Having given up on the Zooz ZEN25 ever getting fixed, I went in search of a cheap alternative that wouldn’t cause Z-Wave network instability. Found an answer in these cheap Zigbee switches that are sold under many different brand names including CMARS, eWeLink, and Seedan.
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Every so often I am reminded why Hubitat is an amazing platform for the DIY Home Automation (HA) enthusiast. While documentation around how to do this is super thin, Hubitat supports Zigbee sensors from the Lowes Iris HA platform. Adding them was more frustrating than it should have been, but once you know how it is a super cheap way […]
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In many ways Zigbee is technically superior to Z-Wave, but the lack of guaranteed compatibility with Zigbee devices is one of the main barriers to its adoption in the home. Their “All Hubs Initiative” could sort that. If it does, Silicon Labs should be worried, very worried. The Zigbee Alliance Announces the ‘All Hubs Initiative’ Driven by Leading Ecosystems to […]
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I started out in seeking a “smart” or automated home several years ago. I have owned and or/used several hubs from Wink to Home Assistant. I had settled on Wink for far too long and allowed its shortcomings to maybe make my house “smart” but far from automated. I have a wide range of devices from Nest, Leviton, Jasco, and […]
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I had a chance to chat with Hubitat at CES a few weeks ago and was very impressed with their home automation controller. What impressed me more, was their approach and passion for doing things right. So I’m very interested in their new Elevation hub. It checks all the right boxes, with Z-Wave/Zigbee radios, and Amazon Alexa/Google Home integration. Best […]
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I’m not a fan of unnecessary Cloud dependencies in home automation tech. So when I started chatting with Hubitat about their home automation controller (HAC), and we started getting into the details I was thrilled to find out that their model is almost entirely Cloud free. Naturally there is a bit to handle connection brokering from locations outside the LAN […]
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I wasn’t familiar with abode’s iota security system, home automation controller (HAC), and camera system before meeting them at CES. Overall the system looks quite approachable, and is obviously more intended for users who prioritize ease of installation and user experience (UX) over flexibility. I don’t mean that as a negative, per se. Just something that would need to be […]
Read moreWhen Amazon announced their new Echo Plus, I was immediately intrigued, and then a bit put off by the decision to use Zigbee instead of Z-Wave (although both radios would have been better). Afterall, Z-Wave has the biggest pool of devices and [near] guarenteed compatiblity. Aparently I’m not the only one who doesn’t get the choice – CEPro just does […]
Read moreI love what Ikea did for the lightbulb market, so if they can replicate that success with a line of Zigbee devices. I’m all for it, as long as they are HAC agnostic, and will play nice with any Zigbee compatible network. Ikea’s current smart home lineup is limited to a handful of lighting products. Nothing so special about that. […]
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I don’t remember seeing Zipato at CES last year, so when I noticed their unique Z-Wave ZIPABOX home automation controller (HAC) while roaming the show floor I made a point to stop in and have a look. With all the change in the smart home space it can be tough to select the right hardware; with the HAC the most […]
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