resulting from unscheduled downtime. Customer acknowledges that Hubitat has no obligation to provide support for the Customer's use of the product.

Addressing your other point:

@SmplTeddyBear

Perhaps it was removed for a good reason? Perhaps the code has some sort of malicious intent that the non-developer/coder wouldn't know about.. I'm just pull straws here at examples.. since I'm unable to read the original post

It was none of the reasons you cite. You can figure it out if you dig. I understand that you don’t seem to want to expend that effort, and want a mature, turnkey system. That’s not Hubitat at this point in its development. I was just trying to help and suggest what, I believe, is the only native drag-and-drop solution for Hubitat today.

Hubitat does have a vibrant community of developers and users that try to extend the product and help each other. I hope that works for you. If so, try to pay it forward and help others as you gain greater experience with the product.

[aaiyar]

@SmplTeddyBear

I think one of my points I tried to come across in the original message, was not having to diving down the rabbit hole of searching for alternative solutions for things.

So this is where my expectation differs quite strikingly from yours. From my perspective, Hubitat provides me with a device controller, and a sufficient diversity of apps for function (Simple Automation, Groups & Scenes, Motion/Mode Lighting, Rule Machine).

The built-in collection of apps/drivers is sufficient for most needs. However, Hubitat also does this:

It provides the end-user the capacity to create their own device drivers for devices and their own apps (it is up to the end-user to learn Groovy to do so, if they so wish).
And, it provides the end-user with at least one app (MakerAPI) that acts as an interface to anything external that you desire.

Let me expand on MakerAPI, because it is the Hubitat app that I use the most. MakerAPI lets me run most of my automations using Node-RED. MakerAPI lets me import zigbee sensors paired to zigbee2mqtt into Hubitat. And finally, I do not use Dashboards, preferring the interface provided by the iOS/MacOS Home App - once again MakerAPI permits me to do that using Homebridge.

It is not a question of diving down a rabbit hole. The built-in apps are clearly sufficient for most needs. The point is that Hubitat provides the end-user the capacity to create their own tools, or use external tools as suits their needs.

In the instance of a Dashboard, in addition to the built-in Dashboard, there are at least 3-4 other projects that come to mind to provide Dashboard functionality. It is totally up to the end-user to decide which is best for them. Hubitat does its job by providing the essential tools needed to use any of them.

[bertabcd1234]

@SmplTeddyBear

Just combine all these essential things into a "Starter Pack" if not going to install them by default.

You mean like the "Let's Get Started" option you have the ability to kickstart your hub with if you read everything at the end of the setup wizard? (What this does is install a few common built-in apps with "fake"/virtual devices so you can see what's possible. You can then use these apps for reference to set up new ones, swap out the virtual devices with real ones, remove any you don't want, or really just do whatever you want.)

But back to the issue, "built-in" just means that the app comes with the hub firmware. This is as opposed to custom/user apps that you have to install (as code) yourself. Similar with drivers. I think Hubitat Dashboard actually is installed by default, or was last time I used a brand-new hub, but it doesn't really do anything unless you configure it, anyway--nor would most apps, so I'm not sure how just having them "installed" is helpful (how would Groups and Scenes know what groups you want to create?). I'll agree that Dashboard isn't the friendliest. However, I think the Community is, so you should have good luck if you ask questions as they arise. I see you have some good advice above already, so I'll touch on one tip that I'm not sure I've seen addressed yet:

@SmplTeddyBear

Why do I need to create multiple dashboards for different devices? Why isn't there a "responsive" design so that it fits the screen size of the device the dashboard is being viewed on?

You can leave the width and height blank (they are not by default) for rows and/or columns, and they will automatically size to fit the width or height of your screen. This won't necessarily work for all screens; unlike ActionTiles or SharpTools, tiles won't wrap around to the next row but rather just resize in accordance with your specified number of columns and rows. (I actually prefer this behavior; I don't have to wonder how a screen of a slightly different size might wrap my tiles and mess up anything I wanted to be next to something else. I'm sure others prefer the other behavior instead.) But it works for most screens of similar sizes and saves you from needing to make a new Dashboard for each--but if you do want to do that, you can copy the JSON from one to a new one to get a head start.

I also wouldn't worry too much about Hubitat Dashboard changing so much that any of the community solutions you've found will stop working. The biggest change to Dashboard was about two years ago when Dashboard 2.0 came out (if you think the current Dashboards are awkward, I wish I could remember how legacy Dashboard worked...). I recall exactly zero changes since then except recent token/security changes that don't affect the Dashboards themselves beyond that, so you'll probably be good for a while. And if they make major changes, hopefully that's Dashboard 3.0 and you'll have the option to keep using these indefinitely.

Oh, and there also are third-party solutions--like SharpTools I mentioned above (actually pre-dates any version of Hubitat Dashboard), and ActionTiles is rumored to be coming soon. If you use iOS, you can also use an official HomeBridge integration and use that as your UI. I've actually come to rely less and less on Dashboards in Hubitat in favor of "real" automation instead (motion, presence, temperature, etc. drive things on their own), but it's still nice as one place to monitor things (e.g., lots of sensor states). I'm sure you'll find something that works for you. Good luck!

[SmplTeddyBear]

@672southmain

I believe that the Hubitat Terms of Service, to which all of us agree when we register and update our hubs, states it well in paragraph 1.c

I find it hilarious when folks start pointing out a terms of service agreement.. Where is this agreement before making the $140 purchase? Don't remember having to check of any box to agree to the ToS before giving my money away..

@672southmain

That said, you really need to understand that the Hubitat hub is very early in its development.

Pretty sure this thing has been around for a few years now.. I couldn't call that "early development.." but if that is the reason/excuse you need to justify the device lacking some basic core functions/simplicity then go for it.

@672southmain

I was just trying to help and suggest what, I believe, is the only native drag-and-drop solution for Hubitat today.

I understand what your intentions are, but that doesn't change the bottom line of the situation. And "native" does not mean 3rd party (community driven/provided) - Native is baked in, out the box, from the start..

Edit I'm just throwing this at the tail of this post.. I'd like to keep the conversation going, and learn more from what folks have to share, but apparently I'm being silenced for the next 14 hours due to being a "new user.." Wouldn't a new user need more help than some others? Cut off their voice/post ability midway through a conversation? Logic escapes me there.. any how..

I'm still reading through the forms, and trying to find solutions (per suggestion in this thread) to make things "easier" in using this hubitat. I haven't given up on it, certainly not after one day.. although I would like to be able to "set it and forget it" sooner than later, and just have things work and never have to go back into the settings/menu again once everything is setup..

Also, I accidentally removed the post below this one.. meant to click the edit but, but didn't work out that way in the end... and not sure how to get it back.. it says something about being flagged, but don't see an option to "flag" it