The Wink home automation thread

[BillinGlendale]

Ah, I was hoping for a picture of how you mounted it to a wall. That is my next project.

Here's what I used to mount the phone: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JQVA5EA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Thanks

You can trigger events when motion is detected or when motion is NOT detected. I was hoping that I could do the following but it doesn't work well:

1. On motion trigger: turn on room lights
2. No motion trigger: turn lights off

The problem I was having was that the lights would turn on, remain on for the motion reset period of the Ecolink (which I believe defaults to 4 minutes, though you can change it with jumpers to be shorter), and then turn off. It didn't seem to detect motion to turn the lights back on after that, and I didn't really have time to troubleshoot it. The night I was testing, the response time for the motion sensor registering with the hub was REALLY long so I probably need to run more tests. If I get it working the way I want, I plan on buying more Ecolinks.

 

[bigverm24]

Hi, does anyone know of a good (reliable) temperature sensor that works with Wink?
I have the Spotter v1 but can't really rely on it for automating fans or regular window a/c, it fails to update the temperature reading and even when it does the reading itself deviates from other thermometers placed around it.

The new Spotter is still not widely available and I really can't wait for it.

Do you know of any other temperature sensor that will work with Wink?

Thanks!

Nest or a Honeywell WiFi supported thermostat are about the only thing I can think of that work with Wink and as a standalone.

 

[jiver]

Good that they added it but unfortunately no +/- offsets from sunrise/sunset which they also need.

While this is a shortcoming (and one that IFTTT has too), you can work around it by creatively selecting a different city for sunrise/sunset. For me, to get my lights to come on 30 minutes or so before my sunset, I picked a city that is farther south and east. So for Denver, I set my lights to go on at sunset in Dallas. It's not as good as an offset, but it works well enough for me.

 

[Mike A.]

While this is a shortcoming (and one that IFTTT has too), you can work around it by creatively selecting a different city for sunrise/sunset. For me, to get my lights to come on 30 minutes or so before my sunset, I picked a city that is farther south and east. So for Denver, I set my lights to go on at sunset in Dallas. It's not as good as an offset, but it works well enough for me.

Yeah, I've had to do the same in some others that didn't have an offset as well. Though I'm not sure where the location setting even is in Wink. I can't seem to find that.

Another thing that I found (or rather didn't find) the other day is that you can't schedule locks. i.e., lock all doors at a particular time as you can with lights. Thought that I'd set up a simple entry to turn out the lights and lock the doors for the night, but don't see a way to do it based on time alone as the trigger.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So, is there a cheap Lutron Pico wall mount kit? The ones I'm seeing are $24 and include another Pico, which I don't need:

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-PJ2-WA...6381&sr=1-1&keywords=lutron+wall+mounting+kit

 

[JFHughes08088]

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-PICO-W...a_nav_t_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1R787X1ZXXZ6XPNMQNBP

 

[IndyColtsFan]

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-PICO-W...a_nav_t_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1R787X1ZXXZ6XPNMQNBP

Yeah, I did see that, but once you add the matching plate it is only a few dollars less than the other one and the other comes with the Pico. Of course, I'm thinking I might mount this next to another Caseta so maybe I should get the one in your link plus the two gang wallplate.

This is from something I mentioned a few weeks ago -- I had some wall sconces and electricity pulled into my bar, which was very difficult. On one wall, 2 sconces are controlled by a standard switch on the outside of the bar and on the opposite wall inside the bar (where the new electricity and sconces were installed), I installed a Caseta. I was thinking I would replace the standard switch on the outside of the bar with another Caseta and then mount the Pico from the second Caseta next to it. I know I could pair the Pico with the Wink and pair both switches to the Wink and have one Pico control ALL the lights in the bar, but at this stage, the annoying delay is just too much and would never fly with the wife.

 

[JFHughes08088]

I think the Pico remote will fit in any square wall plate

 

[CAL7]

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-PICO-W...a_nav_t_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1R787X1ZXXZ6XPNMQNBP

I have bought several on eBay, generally paying $6-7 shipped.

 

[CAL7]

I think the Pico remote will fit in any square wall plate

Yes (not square, but standard Decora rectangular). I've mounted Pico's both with the special bracket as well as sticking it to the wall and sticking a standard plate over it. The latter is not as secure but looks almost as good.

 

[JFHughes08088]

Rectangle is what I meant

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Kind of disappointed that you can't seem to have robots run on the Lutron Pico remote to trigger other lights. Am I missing something?

 

[dennisj00]

Kind of disappointed that you can't seem to have robots run on the Lutron Pico remote to trigger other lights. Am I missing something?

You have to have the Pico control a Caseta switch and that Lamp is then available to trigger other things.

While the Pico signal is acknowledged by the hub, this might be a limitation that Caseta can still operate without the hub.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

You have to have the Pico control a Caseta switch and that Lamp is then available to trigger other things.

While the Pico signal is acknowledged by the hub, this might be a limitation that Caseta can still operate without the hub.

Ah thanks, didn't consider that.

 

[user02010]

Wanted to put this info out there since I haven't seen anyone discussing the GoControl Security Products yet.

I bought the Security Kit that contained 3 window/door sensors, 1 PIR motion detector and 1 Strobe/Siren.

Installing the sensors for all the doors was easy, used a chisel to cut away part of the trim to install the magnet and put the main sensor unit on the door.

When pairing all components, it is recommended that you are within 5ft of the Hub, this is needed as I could not pair the sensors from across the room or in a different room. Take note of this if you install the siren with the adhesive - you need to put the back of the door on to successfully pair so if you already stuck the back to the wall you are going to need to drag your hub over to it if it is farther away.

Major issues I encountered:
1 - Once everything was set, I soon realized the limitations of this….. How do you arm everything?

You cannot group sensors. So you have to create an individual robot for every sensor. So if you had 10 sensors for all windows/doors you would need 10 robots.

As it stands now I have 4 robots, 3 door and one motion detector.

If I leave the house I need to enable each robot so that if it detects the sensor tripped it notifies me and hits the siren. This is a hassle, hopefully will be addressed soon.

2 - The android app has issues. You cannot manage the siren through the android app. I installed this on 3 android devices (and have tested with ARC Welder running the app on the PC).
Within the Siren settings, you cannot set the Auto Stop Time, it is stuck at None, which I assume means the siren will sound indefinitely. You can change it in the settings screen, click save, but when you go back into it, it is back to "None".

Also with the Robots, it defaults to "Siren and Strobe", but when looking at the robot you will see that "Siren and Strobe" is set to "Off". You cannot change this no matter what setting you choose. Again, tried this on 3 android devices and the Wink App running on the PC through Chrome.

I was able to resolve this by using the iOS app on an ipad (installed the iphone app). For some reason this is manageable through iOS but not android.

In time I am hoping Wink improves the app to resolve these issues and adds additional functionality for security. Making it easier to just enable and disable the security system would go a long way.

Bringing up an old post right now but has anyone figured this out? This is crazy stupid.

 

[Scott C]

I too have thought about getting the siren, but haven't bought one yet beacause I don't want to create a dozen robots that I have to turn on and off to control it.

But, in thinking about it, I have a theory that maybe someone can test.

What if you set a robot for each sensor to activate one separate device (like a Tapt) if it senses activity? Then you could create a robot that activates the siren and strobe if the Tapt is turned on. With this set up, you could always leave the sensor robots enabled that point to the Tapt. However, when you don't want the system armed, you would just disable the Tapt robot and the siren would never go off, even if the sensors detected motion. Then, when you wanted to arm the system, you would just enable the Tapt robot and the system is ready.

I know it would add another (costly) device to the system, but then you would only need one robot to arm/disarm the system. But, like I said, I don't have a siren or a Tapt. Would someone be able to test this out to see if it works?

 

[user02010]

I too have thought about getting the siren, but haven't bought one yet beacause I don't want to create a dozen robots that I have to turn on and off to control it.

But, in thinking about it, I have a theory that maybe someone can test.

What if you set a robot for each sensor to activate one separate device (like a Tapt) if it senses activity? Then you could create a robot that activates the siren and strobe if the Tapt is turned on. With this set up, you could always leave the sensor robots enabled that point to the Tapt. However, when you don't want the system armed, you would just disable the Tapt robot and the siren would never go off, even if the sensors detected motion. Then, when you wanted to arm the system, you would just enable the Tapt robot and the system is ready.

I know it would add another (costly) device to the system, but then you would only need one robot to arm/disarm the system. But, like I said, I don't have a siren or a Tapt. Would someone be able to test this out to see if it works?

Sounds reasonable. But just setting ANY robot on/off is irritating. You have to press and hold, go to Edit and then scroll the way to the bottom to click Disable. Just seems counter-intuitive to the name "smart home".

I'd rather wait for a software solution from their side. I tweeted them about it and they said it's on their "feature request list" but I am new to Wink and don't know how quickly they implement feature updates.

I actually bought Wink to use first and foremost as a security set-up and then add switches and things later.

I have done .apk editing in the past before, but don't really have the time now to take a look at the Wink app, but I feel like you might be able to change the onClick of a Robot in the list, to do the activate/deactivate instead of opening up its edit menu. You could still edit a robot by long pressing it and selecting edit. Seems like an easier straight forward approach to enabling/disabling if someone is so inclined to do that and post up the .smali or .xml file changes.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

More layoffs at Quirky:

http://www.businessinsider.com/quirky-layoffs-2015-6

I really think they need to hire a new CEO or they'll go under. Maybe GE will buy them out.

 

[Blanky]

You may have noticed I've not posted in months in this thread. My 6 exterior bulbs were doing what I wanted, for the most part. Sometimes they wouldn't turn on or turn off at the specified time, but that was sorted out by having two events that do the same thing spaced apart by a few minutes.

Then Wink came out with the sunrise/sunset, so I don't have to chase the schedule events down every few weeks.

Recently I moved my hub. When I plugged it back in I got a solid pink light. Rebooted, solid orange. Several more reboots it finally went blue. The thing is, the damn thing isn't working very well at all. It refuses to find one bulb outside (it has a gray question mark sometimes). Other times it claims to find it, without the question mark, but it still won't turn it on or off.

Just now I saw a light on my porch turned on, so I loaded the app and of course all bulbs were grayed as turned off. I turned everything on, then off. Still the bulb was on. Then I turned all on again, then off, finally it turned off.

Obviously the software for this unit is still @*#(ing terrible, and the damn thing still isn't even at version 1.0. I also think the range of the device sucks. My hub is centrally located but it definitely struggles with a bulb that is about 25' away but through an exterior wall.

I see that SmartThings has a $100 hub, well rated. I am not spending $100 on a hub right now, but Wink is worth basically what I paid for it, which was almost nothing ($30 including two bulbs--the bulbs are nice).

I know they screwed up badly and bricked a bunch of customers' hubs recently. I may send mine back and see if it works any better. I think the whole thing has been very amateurish from Wink. The continuing, largest failure of the device is its apparent refusal to handshake properly with devices. If a device is in range and told to turn on, the hub should keep trying to turn it on until it does so, at least for a few minutes. It seems to give up almost immediately.

I've had this thing for six months and it doesn't work any better than it did back then. Maybe they have one developer working part time? Also the Wink Hub isn't even for sale now. I am thinking there's a good chance the company will fold to be honest. They don't seem to know what they are doing or making meaningful improvements in a reasonable time frame.

A bunch of other people have the same problem with this:
Guys, I passionately hate the Wink hub.
https://www.reddit.com/r/homeautomation/comments/3332ng/guys_i_passionately_hate_the_wink_hub/

I knew going in this would be a challening experience, and I'm glad I got my hub for free, but even now, coming up on a year since its release, it still cannot reliably turn bulbs on and off by schedule. Forget everything else, geofencing whatever, its software cannot reliably handle what I consider to be the essential, most elementary and basic home automation action. So now a light on the side of my garage has been on for weeks and rebooting the bulb (lol wtf) hasn't helped.

I'm genuinely surprised Wink is still solvent enough to keep going.

More layoffs at Quirky:

http://www.businessinsider.com/quirky-layoffs-2015-6

Interesting, and predictable.

I expect our wink hubs to stop working completely once the company folds and/or discontinues support. At least, apparently the GE Bulbs can be used with other hubs.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yeah I'm surprised they've lasted this long given the lingering issues, slow product releases, and layoffs.

 

[JFHughes08088]

SmartThings hub works with our GE lights and trippers. Don't know yet about overflows - Time will tell. I'm sitting in the wings waiting for SmarThings V.2 hub.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

SmartThings hub works with our GE lights and trippers. Don't know yet about overflows - Time will tell. I'm sitting in the wings waiting for SmarThings V.2 hub.

Yeah, I'll probably take a good hard look at it as well. I've tried to buy things that would work with both Wink and other products like ST in case Wink goes under or I want to jump. The lack of local control is a deal breaker and will definitely push me to ST v2.0 if it has it at release and Wink hasn't implemented it yet.

BTW, speaking of local control -- saw that Brian Knopf (the Wink employee who was very condescending in the Wink FB page during the Winkening; he was slamming people who wanted local control and said they "lacked understanding of security" and stuff like that) is no longer employed by Wink. He was so out-of-touch that it was really scary to consider that he might have been a decision maker there.

 

[JFHughes08088]

As a business, there is no economic benefit to giving local control ahead of a competitor. Strategically, I expect local control to magically appear as soon as ST announces the launch of their V 2 hub.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

As a business, there is no economic benefit to giving local control ahead of a competitor. Strategically, I expect local control to magically appear as soon as ST announces the launch of their V 2 hub.

I don't think they'll have it ready. If ST v2 is still on schedule, it releases next month. I can't seriously see Wink launching their version of local control then.