The Wink home automation thread

[ieee_raider]

A user on this thread mentioned designing (maybe also 3D-printing) a switch plate that included a mounting space for an old iPod/iPhone, in response to Wink's rather expensive Relay... I would support this endeavor. He or she should do a kickstarter soon, lest I steal the idea.

......if only I weren't so lazy...

I've actually seen a couple of kickstarters come and go along those lines.
One was very promising, actually a custom android machine that recessed into the wall box. But they didn't have bluetooth, which was a requirement for me.

That's why I just ended up with this... works great.
http://www.amazon.com/Tablet-Dockem-...let+wall+mount

 

[Kaido]

Any chance we could see a photo of this tablet installation? I am interested in same if it means I don't have to buy a Relay (which I want so terribly badly).

I don't currently have it mounted on a swing-arm on the wall, just on the stock kickstand, which is actually really nice because you can adjust it to whatever angle you want, including kind of a flatter version looking down, if you're standing up over the countertop:

http://www.ixbt.com/short/images/2014/Jan/hp_android_aio_sg_4-820x420.jpg

It's basically just a jumbo Android tablet:

http://www.infokomputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/hp-slate-21-pro.jpg

There's no battery, which makes sense due to the size & low cost (it's $240 until tomorrow on Groupon, normally $400), although I'd like one so I could unplug it & move it to another area if the kitchen if I need the room or if I'm working on something in a different location. The touchscreen is also 2-point only, and it's using cameras in the bezel, not an actual capacitive or resistive touchscreen, so don't get any water droplets or food bits on it, since it will think those are your fingers & act as inputs - so you have to make sure your hands are clean of debris when using it.

But other than that, it's just like any other tablet, just mega-sized (IPS screen too, which is a big plus). So if you want to run Wink, a webcam app, or pretty much anything that runs on Android 4.3, you're good to go. I would like to get at least one more for my front door, specifically for the family calendar & also for leaving notes, because it is so convenient to have a giant touchscreen interface to stuff you'd really use on a daily basis.

I'm still tweaking mine out - I just added a new Daydream (Android lingo for screensaver) that shows the time & weather, so it acts as a big clock & weather station at a glance. I removed the lockscreen so that it just jumps to the apps page when I touch the screen. You can do trickier stuff too, like throwing the Roku app on it to fire up a movie for the kids from the kitchen. Technically it should be the same as having a portable tablet, but it really changes the dynamic of how you approach & use it since it's a fixture & because it's large.

I would take another one of these over a Relay any day myself. I wish the Relays were cheaper because I would literally put one in every room, but the combination of being $300 a pop & Wink being buggy has prevented me from doing that.

 

[Kaido]

I've actually seen a couple of kickstarters come and go along those lines.
One was very promising, actually a custom android machine that recessed into the wall box. But they didn't have bluetooth, which was a requirement for me.

That's why I just ended up with this... works great.
http://www.amazon.com/Tablet-Dockem-...let+wall+mount

I have a wireless Qi charger for my iPhone 5S (Yipin case with a CHOE charger) and I think that'd be the way to go - get a cheap Android tablet (they go for like $50 these days), add a Qi charger to it (they sell generic MicroUSB flexible pads for charging now, which you can slide inside of just about any third-party case), and make a little wall-mount for it, so all you'd have to do is run a standard electrical outlet up the wall, build a nice little wooden stand for it, and setup a nice case with the charging film. The film is under $10 shipped on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Wire.../dp/B00H7FJXCC

Completely doable. My personal preference, however, would be a simple toggle switch for the lights - I had flat & thin-rocker lightswitches, I really like the ones that have been around for a million years that stick out & that you flip up & down. I found a great model that I'd like to use (appliance switch that is center-off, and you can tap up or down for commands, which would be ideal for using with a relay & for 3-way lighting setups), but that's a whole different project

 

[ieee_raider]

I've actually seen a couple of kickstarters come and go along those lines.
One was very promising, actually a custom android machine that recessed into the wall box. But they didn't have bluetooth, which was a requirement for me.

That's why I just ended up with this... works great.
http://www.amazon.com/Tablet-Dockem-...let+wall+mount

Here is one of my tablets.

Pic is kind of grainy but you get the idea.
On this one, my default home screen shows weather, pandora (for home audio streaming), front door security camera, and wink widgets/shortcuts for that area of my home.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So would it be worth filling this guy's linked in inbox with emails about how they need to get their act together?

Wow, where do they dig these guys up?

 

[TexasWinkUser]

Wow, where do they dig these guys up?

Earlier someone had posted Ben Kaufmann's Linked in profile, and this guy was connected to him.

And he does have his profile listed as the Wink at Quirky Head of Engineering, not just for Quirky. Responsible for which products I have no idea...Looks like all (most) of the folks that are currently working directly for Wink previously worked for Quirky, so obviously they're going through some re-org restructuring. Time to get their act together and get this thing fixed.

All day yesterday their server must have been backed up. About 5pm last night I was making dinner and the Link bulb above my bar started going from 100% to 1% to 50% to off and then back to 50% and it did it a few times. Those are all levels I have set in various robots for different doors opening. After that I could not get a single command to go through that bulb. Had to delete it from the system and set it back up as new.

 

[Kaido]

All day yesterday their server must have been backed up. About 5pm last night I was making dinner and the Link bulb above my bar started going from 100% to 1% to 50% to off and then back to 50% and it did it a few times. Those are all levels I have set in various robots for different doors opening. After that I could not get a single command to go through that bulb. Had to delete it from the system and set it back up as new.

Wow. Ridiculous. Good news on the SmartThings front tho:

http://www.cnet.com/news/smartthings-ceo-on-samsung-being-open-apples-homekit-and-more-q-a/

Some interesting tidbits:

At some point, this is going to reach the stage where everybody, even the laggards, will just not buy something that's disconnected.

...

[Yoon] alluded to it that when you buy a device like a TV or a fridge, it will just have it there.

At some point there also will be market for premium models that have the cellular capability built into them. Even the baseline hub will go away sometime soon.

you can have multiple hubs in a single house. If you've got the TV as a hub, that could be awesome and go alongside [the standalone hub]...

And very interesting here:

Our issue has been the lack of openness on the other platforms, even where users demand it. We get hammered on it, but it turns out to be in the API terms and conditions of Company X. You can't keep data more than X days and you can't build these kinds of apps and so on. It's just sort of against our principles.

We're the only platform with a Windows Phone app right now.

we believe our [version No. 2] Hub is HomeKit-capable, but HomeKit's not mature enough yet.

In typical Samsung fashion, they cloned the market leaders, identified the missing links, and are working on filling them in. Their second-generation hub is open, works with Windows Phone, has plans to work with HomeKit, will support multiple hubs, etc. Awesome! The commitment to openness is actually kind of mindblowing, especially coming from a big company like Samsung, but it's a showstopper otherwise, so it's pretty much required.

I am interested to hear more about embedded hubs, trying to wrap my mind around that. I don't know if their intention is a mesh network or what. Will only the premium service allow for remote access, driver sync, hub updates, etc.? Will a simple DAT file be downloaded to all devices when changes are made? I'm trying to figure out how they're going to get away from having to have a master controller, especially as specs & standards upgrade & some older devices lag behind in terms of updates. I mean, just look at most Android phones...you're pretty much stuck with whatever version of Android it comes with, and maybe one or two updates after that with the larger companies. That's why I like having a separate Roku box instead of a Smart TV...upgradability for cheaper ($99 vs. the cost of a new TV).

 

[Kaido]

I'm still waiting for the battery on my garage door to die. It's the farthest thing in my house from the hub. There's a GE Link PAR38 bulb a few feet closer, but it's got power all the time. Wasn't someone saying that the Link bulbs should act as a repeater? Are the trippers zwave or zigbee?

Hey, found an interesting one that might work for you - a magnetic detection switch. Check out the video, it has like 1/2" of range, which is pretty awesome for stuff like garage doors:

https://www.controlanything.com/Relay/Device/CKN6004

Now we just need a Wink-compatible generic Zwave relay device to get it to communicate...

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Earlier someone had posted Ben Kaufmann's Linked in profile, and this guy was connected to him.

Yeah, I posted Kaufman's LinkedIn profile earlier. Neither of these guys seem qualified for their positions IMO.

 

[nyvram]

Here is one of my tablets.

Pic is kind of grainy but you get the idea.
On this one, my default home screen shows weather, pandora (for home audio streaming), front door security camera, and wink widgets/shortcuts for that area of my home.

a cleaner idea is the QI charger/magnet thing you see on XDA for automobiles.

how sweet would it be to have a magnetic back on your tablet and you simply touch it to the wall and it snaps on and charges.

LOOK MA NO WIRES

all this stuff is *so* close..i mean you can get a moto G to use with WIFI and bluetooth only for $50 these days too and it a killer phone

 

[brinkbart]

Tadaaaa! I Installed my Lutron Caseta in a 3-way configuration!

http://i.imgur.com/Nk1zDLx.jpg

I paired the Pico remote to the Wink hub, which in-turn (I assume) paired it to the Caseta switch for me. I will then mount the remote where the other switch was. (The wall mounting bracket is in order as Home Depot had none in stock).

So when I use the remote, the lights react instantly, and THEN the Wink hub flashes green. So it looks like it's waiting for my settings to complete, and then the Caseta sends the new state to the hub. Brilliant!

By the way, I also had to install a paddle switch next to it, since it's a 2-gang. It's a non-connected Leviton single pole. Also the plate is a $2 Leviton plate. Didn't want to spend $8+ for a screwless Lutron faceplate that wouldn't match anything else in the house.

 

[arod]

a cleaner idea is the QI charger/magnet thing you see on XDA for automobiles.

how sweet would it be to have a magnetic back on your tablet and you simply touch it to the wall and it snaps on and charges.

LOOK MA NO WIRES

all this stuff is *so* close..i mean you can get a moto G to use with WIFI and bluetooth only for $50 these days too and it a killer phone

Still not a fan of the UI... really surprised nobody is doing good tablet apps with this kind of thing in mind. That's the one thing wink has right with their relay.

 

[ieee_raider]

a cleaner idea is the QI charger/magnet thing you see on XDA for automobiles.

how sweet would it be to have a magnetic back on your tablet and you simply touch it to the wall and it snaps on and charges.

LOOK MA NO WIRES

all this stuff is *so* close..i mean you can get a moto G to use with WIFI and bluetooth only for $50 these days too and it a killer phone

Yeah but that qi charger has to get power from somewhere. I will ultimately run through wall behind it, but qi would require the same thing.

 

[ieee_raider]

Still not a fan of the UI... really surprised nobody is doing good tablet apps with this kind of thing in mind. That's the one thing wink has right with their relay.

No kidding... No rotation into tablet mode is rediculous.

 

[MjnMixael]

Smartthings only interests me at this point if i can connect it with Lutron. I love those switches.

 

[ramblinwreck001]

Smartthings only interests me at this point if i can connect it with Lutron. I love those switches.

Same here. I've got 5 Lutron Caseta dimmer switches installed now and they all work flawlessly. The Pico remotes allow a level of flexibility that noone else can provide, far as I can tell. I'm 'locked in' to Lutron at this point. One of the downsides to going with a non-standard option like Z-Wave/ZigBee.

If Wink goes belly up, gets bought out, or goes away for any other reason, then I think the only currently available alternatives are the Staples hub and Lutron's own Hub. Hopefully there will be more 3rd party support for Lutron's ClearConnect RF in the future. I don't have the time or patience necessary to hack around with things like OpenHAB.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

My hub updated to version .55 today. Anyone know what was fixed or added?

 

[ieee_raider]

Got a hub update to .55 tonight too... No idea what it does.
It doesn't fix light status polling.

 

[Sid33]

Mine updated too. I can't tell a difference. Did notice my front door tripper now has a low battery indication. Only been installed since 12/24.

 

[Sid33]

And the tripper is only about 12' away from my hub, separated by a half wall, and about 2.5' away from a ge link bulb that always has power.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

And the tripper is only about 12' away from my hub, separated by a half wall, and about 2.5' away from a ge link bulb that always has power.

There is a definite bug with the Tripper's battery life indicator AND the actual battery life. The don't necessarily match ip. Wink claims they are going to issue an update to fix it and offered to send me replacement batteries for free (we'll see if I get them). In one case, I had a battery completely die within 7-10 days of deploying to my garage and the replacement battery for it shows low 7 days later. I took the Tripper down and moved it into my house (maybe 20-25 ft from the hub) and it suddenly shows full battery.

My second Tripper is showing low as well (showed low about 7-10 days after deployment) and now, at 2-3 weeks after deployment, it still shows low but seems to still be reporting.

 

[ajazz]

I updated mine to .55 last night. I lost one of six GE bulbs functionality in the process. I'm guessing once I delete the light and add it back in it will be fine.

I did regain connection to my dropcams. Before, the dropcams would just say "something went wrong" when I tried allowing access.

I also had to reauthenticate with my Nest account, which still seems to be harder than it needs to be, but got it working again too.

I haven't noticed anything else yet, maybe some new products on the "add a product page" ?

 

[ajazz]

I updated mine to .55 last night, lost one of six GE bulbs functionality in the process. I'm guessing once the light is deleted and added it back in it will be fine.

Connection to my dropcams was restored in the update. Before, the dropcams would just say "something went wrong" when I tried allowing access.

I also had to reauthenticate with my Nest account, which still seems to be harder than it needs to be, but got it working again too.

Nothing else I've noticed yet, maybe some new products on the "add a product page" ?

 

[RossMAN]

There is a definite bug with the Tripper's battery life indicator AND the actual battery life. The don't necessarily match ip. Wink claims they are going to issue an update to fix it and offered to send me replacement batteries for free (we'll see if I get them). In one case, I had a battery completely die within 7-10 days of deploying to my garage and the replacement battery for it shows low 7 days later. I took the Tripper down and moved it into my house (maybe 20-25 ft from the hub) and it suddenly shows full battery.

My second Tripper is showing low as well (showed low about 7-10 days after deployment) and now, at 2-3 weeks after deployment, it still shows low but seems to still be reporting.

How/where do you check trippers batteries?

 

[twomonsters]

So I just got my hub, lights, and trippers. Is there any way to schedule a robot just for a timer? The geofencing doesn't seem to work well. All I want is to automate my lights say turn on at 5p off at 11p.