I am currently thinking/researching in purchasing a Hubitat hub but have quite a few questions.
First off I am completely new to home automation. My current setup is I have Vivint security system, Philips Hue lights and motions sensors, third party Gledopto z wave LED controller light strips , Eufy cameras, Switchbot curtains/blinds, Nanoleaf shapes/elements and Aqara water sensors.
Currently an apple homekit ecosystem fan. I know don't judge but I am still learning right now and trying to take it slow and steady.
I have a raspberry pi running home bridge and have exposed Vivint system, non native hue z-wave (my Gledopto LED controllers), orbit b-hyve irrigation, Denon bridge, and harmony remote bridge.
Couple questions I have. First and foremost is ability to run locally....ie if internet service goes down, will still be able to control home as long as have power to run router and wifi? I know documentation states this is true, but my neighbor has homey and their documentation says it does but in fact that is not true. So has anyone actually tested this (unplugged modem) and still have local wifi functionality?
In research I have done, I am loving fact about the 'ability' to eliminate some hubs as they are starting to add up quickly. With habitat having z wave, will that interfere with Vivint z wave (or even Philips hue z wave) mesh/nodes? I don't want to transfer my z wave sensors from Vivint to habitat because Vivint runs over cellular in loses wifi so if I have power outage, my panel has a battery backup and still can control home cellular.
Last big question is water. I am looking to purchase econet bulldog shutoff valve z wave version and does anyone have experience with this? Can I also get rid of my aqara hub and bring those water sensors into hubitat?
I know lots questions and I might not even have language rights but any help for a total newbie would be appreciated. LOL
Yes, but keep in mind that some specific features may require Internet access. (Hub updates, for one, but also cloud integrations like Alexa, Google Home, and naturally remote Dasbhoard access. Not sure about the mobile app, but unlike many other systems, it's a completely optional part of your experience--you can do everything from the web-based UI hosted on the hub itself. HomeKit can work entirely locally, including Siri voice processing if you have an Apple device new/powerful enough to support that.)
Z-Wave only has a few "channels" to work with, but the frequency ranges tend to not be crowded enough (and Z-Wave messages small and quick enough) for this to matter in most environments.
Hue is Zigbee, not Z-Wave, and Zigbee has several channels to choose from (only four for Hue but 15 or 16 for Hubitat), all of which use 2.4 GHz, unlike Z-Wave, and so might run into interference from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread, or other uses you may find in that spectrum -- but if you're not using Zigbee, this won't matter.
No personal experience with that valve, but it looks like a few people have here from a quick search.
If the Aqara devices are Zigbee, you can theoretically use them on Hubitat. However, many Xiaomi/Aqara devices are known for being picky about Zigbee and might be prone to "falling off" your Zigbee network (depending on your "repeaters"/Zigbee routers) or causing other problems. My preference is to avoid them entirely, others prefer to keep them on a separate Hubitat hub, and others have luck mixing them. The specific device models may matter, as does the rest of your Zigbee network on the Hubitat hub, so it's hard to say more without knowing -- and even then it might still be.
I use to be a Vivint customer. I cancelled my subscription on the renewal date (I think they need a 1-month notice or something…) and moved to Ring for my security and locks, and Hubitat for my home automation. There is an unofficial integration that works quite well.
The main difference I saw with the Ring vs Vivint subscription is that I had to change my contact, glass break and smoke sensors. The Vivint sensors do not work with Ring or Hubitat. The other important difference I found was the cost. What I pay in 2-3 months of Vivint (it does depend on the package cost) covers one year of Ring. I am super happy with the switch.
I currently have Z-Wave on Ring and on 3 Hubitat hubs with no interference issues. I have Zigbee on 3 Hubitat hubs and a Hue hub - again, no interference issues.
yes Vivint is a bit pricey and to be honest, I have been with them for over 10 years and their quality of customer service has deteratated so much too during this time. But one of the reason I use Vivint is the cellular option. As limiting as I find apple ecosystem to be, I still love it. Maybe in time I will venture to try other options.
But have a question regarding your transition to ring. Like I said earlier, I am a newbie in this.....right now I have Vivint system and use home bridge to add them to HomeKit. This works great for me because if internet goes out, which it does frequently ih my area, the Vivint system has cellular and still functions. When you switched to ring, did you add the sensors and everything to HomeKit natively or ring system and bridged it over to HomeKit?
I used the unofficial Ring Integration to link my Ring sensors and locks to Hubitat. Then I use Hubitat to link them to HomeKit.
Note however that the integration is community built and is not guaranteed to work forever. If Ring changes something on their side, it could stop working.
Also note that Ring also has a cellular backup with their alarm system.
