The Wink home automation thread

[SchillerM]

http://relay.winkapp.com/ surprised nobody posted this yet!

 

[Kaido]

http://relay.winkapp.com/ surprised nobody posted this yet!

The Verge has a nice article on it:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/23/6832901/wink-relay-smart-home

Installation video is here:

http://vimeo.com/106886082?from=outro-embed

Ships Thanksgiving. Pre-order on Amazon for $300:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MU6GLT6

Features Wifi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee. Runs Android (custom Wink app). Neutral wire required. Has temperature, humidity, sound, and proximity sensors. Intercom functionality coming soon (mic & speaker built-in); can do notification sounds as well. Key note from the Verge article:

Because it's connected directly to your grid, the routines you program will work even if your Wi-Fi goes down, making the Relay a nice back-up for the mobile app, especially if you have Time Warner internet like me. It's also helpful you have children or guests visiting that don't necessarily have the Wink app on their device.

I think the built-in temperature & humidity sensors will be really neat for zoned HVAC; one of my hangups right now is that Mitsubishi's Mr. Slim mini-split ductless system doesn't have much in the way of centralized wifi control for consumers, which is something I would like to see upgraded ASAP. Those units are basically like those A/C units that sit in the windowsill, but go outside of the house & can be setup per room, so everyone gets their own temperature, you only have to pay to condition the air in the rooms you're in, and you're not paying to heat or cool a hundred feet of ductwork.

Several of my friends have installed them in their homes with great results (the new H2i units pump out heat in up to -13F & give out great A/C); they would be perfect paired with Wink - each room could have a heating/cooling unit, motorized blinds, dimmable LED lights, a Wink Relay switch for intercom, control, movement sensor, etc. That would be REALLY cool. $300 is a lot for a switch, but it also does an awful lot of stuff for the price, which is pretty cool!

 

[GT_YellowJacket]

That would be REALLY cool. $300 is a lot for a switch, but it also does an awful lot of stuff for the price, which is pretty cool!

Though for that price, I've been considering designing and 3D printing my own wall switch plates that can fit around the existing wall switches and integrate an iPod touch into each room. I just need to lay out my own small power supply to "harvest" the 120VAC, convert to 5V, and hide a small lightning cable behind the plate. I figure I could even get the plates molded, build custom PCBs for a power supply, and get the ipods and cables for every room in my house for about the same price. That way, I could run any home automation app, control streaming music through the iTunes remote, and integrate any number of sensors with the iPod.

 

[GT_YellowJacket]

EDIT: I wonder.. does the Schlage lock report battery life over ZWave? If it does, that's something that Wink should definitely integrate.

I just checked my Staples Connect app, and a lock battery alert is not on my list of scene/activity triggers for the lock. Not sure if Staples didn't implement it, or if Schlage doesn't make it available. Has anyone tried this with the Nexia system that supposedly fully supports all Schlage functions?

But I agree, this would be an awesome feature to have!

 

[lsd]

I just checked my Staples Connect app, and a lock battery alert is not on my list of scene/activity triggers for the lock. Not sure if Staples didn't implement it, or if Schlage doesn't make it available. Has anyone tried this with the Nexia system that supposedly fully supports all Schlage functions?

But I agree, this would be an awesome feature to have!

The vera lite showed the battery level of my schlage handle set and didn't exhibit the communication problems people are seeing with the wink. It has gotten a lot better but I honestly rarely use the wink app for the locks.

I really like that relay device but it's a bit more than I'm willing to pay. Looks like the msrp will be $300, I'l jump on it if it ever gets to $175...

 

[Kaido]

The vera lite showed the battery level of my schlage handle set and didn't exhibit the communication problems people are seeing with the wink. It has gotten a lot better but I honestly rarely use the wink app for the locks.

I really like that relay device but it's a bit more than I'm willing to pay. Looks like the msrp will be $300, I'l jump on it if it ever gets to $175...

You know, if it supports local relaying, I'll buy one. I think the Verge review said it can work if your Internet goes out, so it's basically a local server (making the Hub...pointless?). But I'm wondering if that cloud-based relay system is what's causing the hiccups & command delays.

 

[el_duderino]

I finally went ahead and jumped on the Wink hub yesterday, after reading this (and missing the labor day special). I got a GE Link bulb and a Caseta Lamp Dimmer. Upon trying to pair the dimmer, I get a message stating "Could not start provisioning at this time. Please try again later." I called Wink support, and quickly got an answer. Rep put me on hold and said there was a known issue and they were working on it and expect it to be resolved later today. I'm somewhat frustrated, but will feel better if it actually gets fixed today. Otherwise, I will be returning the Lutron for sure, and may consider returning the whole kit. GE link bulb paired easily. Works fine, although there is a slight delay in reaction time from the app.

Lastly, Wink REALLY needs full ifttt integration. Would love to take advantage of some automation I could pull from fitbit, etc. (turn light off when go into sleep mode)

First impressions...not too great so far. Hoping they continue to get kinks worked out or this whole thing will be crushed by Apple's forthcoming Home Kit!

 

[MjnMixael]

I wouldn't be so sure about Home Kit being 'the thing' that crushes all. It's advantage is also it's greatest limitation. The Apple ecosystem. There are large swaths of people, many of them techy tinkerers who prefer Android or other OSes who won't buy into Home Kit.

I think the Nest guys said it best when they said that home automation isn't going to be about that one product that kills all other products, it's going to be about tons of different products talking to each other across the entire field.

I'm surprised you had issues with the Lutron Caseta stuff. I have almost a whole floor converted to them and they have been working the best of all the Wink enabled stuff.

Yes they definitely do need full IFTTT integration. Yes Yes Yes.

 

[el_duderino]

I wouldn't be so sure about Home Kit being 'the thing' that crushes all. It's advantage is also it's greatest limitation. The Apple ecosystem. There are large swaths of people, many of them techy tinkerers who prefer Android or other OSes who won't buy into Home Kit.

Good point. I think the Apple ecosystem will limit things. I sometimes forget this since I'm already so heavily ingrained in that system

I'm surprised you had issues with the Lutron Caseta stuff. I have almost a whole floor converted to them and they have been working the best of all the Wink enabled stuff.

Would be interested for you to try and add one now...see if you're having the same error message and issue as me.

 

[GT_YellowJacket]

The vera lite showed the battery level of my schlage handle set and didn't exhibit the communication problems people are seeing with the wink. It has gotten a lot better but I honestly rarely use the wink app for the locks.

Ooh, thanks for pointing that out! I'm glad to know Schlage makes all of that available. The Wink folks need to iterate faster and more fully develop the integration with the products they support. Realizing how poorly they actually "support" certified products makes me even more inclined to jump ship for something like Indigo.

I don't use the apps too much for just controlling the lock, but I'd certainly like to get more value from my connected lock by allowing more detailed notifications and integration with activities/robots/scenes. I like that I can automatically turn on my exterior lights at night with the Staples app when I unlock my front door to step outside. With the Connect system, that all happens so fast that my front light is on by the time I finish turning the door handle. The Wink app currently does not even recognize that I manually unlocked the door! And if I can do even more with Vera or Indigo, the Wink system will be just a toy to root and never use again.

 

[lsd]

Ooh, thanks for pointing that out! I'm glad to know Schlage makes all of that available. The Wink folks need to iterate faster and more fully develop the integration with the products they support. Realizing how poorly they actually "support" certified products makes me even more inclined to jump ship for something like Indigo.

I don't use the apps too much for just controlling the lock, but I'd certainly like to get more value from my connected lock by allowing more detailed notifications and integration with activities/robots/scenes. I like that I can automatically turn on my exterior lights at night with the Staples app when I unlock my front door to step outside. With the Connect system, that all happens so fast that my front light is on by the time I finish turning the door handle. The Wink app currently does not even recognize that I manually unlocked the door! And if I can do even more with Vera or Indigo, the Wink system will be just a toy to root and never use again.

If you want a zwave controller that is powerful and tweak-able I suggest getting a vera lite but it's biggest downfall is the ugly/unintuitive desktop and app interface. They've been running special pricing on the Vera's recently and It looks like a newer compact version has been released. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=8682386
I may go back with a Vera or get a almond+ if it's ever release and keep the wink hub as a secondary controller for my lutron switches.

 

[redbaron78]

I suspect it isn't, but does anyone know if it's possible to arm/disarm a Honeywell Vista security system via Wink and the Honeywell Vista Automation Module (VAM)? If I could get home and launch a "home" robot to open the garage door, disarm the alarm, and turn the lights on, that would be awesome.

 

[MjnMixael]

Wink is playing it safe, currently, with stuff like that. Even if you could use Wink to control the Honeywell Vista system, you couldn't use a robot to do that stuff. That's because Wink has not allowed robots access to do anything that would otherwise "open" or "unsecure" your home.

For example, I can set a robot to lock my door at night, but I can't set one to unlock it based on any trigger. 'Door Unlock' is simply not an available action.

I can see both sides of the argument on that one and haven't decided where I land yet. While I'd love to be able to automatically open my garage when I get home.. I would hate for the Wink servers to have a bug and accidentally open my garage when I'm not around.. or for someone to steal my phone, walk to my house and then my house give them complete access.

 

[Muadib]

If you want a zwave controller that is powerful and tweak-able I suggest getting a vera lite but it's biggest downfall is the ugly/unintuitive desktop and app interface. They've been running special pricing on the Vera's recently and It looks like a newer compact version has been released. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=8682386
I may go back with a Vera or get a almond+ if it's ever release and keep the wink hub as a secondary controller for my lutron switches.

Do you know if vera works well with the Schlage locks as far as remote locking & unlocking goes? I'm avoiding Wink due to the problems it has with them.

I suspect it isn't, but does anyone know if it's possible to arm/disarm a Honeywell Vista security system via Wink and the Honeywell Vista Automation Module (VAM)? If I could get home and launch a "home" robot to open the garage door, disarm the alarm, and turn the lights on, that would be awesome.

Do you currently have the Vista system? If so how do you like it? I'm strongly considering buying it, and hooking it up myself. Did you?

 

[lsd]

Do you know if vera works well with the Schlage locks as far as remote locking & unlocking goes? I'm avoiding Wink due to the problems it has with them.

Do you currently have the Vista system? If so how do you like it? I'm strongly considering buying it, and hooking it up myself. Did you?

I only had the Schlage handleset at the time but I didn't experience any sort of problem with unlocking/locking using the andriod apps. I did have issues setting up a schedule to unlock when I got home but that was probably my fault.

 

[GT_YellowJacket]

If you want a zwave controller that is powerful and tweak-able I suggest getting a vera lite but it's biggest downfall is the ugly/unintuitive desktop and app interface. They've been running special pricing on the Vera's recently and It looks like a newer compact version has been released. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=8682386
I may go back with a Vera or get a almond+ if it's ever release and keep the wink hub as a secondary controller for my lutron switches.

I read a lot about the vera in researching systems, but I was turned off by all of the comments about the poor app and interface. I actually learned about Indigo in the very early days of this thread, and I'm now strongly leaning that direction. I already have a Mac mini as a media server for hi-res music, so I'd only need the z-wave dongle and software for Indigo, so my total cost would be very similar to vera, my hardware would then be upgradable, and I would not rely on a cloud-based system. I'm technical, I like to tinker, and I'm very picky about my interface and control capability. For me, the time investment in custom control pages and programming Indigo would be worthwhile to be satisfied with my system.

 

[luv2liv]

just saw this ad! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egIY7ushchU
$15 for a bulb from GE, thats not bad at all.... doesnt seem to change colors like the phillips though. or at least i dont see that in the vid

 

[CAL7]

Not sure what that is. It implies Wink, but doesn't really commit to anything but an LED bulb for $14.97 (with the accustomed discount on a hub you by two). I couldn't link to the Home Depot page.

 

[MjnMixael]

The GE Link LED Bulb is just that.. a dimmable LED, but it has builtin Zigbee. Wink has officially supported the bulb and it's easy to add and control from the Wink App. I have one. It's no Phillips Hue, but it's also not $200.

 

[thepred]

Is there a list of in wall plugs that are compatible with the WINK hub? Is the Wink hub software the best to use with the Wink or is there a better option?

 

[CAL7]

For $50 (actually $70 with a 65w spot), I figured it was time to jump in. While following it for years, this is my first try at modern HA. Played with X10 back in the day, but I couldn't ever really make it useful. The growing pains with Wink can't be worse than X10!

I'm also interested in SmartThings. For real-world comparison, I might do both. How bad would it be to have two controllers for the same device set? Heck, I might even add a RaspberryPi w/Razzberry into the mix.

Whoever brings an affordable (which probably means non-Somfy) blind/shade motor and controller will win me.

 

[paulom1982]

I really hope they start supporting more sensors as well as even bluetooth beacons. The switches, locks, lights are all great, but we need more options to sense things and then react with the switches, locks, lights. I think that would be true home automation; otherwise it's not automated if I still have to mess around with my phone to activate things. And I'm aware that Wink has geo-fencing capabilites, but that's not enough, so hopefully we'll see more coming from the sensor space.

Just like we have tons of sensors in our bodies (touch, taste, smell, sight, etc...) which allow us to activate arms, legs, fingers, etc...

 

[Kneedragger]

For $50 (actually $70 with a 65w spot), I figured it was time to jump in. While following it for years, this is my first try at modern HA. Played with X10 back in the day, but I couldn't ever really make it useful. The growing pains with Wink can't be worse than X10!

I'm also interested in SmartThings. For real-world comparison, I might do both. How bad would it be to have two controllers for the same device set? Heck, I might even add a RaspberryPi w/Razzberry into the mix.

Whoever brings an affordable (which probably means non-Somfy) blind/shade motor and controller will win me.

Yesterday I was going through the the Smart things forum and one of the main guys mentioned they will be announcing a new hub early next year. I'm sitting on my hands right now waiting to see where Wink goes and how Smart Things turns out with Samsung buying them.

 

[Kaido]

just saw this ad! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egIY7ushchU
$15 for a bulb from GE, thats not bad at all.... doesnt seem to change colors like the phillips though. or at least i dont see that in the vid

Hahaha I just saw that ad, that was awesome!

No, it doesn't change color - it's just a cheap networkable LED bulb. $15 is a steal! I have one in my front porch lamp, it's great!

 

[Exigence]

On the GE Link add, did you guys notice that when they show the smart phone with the Wink App, it's a different looking app? They have a series of lights with a round indicator going around each light. Looks pretty good.