Using Hubitat Elevation without a network connection

Continuing the discussion from Can I use Hubitat Elevation without an internet connection?:

The initial registration requires an internet connection as does platform updates, beyond that though you can remove it from the internet

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What about time? Would it need some kind of ntp server to keep time up to date?

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Will I need to connect it to the internet initially every time I get to a new location or just initially first time and for updates?

Just initially when registering and when doing updates. You only need to register once

How were you planning to control the fans? Access from your phone would need a network.

That’s awesome thank you so much last questions. Do you know if I’ll have to resync the smart plugs every time? We unplug the hub and plug it in somewhere new? And does it need to be on internet to sync with them

Planning to use an ipad and connect to the app

Hang on a second, let's make sure we're clear here. He can use Hubitat without being connected to the Internet in these remote locations, but he will need a local Wi-Fi network if he wants to control the fan from an app on his phone.

If the fans are for cooling specific devices, you could likely include some sensors that could test for the situation you are trying to control and the fans could be made to come on/off without much monitoring by a human, that's the point of automation.

If you're using the fans for an on set effect, then you'll either have to connect to the HE over a hard wired connection with a laptop, or via a local Wi-Fi network with a phone/laptop.

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They "should" re pair automatically. @bcopeland do you see any issues with this? The only thing I see a prob with is you will likely need lots of repeaters. I'm not sure this will work overall for you. You may want to call Laface & McGovern (412-854-3200) And ask for Val. She is head of specialty lighting and power. They work with a lot of theaters, studios, and venue's. They may have a better solution.

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@user1043 - you could pair some smart switches as well, removing the need to use the ipad

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FYI - a proper shutdown sequence is needed to not corrupt the hub's internal database. If you unplug it at one location without going through a shutdown, it may not function as desired at the next location. And shutting it down properly requires that the hub be accessible via the local LAN.

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Could that not be triggered via a rule? Allowing for the use of a physical button?

Regardless, that is an important point about shutting down properly

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Yes, it certainly can!

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Without an NTP server you will eventually get some time drift, but you can correct that using the update from browser function.

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@sburke781 In addition to drift, I think if HE loses power the clock stops, and when HE gets power back, it resumes the clock from where it left off. So if HE loses power at 9, and power is restored at 10, HE thinks it is 9.

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Yup. There is no backup battery for the RTC.

Hi, I have a few Questions.

  1. Does my user needs to be connected to internet if he is handling his Z-Wave network from his home (local wi-fi network, without internet)?

  2. Does Hubitat comes with a Mobile app which the user can use to handle the z-wave network from Home(local network) as well as from the office (not local network)? Simply asking -- does the App comes with some cloud service?

I am not an expert, but:

  1. No. It is local.

  2. Yes. When you are at the office you can use the cloud to access the Dashboard. If you want to do more complex things while at the office, you have to pay a small subscription fee. At home, it is local-no cloud required.
    edit: If there is no internet at home, he can't connect to the hub.

What I am unclear about is the time server (NTP?). I wonder if your client goes to the office periodically, if that would be enough to keep the time roughly correct. Otherwise, Hubitat has to have a way to know what the time is so it can do its job correctly on time-related rules. The alternatives to that, I'm unclear.

As a side note, I'm a little bit in the country and they only strung broadband cable a couple of years ago. Before that, we had to watch carefully a mobile connection, which we were lucky enough to have. In a word: broadband is great, even though not cheap.

Not necessary if you want to set up a VPN.

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Yeah, I'll have to get into that...someday.

Key here is, though, the hub doesn't appear to be connected to the internet.