I joined the HE train 7 years ago now... hmmm....Wow... That means I have enjoyed my initial burst of interest in the platform, plus the excitement around enhancements in the years immediately following my joining the platform. I am keen to hear what people find interesting about the platform now.... Over recent years that has been Matter implementation, HomeKit stuff... Plus I'm sure other stuff I am not aware of...
Also, happy for people to include Community changes here... What new or updated Community apps/drivers are making your life easier?
I can finally connect my Aqara FP2 directly to the hub! It worked before, but I much prefer not having to use virtual devices through HomeKit like I had to do before.
I wish.... C-8 and C-7's mostly here.. Plus a C-4... Still, happy to see the progress of the feature for those with a pro hub that I expect I will eventually own....
Setting up a new logitech ultimate one hub system with a new tv, soundbar, logitech integration, virtual switches and alexa integration with routines so i can say; turn on the zxxy tv, turn It off or pause and resume via voice. Believe it or not logitechs still work and they are still keeping the database updated. I Got a cheap used hub and remote off ebay.
The fact that as they issue upgrades, all my stuff has continued to work. That's all I really ask. Keep the thing secure, and don't screw up the existing stuff, and I'm happy.
I would say being there early with the C-4 and now two C-7's and looking at the C-8 that the product line is strong and growing. Software updates are great, new device support is great.
The community comes up with really good solutions and some great driver and apps to handle what is the biggest issue in the industry "lock out". This is where features are locked inside the vendors application and cloud solution. They may support a base implementation for home automation hubs but you are limited to say off and on commands. Now with HomeKit support that stalwart of those devices behind locked behind a "fruit" vendors technology will keep things going.
I am looking forward to how Matter evolves. I have one device that has the Matter label but not using that integration since the pandora's box to keep things running seems to be the next hurdle Hubitat needs to address.
It just works!
I love that I'm not limited to a certain ecosystem (fruit vendor, search provider, etc.) That is not how the real world works in my household.
The TV was the only option with HAF due to it's "art" aesthetic; it integrates great with Hubitat via the community Samsung driver
The HVAC, ERV's, bath fans, dampers, dehumidifier & ceiling fans were installed by the builder; they integrate with Hubitat via Honeywell Redlink gateway, Zooz switches & relays and a Bond Bridge (and soon a Swidget that I still need to install). This community was AWESOME in helping me integrate the dehumidifier controls to HE.
The shades were only option with HAF due to their color, fabric wrapped top & bottom bars, TDBU function & motorization; Hubitat controls them via a Bond Bridge
The security system was the preferred system with HAF due to it's slim strip and recessed sensors, as well as cell backup; it now integrates splendidly with Hubitat due to the 2024 Community Driver
Really the absolute best of all worlds.
Agreed.
The irony is that I'm generally very opposed to paying a subscription for hardware and software, so no reoccuring fees is one of the things that really drew me to Hubitat - in fact I ruled out any systems that had them in the first round of evaluation.
But I love my Hubitat so much, and so much want them to succeed, that I voluntarily signed up for one of the subscriptions (and because it offers easy restoration and repairing of devices in the case of a total failure).
I might be a bit jaded as I installed it 3 years ago, and never really mess with it as it just works. I bought it when ST killed Webcore as I have 50+ pistons managing security, water/smoke detection, HVAC and our video surveillance system (Blue Iris). I actually flew back from our home in Mexico in order to move everything from ST to HE when ST announced Webcore was really going away. Without HE, we wouldn’t be comfortable leaving our home in the US vacant for months at a time.
There is one thing that still wows me and that’s my ability to integrate our house with our Blue Iris NVR. If an exterior door or gate opens and we’re not home, our PTZ cameras pan and zoom in on the door or gate that was opened and we get snapshots and video clips immediately. If the doorbell is rung, I get an SMS with snapshots of the person at the door. If the AI engine confirms a person on the property at night or when we’re not home, all of the outdoor floods go to 100% until motion is no longer detected, and they then get set back to 10%. HE also manages BI modes (home, away, day, night) by detecting everyone's presence and determining if the house is vacant or occupied. It feels like I’m running a highly reliable, high-end HA/NVR system on the cheap (well, sort of cheap).
I sometimes worry that it doesn't seem like Webcore gets a lot of attention. It's incredibly powerful and really allows you to do extremely complex things with HE.
That's certainly not the impression I get.... From the rest of your post.... Sounds like you get a high level of confidence out of the strengths of the platform.... Great to hear such a great experience...
I deployed HE 15 months ago after I gave up on my longstanding controller family. Very happy with my move.
What I like are the frequent code updates (without a lot of drama, never had to roll back an update) and incremental improvements. Always feels like the platform is well supported and moving forward.
Second to that is the active user community with so many folks with helpful ideas and suggestions that are given freely. Lastly is the highly skilled 3rd party developers making add ons for the platform.
First and foremost I love the HE C8 Pro I have and it has been exceptional. No issues with the equipment.
However. I want to give a shout out to the HE community members that daily take time out of their days to answer questions to help someone they don't know from a knot in a log fix their issues and resolve their frustrations. A lot of time receiving attitude while trying to do it, but being patient because they know the person is just frustrated. Not to mention that they even take their time and answer private messages to help with equipment and items that are not HE related. Speaking first hand there have been many that has been invaluable in my journey from HE, to HA, to Unifi. This community is absolutely great and is part of what makes HE so great.
