We added some bulbs and a couple more plugs from Amazon. The main requirement is the don't require another hub like the Phillips Hue system. The lamps are all soft white, dimmable Lightifys; the outlets are more interesting. They are Zooz smart plugs. The LED Is pink because it's off but when it's on, the colour indicates the power draw for the applicance. This one stays at 120 ish but the big amp was at 1000...briefly...it was very loud.
Still haven't figured out how to change home, away and night modes but the security settings are fine so I guess it's all good LOL. Notice - no fridges etc. and there won't be at least for now.
I love the Cree Connected light bulbs... They work well paired with my SmartThings... No hub required. And very cheap!
ReplyDeleteI’m reading this in a shopping mall where I worked my first job and socialized frequently in the 1970s and ‘80s. Being here has me reliving that period and that has made me realize how zooz, lightify, Amazon etc. would make no sense in what wasn’t that long ago, was it? Lingo changed all of a sudden! Friend was just a noun then. 😃
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of TP Link plugs, and Hue bulbs, plus a Woods Wi-On outdoor socket. Biggest downside to the TP Link is they really do block the second outlet. Biggest downside for the Wi-On is it doesn't work with Google Home, just the Echo. Have the Yeelight RGB strip too, but don't use it a whole lot. Mainly because I haven't decided on a useful place to put it yet. Daughter loved it when she was home for Christmas though.
ReplyDeleteChris Pollard, the Cree Connected light bulbs are awesome... not 100% sure of the TP Link, but the Cree ones don't need an extra hub apart from the SmartThings, and my SmartThings work quite well with my Google Home.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a fan of Samsung, and now that they own SmartThings I've been looking elsewhere... but have not found anything at the right price (zero monthly fee) and with the right feature set (automation, plugins, etc.).
PS: This is one of my projects:
ReplyDeleteteuton.blogspot.com - Garage door opener using Arduino + SmartThings
No other system allowed me to do this myself...
The local Home Depot sold these at $15 each ... I bought a few at the time. :)
ReplyDeletehttps://smile.amazon.com/Cree-Connected-Dimmable-Single-Amazon/dp/B00TN589ZG?sa-no-redirect=1
Marius Piedallu van Wyk take a look at Yeelight (Xiaomi) for affordable lights that don't require a hub. Prices and quality both seem quite good.
ReplyDeleteThe hub was my least favorite part of the Hue system, but it does work, so it could be worse, I suppose.
Not requiring a hub is good, but having a central controller means you only need a single app on your phone. (and your devices can be scripted together)
ReplyDeleteI prefer having a hub, and would pay for it. I would also prefer a hub that is not scripted in the cloud. (One I have full control over.)
I actually (helped) design, program, and used a building automation system my company worked on back in the 90s... it was way ahead of SmartThings or most other home automation systems now. I miss it... :P
Also using a Z-Wave or Zigbee hub is a good thing... those are very low power and can work with batteries over long periods of time. WiFi just won't cut it... however BlueTooth 4 low power is showing some promise!
Chris Pollard the lights I'm using can be dimmable and there are colour versions. And I agree, one hub is great. I got SmartThings even though it's not as widely supported as Wink in Canada. It's quite flexible for scenarios.
ReplyDeleteCass Morrison, I actually tried wink, and evaluated it as an option to replace SmartThings, but they had such patchy device support that I would have lost the control of my thermostats. It was a pretty generic Z-Wave compatible thermostat as well... (The CT100?)
ReplyDeleteI have two of these: https://smile.amazon.com/2gig-CT100-Z-Wave-Programmable-Thermostat/dp/B008CQ4V3Q/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1518464729&sr=1-4&keywords=ct100
ReplyDelete