Zx2guy19 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 I did a search on this and nothing truly relevant came up- figured there will be a lot of interest in this! Since I'm buying a new house, I figure it's a good time to start upgrading stuff to be "smart". I would like to power everything through Amazon Dots. Things I'm looking for: 1) Smart Thermostat- thinking EcoBee3 2) Smart lightbulbs- leaning towards Sylvania Lightify but open to discussion 3) Smart alarm system- leaning towards "Scout" because it's compatible with Alexa but it doesn't release until end of January so I'm sure there will be bugs to work out 4) Smart outlets- mainly like 1 in the kitchen, 1 in the living room and 1 in the master, so nothing too crazy What has everyone here done or read up on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg1647545532 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 EcoBee has remote temp sensors, which is nice. It's just not as pretty as the Nest. I've been super happy with my Hue setup, it's got very broad support and I like being able to change scenes with the Tap. Downside is that Scene support via the Echo never really solidified. LIFX bulbs are all the rage for people who don't want to deal with a hub. I have a TP-LINK outlet and it plays nice with my Echo. Only thing I'm really wanting for is a good IR blaster, I don't want to pay for the Harmony Hub so I built a little one out of an ESP8266 chip (found directions online) but it's just too clunky to use with the Echo. There's a lot of stuff that's still clunky with the Echo, to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewhop Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 https://www.smartthings.com Love the ease of use with Samsung smart things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstmg8 Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 https://www.smartthings.com Love the ease of use with Samsung smart things. This looks cool. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewhop Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 This looks cool. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Its integration base is massive. I would say arguably the best hub made for what it does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zx2guy19 Posted January 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Its integration base is massive. I would say arguably the best hub made for what it does. Is this just a replacement for Alexa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewhop Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Is this just a replacement for Alexa? No Smart things is a hub to work as a centralized controller. Allowing control thru multiple different smart things working together. You could use Alexa to control the items connected to the smartthings hub that Alexa may not be able to control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyG Posted January 18, 2017 Report Share Posted January 18, 2017 Thats the ticket....Alexa plus smart home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 I have a Honeywell WIFI enabled t-stat... works much better in my opinion than the nest. If you have 3 way switches (which you will in any hallway or kitchen area), you will need to get a smart things hub and z-wave switches. for 1 post switches, I got the WeMo switches as they were the most simple to setup and cheapest. Plugs, I again uses WeMo and for smart bulbs I used tp-link bulbs as they were the best for the price smart bulb I could find. I'm still trying to work through finding an adapter that I can hook to my current security system to enable it. If you are looking for security cameras that are built into your lights, I suggest Kuna which is integratabtle into Alexa. Be careful though, this is a slippery slop as things start getting really expensive really quickly. If you have any questions, let me know, I just went through automating my house and ended up doing a lot of rewiring to make everything work as expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 No Smart things is a hub to work as a centralized controller. Allowing control thru multiple different smart things working together. You could use Alexa to control the items connected to the smartthings hub that Alexa may not be able to control. plus then your smart things hub has an app so you have a central place to control things from your smart phone if you want to do it remotely or don't want to speak. I use it to run on and off different lights in the house if I'm not home or I know I'm on my way home so I don't come home to a dark house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRed05 Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 I have a Nest, Phillips Hue for lights and Logitech Harmony Hub. I use mine with Google Assistant/Google Now and have done so for about 2 or 3 years now, but Harmony Hub works with Alexa. I highly recommend my setup, it's reliable, easy to use, constantly getting software upgrades and compatible with just about everything out there. You don't want to invest in a brand or tech that will limit you with what other devices it works with when it comes to Internet of Things. IMO, Nest is the best smart thermostat. It's a great design, easy to use and just looks awesome. I love how when I walk past it it sense me, turns on the screen and then displays the weather forecast for me. I don't have to worry about smart outlets because Hue bulbs can be plugged in anywhere and be connected. Only thing I'd like to get in the future are smart blinds. I want to be able to open and close them automatically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 Smart Blinds are for sure on my list for the future as well... I would have to say my wifi enabled Honeywell t-stat seems much more customizable than the Nest. At least it was when I purchased it a year ago. The problem with Hue bulbs is if the lights are on a switched outlet, you have to leave the switches in the on position all the time which can be difficult if there is more than just you in the house thus the WeMo switches solve that problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_buster Posted January 21, 2017 Report Share Posted January 21, 2017 (edited) How long do the smart bulbs last? I looked at the website linked above and didn't see it. We got an Echo for Christmas and so far we just use it for music, and the 7 year old likes to ask it science type questions. Would like to expand on its usage. *edit* found it. 20k hours Edited January 21, 2017 by The_buster blind... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted January 22, 2017 Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 supposedly 20,000 hours. Same as LED bulbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suprafiedd Posted January 24, 2017 Report Share Posted January 24, 2017 Using the Ecobee here with one sensor + thermostat. Overall it does the job and allows for geo-fencing to know when to throw the system into "away" mode as soon as it senses my wife are both away from the home. It also has nice feature to see the run time, humidity level, and outdoor temp to see how the system runs but I must use my IPad to see this versus my IPhone. There are simple reminders to notify for minor maintenance and prevent excessive system demand from another/child etc. (say they turn the heat up to 90-F. System will override and notify you of the infraction therefore forcing it back to schedule.). I've had other high end WiFi units in my past house (Bryant Evolution) and honestly I prefer this due to simplicity. Eco-bee also is only partly by Carrier now which I foresee them taking over in the long term to bring future offerings to their COR system (similar to the evolution from Bryant since Carrier-> Bryant-> Payne = UTC). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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