The Wink home automation thread

[Kaido]

Thanks, Kaido, for pointing out the garage door "integration"! I had asked Wink when that was coming and they said later in the month. BUT, I just installed the Chamberlain garage door opener a few weeks ago and updated the app to include the door. To my surprise, I could not add the door to any robots except to trigger an action, and when I emailed Wink support, they indicated that it really was not supported and would not be until some future update. Disappointing. And much slower than just going to the Chamberlain app, so nearly useless at this time.

Since you mentioned a few other products, I'll comment on those. I have the Rachio sprinkler controller and it works great! I love that I can spray my dogs or let them drink from the sprinklers with my smartphone. However, like many of the products, the native Rachio app works far better than Wink. I also would like to see a few enhancements...graphical view of weather-adjusted watering times, seasonal watering schedules to disable schedules over the winter, and single-cycle single-station delete (if I want to work in one section of my yard, don't want it wet that day, and I want everything else to water normally).

And the Schlage deadbolt (I have the Century). I love this thing! ...when used without the z-wave function. It's motorized, solidly built, easy to program, opens reliably, doesn't show fingerprints on the keypad (for security), easy to use manually, high W(girlfriend)AF, and the dogs have learned the motor sound (so I have an extra alarm!). I haven't touched my house key in weeks. BUT, the function with Wink is abysmal. I have a beaming z-wave switch within a few feet of it, and the hub is only about 8 feet from the lock. The lock-unlock function is slow when it actually works, my geofence robots work about 10% of the time, and the lock state is almost never right in the app. Does anyone else have issues with the Schlage lock integration? And do you expect the lock state to update in the app when locked/unlocked manually? I'm not sure if this is a Schlage issue related to communicating lock state or a Wink issue with correctly refreshing the state. I have a feeling this is a Wink problem, because the lock, generic z-wave light switches (GE/Jasco), and Chamberlain door all have this problem.

Anyway, I agree with you on #11 above, and I'm hopeful that the system improves. It has great promise, but right now I am spending far more time troubleshooting and contacting tech support than I am saving through automation.

Hmm, so you're saying that even with the Chamberlain update from Wink, it's still not playing nice? That's a bummer! Maybe I'll hold off picking one up. Glad to hear the Rachio is working out well for you too...I don't have a yard in my current place, but someday! The Schlage Century is shown as Wink Certified on Home Depot; for $200, I'm not happy to hear that it's having issues since it's the main game in town (given that the Kwikset locks are easily picked). A Honeywell thermostat is probably next on my list after trying out a Leviton outlet; it has its own app for backup in case it's wonky with Wink.

I don't understand why command support is hit or miss, like you mentioned with the garage door opener. Like, why does the Pico remote only control Caseta lights? That makes no sense. It only makes sense if the Pico remote was directly paired with the Caseta switch or plug-in module, but since it's being relayed through the Wink Hub, they have all the flexibility in the world to do whatever they want. The only thing I can really think of is licensing issues, but that'd be dumb. And since there are the other control issues you mentioned, such as with the Schlage lock, I wonder if it's problems with the cloud relay system.

After initial setup, my lights have worked great, but I've read a lot of reviews that people have been having hit & miss issues in general. I'm buying things piecemeal right now, and trying to get things that have backup apps (like the Honeywell & Chamberlain) in case things don't work out with Wink. We'll see. We're only like a month in, so it's still a pretty new system, plus they have that really nice $250 wallswitch coming out, so I'm sure things will get worked out in time.

 

[MjnMixael]

Well it finally happened. I had some weird issues with my ZWave devices (Official Wink Certified ones... Schlage lock, Vizia+ RF Dimmer). They stopped working and I couldn't add/remove them either. I tinkered a little with it to try and fix it. Eventually I just called support and they got me sorted out. They did mention that they are having issues with the Schlage locks specifically. He took a bunch of my info to give to the engineers to see if it will help get it sorted out.

This was the first time I called Wink instead of using Twitter. I've had 4 or 5 minor issues or questions that they answered on Twitter for me.

I actually ended up having a decent conversation with this guy and about where Wink is at, tech-wise. He said they have a lot of backing and even he (having come from other larger companies, he said) is impressed at how much they are dealing with and successfully fixing on a daily basis. I dunno about you guys, but that's been my experience. I've had some issues, but I always see issues fixed and good support. (Calls and Twitter for me mostly.) I'm a techy tinkerer, so I'm totally fine with having to fix and tweak things on a daily basis. Though, obviously, I do love when things just work... (See Caseta Wireless).

Anyhow after all of that, they offered to set me up as a beta tester. I don't yet know what that means.. but I'll keep this thread updated with what I learn.

 

[Muadib]

Well it finally happened. I had some weird issues with my ZWave devices (Official Wink Certified ones... Schlage lock, Vizia+ RF Dimmer). They stopped working and I couldn't add/remove them either. I tinkered a little with it to try and fix it. Eventually I just called support and they got me sorted out. They did mention that they are having issues with the Schlage locks specifically. He took a bunch of my info to give to the engineers to see if it will help get it sorted out.

This was the first time I called Wink instead of using Twitter. I've had 4 or 5 minor issues or questions that they answered on Twitter for me.

I actually ended up having a decent conversation with this guy and about where Wink is at, tech-wise. He said they have a lot of backing and even he (having come from other larger companies, he said) is impressed at how much they are dealing with and successfully fixing on a daily basis. I dunno about you guys, but that's been my experience. I've had some issues, but I always see issues fixed and good support. (Calls and Twitter for me mostly.) I'm a techy tinkerer, so I'm totally fine with having to fix and tweak things on a daily basis. Though, obviously, I do love when things just work... (See Caseta Wireless).

Anyhow after all of that, they offered to set me up as a beta tester. I don't yet know what that means.. but I'll keep this thread updated with what I learn.

This is bad news for me as the primary reason I wanted to you wink was for use with a Schlage lock. Please keep us updated.

 

[MjnMixael]

Well, to be clear. The Schlage lock has not been completely useless. In fact it worked for weeks.. up until I moved my router. It's not entirely clear, but it's quite possible that my wifi router's radio interfered with the Wink Hub's many radios. After 10 minutes with support it was back and working. The biggest change during that support call? I moved my Wink Hub about 10 feet away from my router.

Again it's not clear that was my issue, but who knows. He did say they were having issues with the Schlage lock, which did surprise me because it installed and worked with ease for several weeks.. and it wasn't just the Schlage lock that went down for me, it was both of my ZWave devices.

But yes, I'll keep updating.

 

[Kneedragger]

Well it finally happened. I had some weird issues with my ZWave devices (Official Wink Certified ones... Schlage lock, Vizia+ RF Dimmer). They stopped working and I couldn't add/remove them either. I tinkered a little with it to try and fix it. Eventually I just called support and they got me sorted out. They did mention that they are having issues with the Schlage locks specifically. He took a bunch of my info to give to the engineers to see if it will help get it sorted out.

This was the first time I called Wink instead of using Twitter. I've had 4 or 5 minor issues or questions that they answered on Twitter for me.

I actually ended up having a decent conversation with this guy and about where Wink is at, tech-wise. He said they have a lot of backing and even he (having come from other larger companies, he said) is impressed at how much they are dealing with and successfully fixing on a daily basis. I dunno about you guys, but that's been my experience. I've had some issues, but I always see issues fixed and good support. (Calls and Twitter for me mostly.) I'm a techy tinkerer, so I'm totally fine with having to fix and tweak things on a daily basis. Though, obviously, I do love when things just work... (See Caseta Wireless).

Anyhow after all of that, they offered to set me up as a beta tester. I don't yet know what that means.. but I'll keep this thread updated with what I learn.

Glad to hear they are supporting it well!

 

[MjnMixael]

Well as a beta tester, they are starting off by sending me a door/window sensor. But we already knew those were coming.

 

[Kaido]

Well as a beta tester, they are starting off by sending me a door/window sensor. But we already knew those were coming.

Awesome! I'm hoping they have the same type of 10-year battery life that the Pico remotes do!

 

[Kaido]

So I got my Caseta in-wall switch installed tonight:

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-P-PKG1W...dp/B00JJY0S4G/

* $60 shipped on Amazon
* Pico remote included
* Does not require a neutral wire
* Works with up to 600 watts of incandescent or halogen
* Works with up to 150 watts of dimmable LED or dimmable CFL

Installation was easy. A screwdriver & needlenose pliers pretty much did the trick. I am not happy with the build quality - it feels cheap. The snap-on faceplate has a TON of flex. My $1 switchplates from Home Depot are of infinitely better quality. Plus it doesn't quite line up right - I tinkered with the angles for awhile & finally gave up. Ugly, but good enough:

http://i.imgur.com/QG5tFaA.jpg

For $60, I definitely expected better, build quality-wise. It's got the same weird buttons that the Pico remote has - kind of a ball switch that lets you roll the button around all the corners (cheap-feeling). But anyway, perfectly functional. Easy to install, works great with the Wink Hub, and works great as a switch. All of the LED's glow faintly in the dark, then the individual ones light up depending on how bright you set the light to.

It is easy to get used to, surprisingly - I thought it would be annoying having a flat switch, but when you walk in the door, you just put your hand on the switch & push in the top button. Easy peasy. I like the fade effect when you turn it off, that's nice. I'm still having some trouble pairing my Pico remotes, but the Caseta plug-in and Caseta lightswitch are both working a-ok.

 

[MjnMixael]

I'm actually quite happy with how my Casetas installed. Most of them are flat and square to the plate. I definitely agree about the button... but I'm willing to let that slide.

Also, Nest is definitely coming at some point.

 

[Kaido]

I'm actually quite happy with how my Casetas installed. Most of them are flat and square to the plate. I definitely agree about the button... but I'm willing to let that slide.

Also, Nest is definitely coming at some point.

Yeah...functionally everything is great, I just wish it felt more solid & durable, especially for the price. I'm sure they are durable (being Lutron & all), it just doesn't have that quality feel to it. Sort of like a Thinkpad vs. a $299 plastic laptop from Best Buy

 

[lsd]

Wink put out an update a couple days ago and It seems my battery drain issue is fixed. It no longer even shows up on the apps list as using any power.

Well as a beta tester, they are starting off by sending me a door/window sensor. But we already knew those were coming.

I wonder if window sensors require a firmware update. You gotta share the beta app when it comes out

For $60, I definitely expected better, build quality-wise. It's got the same weird buttons that the Pico remote has - kind of a ball switch that lets you roll the button around all the corners (cheap-feeling). But anyway, perfectly functional. Easy to install, works great with the Wink Hub, and works great as a switch. All of the LED's glow faintly in the dark, then the individual ones light up depending on how bright you set the light to.

It is easy to get used to, surprisingly - I thought it would be annoying having a flat switch, but when you walk in the door, you just put your hand on the switch & push in the top button. Easy peasy. I like the fade effect when you turn it off, that's nice. I'm still having some trouble pairing my Pico remotes, but the Caseta plug-in and Caseta lightswitch are both working a-ok.

I agree the switch feels/looks cheap and won't line up properly. I think the "screwless" design looks like crap.
The remote does have good range though, I tested it outside of my house almost 60' away from the hub and it worked.

 

[MjnMixael]

I can't share the beta app, I signed some stuff. But the beta app may have products added to it earlier, but the way it's being developed would make it highly useless outside of testing.

 

[mcrimm]

I mentioned on an earlier post, that I installed 2 Leviton switches - not dimmers - to control 2 separate sets of outdoor incandescent lights. After a couple weeks, I noticed the app would show one or both of the lights were on when in fact they were off.

I emailed Wink and got this reply............

Unfortunately there is a reason your Leviton switches have difficulties displaying the current state of your device within the app. Lutron happens to have a patent on state changes for wireless lighting devices as they currently work within the Wink application, which in essence limits the state changes of other lighting devices in the Wink app.. Our developers are working hard with companies like Lutron, Philips, and GE to try and develop a workaround in regards to how the app obtains state information, but this is still a work in progress. I'd be more than happy to keep you in the loop and send you an email if I hear any information regarding that workaround.

Now I am sitting at my computer looking at the package those $50 switches came in and guess what. They both say "Wink App Compatible" right on the front of the package. Apparently that means different things to different people. I guess I am a little lost here - and disappointed.

Looks like a $100 lesson in truth in advertising. I am having flashbacks from my old X10 days.

Mike

 

[MjnMixael]

Sounds like Leviton owns the patent on how to get state info from those lights, so Wink is not allowed to put that in their software.. One of my levition switches is kinda like that. It's just a room fan, so it's bearable. I just tap it off/on/off or whatever to get the state I want.

I think this is less about 'Works With Wink' and more about complicated tech patent issues. Thank you corporate America. Wink can do nothing until Leviton allows them to use the patent across the board.

 

[mcrimm]

Sounds like Leviton owns the patent on how to get state info from those lights, so Wink is not allowed to put that in their software.

Sounds like a question for Leviton rather than Wink perhaps.
Mike

 

[alnames]

Thanks, Kaido, for pointing out the garage door "integration"! I had asked Wink when that was coming and they said later in the month. BUT, I just installed the Chamberlain garage door opener a few weeks ago and updated the app to include the door. To my surprise, I could not add the door to any robots except to trigger an action, and when I emailed Wink support, they indicated that it really was not supported and would not be until some future update. Disappointing. And much slower than just going to the Chamberlain app, so nearly useless at this time.

My 2 cents on the Chamberlain integration is that the Wink still has some bugs to work out (its slow and generates a lot of "There was a problem" messages, even when there is no problem). I also suspect that a lot of the issues are on Chamberlains side as I find there app just as slow and buggy. Mind you I'm using the Android app.

That being said, I find the Wink the lesser of two evils. The Chamberlain app makes you wait through a splash screen, then a login screen (can be automatic if desired), then a "Refreshing devices" screen before you can activate the door. The Wink app allows access to the door activation button immediately. I find that either app works about 80% of the time.

 

[Exigence]

I'm still having some trouble pairing my Pico remotes, but the Caseta plug-in and Caseta lightswitch are both working a-ok.

You can do a factory reset on the Pico switch (and the Casetta too for that matter). For the Pico, you triple tap and then hold the top botton (the on). Keep the button pressed for 6 seconds. Release the button and triple tap again. I believe it's the same process for the Casetta. That clears out the connection info.

 

[Exigence]

I mentioned on an earlier post, that I installed 2 Leviton switches - not dimmers - to control 2 separate sets of outdoor incandescent lights. After a couple weeks, I noticed the app would show one or both of the lights were on when in fact they were off.

I emailed Wink and got this reply............

Unfortunately there is a reason your Leviton switches have difficulties displaying the current state of your device within the app. Lutron happens to have a patent on state changes for wireless lighting devices as they currently work within the Wink application, which in essence limits the state changes of other lighting devices in the Wink app.. Our developers are working hard with companies like Lutron, Philips, and GE to try and develop a workaround in regards to how the app obtains state information, but this is still a work in progress. I'd be more than happy to keep you in the loop and send you an email if I hear any information regarding that workaround.

Now I am sitting at my computer looking at the package those $50 switches came in and guess what. They both say "Wink App Compatible" right on the front of the package. Apparently that means different things to different people. I guess I am a little lost here - and disappointed.

Looks like a $100 lesson in truth in advertising. I am having flashbacks from my old X10 days.

Mike

It work make sense that Lutron would have the patent - they've been doing wireless lighting control for quite some time. Weird that it is basically a software patent though. Probably why the Pico only controls Lutron lighting right now too. Hopefully they can get that resolved, because that's going to really hamper the Wink going forward.

 

[mcrimm]

On Friday, I emailed Leviton concerning this. I also sent them Wink's email response from the original question that I posted earlier. I have yet to hear back from them.

This seems to give the consumer a good reason to pass on a $50 Leviton switch - or more importantly - buy the $50 switch, take it home, install it to find it doesn't do what it is represented to do. That taints future buying decisions.

How eager am I to try another Leviton product when a Lutron is sitting in the next bin for a few dollars more. Easy decision for me..........

Mike

 

[GT_YellowJacket]

My 2 cents on the Chamberlain integration is that the Wink still has some bugs to work out (its slow and generates a lot of "There was a problem" messages, even when there is no problem). I also suspect that a lot of the issues are on Chamberlains side as I find there app just as slow and buggy. Mind you I'm using the Android app.

That being said, I find the Wink the lesser of two evils. The Chamberlain app makes you wait through a splash screen, then a login screen (can be automatic if desired), then a "Refreshing devices" screen before you can activate the door. The Wink app allows access to the door activation button immediately. I find that either app works about 80% of the time.

I am using the iPhone apps for both of these, and the Chamberlain is far better on the iPhone. Although it has to log in each time, it does it so fast that it's faster than opening up the wink app and selecting the garage door.

And I too get the issues with the wink app, so without being able to fully utilize it in any of my robots, I've given up and use the native Chamberlain app (for now). My next move is to implement my hack with the Staples Connect system and Indigo.

 

[GT_YellowJacket]

Well, to be clear. The Schlage lock has not been completely useless. In fact it worked for weeks.. up until I moved my router. It's not entirely clear, but it's quite possible that my wifi router's radio interfered with the Wink Hub's many radios. After 10 minutes with support it was back and working. The biggest change during that support call? I moved my Wink Hub about 10 feet away from my router.

Again it's not clear that was my issue, but who knows. He did say they were having issues with the Schlage lock, which did surprise me because it installed and worked with ease for several weeks.. and it wasn't just the Schlage lock that went down for me, it was both of my ZWave devices.

But yes, I'll keep updating.

I was disappointed with the performance of my Schlage lock and its very low reliability with my Wink hub, so I just dismantled my z-wave network and moved over to the Staples Connect system to do a little head-to-head testing... The Connect is MUCH better with the Schlage lock. In the last week, I've had it fail to respond to the app only once, and I get instant status updates in the app when the lock state changes through manual changes. I can also trigger scenes and get messages from multiple different deadbolt events (alarm, lock, unlock, etc). I was ready to return the deadbolt, but now I'm just looking for a better home automation system.

 

[Kaido]

You can do a factory reset on the Pico switch (and the Casetta too for that matter). For the Pico, you triple tap and then hold the top botton (the on). Keep the button pressed for 6 seconds. Release the button and triple tap again. I believe it's the same process for the Casetta. That clears out the connection info.

Awesome thanks! I'll try that out. Do you know if ClearConnect supports multi-pairing? I'd like to pair both the Hub & the Pico directly to a Caseta switch.

I'm having issues with my in-wall Caseta switch giving accurate responses to the Wink Hub app. I'll turn it off & it won't show it off, but if I play with the slider on the app, it will adjust the lights properly.

 

[Kaido]

I was disappointed with the performance of my Schlage lock and its very low reliability with my Wink hub, so I just dismantled my z-wave network and moved over to the Staples Connect system to do a little head-to-head testing... The Connect is MUCH better with the Schlage lock. In the last week, I've had it fail to respond to the app only once, and I get instant status updates in the app when the lock state changes through manual changes. I can also trigger scenes and get messages from multiple different deadbolt events (alarm, lock, unlock, etc). I was ready to return the deadbolt, but now I'm just looking for a better home automation system.

That's good to hear, especially since they dropped the price to $49. I don't understand why home automation stuff is so buggy. To me, it seems simple:

1. Send command to server from controller
2. Server forwards command to device
3. Device activates function
4. Device sends confirmation status message back to server
5. Server relays confirmation status to controller

Zwave has a history of being buggy. I'm not sure if it's faulty design or problems with central hubs or servers relaying the commands or what. Caseta works awesome by itself, but Lutron has been doing wireless for a looooooong time and is pretty strictly focused on lighting, rather than the entire home automation picture.

I'd really like for Wink to be successful because it pretty much fulfills everything on my wishlist for DIY HA. It's already been 2 months & there still seems to be quite a few bugs floating around. It can be difficult to justify to your family because switches are $60 instead of $1 and they don't work 100% of the time like regular switches do. imo they really need to Apple-ize it...it needs to "just work", no funny business. They're 90% of the way there; hopefully they can get a handle on the last 10% of it!

 

[Exigence]

Awesome thanks! I'll try that out. Do you know if ClearConnect supports multi-pairing? I'd like to pair both the Hub & the Pico directly to a Caseta switch.

I'm having issues with my in-wall Caseta switch giving accurate responses to the Wink Hub app. I'll turn it off & it won't show it off, but if I play with the slider on the app, it will adjust the lights properly.

I've gotten a lot of mixed messages on the Pico and multi-pairing. I know I can pair one Pico to multiple Lutron PowPaks (that's a commercial product). I believe Lutron once told me that the Pico is a one way device as well (it sends, but doesn't receive). There must be some two way initially though, otherwise why have the option to do a factory reset. I don't believe the Pico can be directly paired to a Casetta switch and the Wink Hub - pretty sure I tried before and couldn't.

That being said, if you paired a Pico to the Hub AND the Casetta switch, you'd likely double up all the commands. The Pico sends the on command directly to the switch and also to the hub which then sends another on command to the switch. It would work if you didn't have the Pico set to control the Casetta in the hub (maybe you want it to control multiple lights), but probably not going to happen since it can confuse your average user.

 

[MjnMixael]

I've done a lot of testing and am confident I know the limitations with the Pico Remotes.

I actually think that it's the light switch that can only be paired to EITHER the Wink hub or the Pico remotes. However, you cannot pair a light switch to the Wink hub and then pair a remote to the light switch. The only wait to do it is to pair both the remote and light switch to the Wink hub and the set the Pico remote to control that light.

Now, I hear what you are saying about wanting the remote to work regardless of internet connection or the Wink hub working. I can absolutely confirm that the Pico remotes still do. My Wink hub was going haywire a few weeks back (because I put it too close to my router), but all my Pico remotes still worked just fine.

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