The Wink home automation thread

[FreddieT]

No, this isn't my issue at all. All of my GE bulbs are in lamps that have the switches remain on 24/7. Plus if that is the case about the new question mark icon, then why are my Leviton outlets showing question marks as well, when they are directly wired to the circuit breaker?
Something really goofy is going on with the hub and what it's interpretation is with the device I think. I'm really starting to regret this upgrade!

 

[MjnMixael]

It seems as though this firmware update somehow increased the Wifi range issues with the hub. Since November, Wink was suggesting to keep your hub at least 10 feet away from your Wifi router. Now they are suggesting 15 feet or more and after moving my hub, the connection became far more stable.

I did mention to their support staff that this trend can't keep up because I don't think my neighbors want to keep my Wink Hub in their garage for me.

 

[quagga]

So far, I haven't had any issues on .77 or with the latest testflight app. The only time I've gotten "question mark bulbs", my wife had flipped the light switch off (physical switch). When I turned it back on, they came back in the app within a few seconds. So far so good.

Almost all of my bulbs are Cree though. I only have GE in a few BR30 places and have no plans to buy any more of those.

I really wish we had a functional remote though. I don't want a cheapie smart phone or whatnot. I just want to control smart bulbs via a hard button remote (or more likely for my mom or mother in law to do so when they visit). I'm thinking that maybe a Spotter V2 with smart buttons could do that, but it isn't out yet and it's a wifi device (so probably not compatible if I defect to SmartThings in April). [Edit: Or later as it looks like the V2 smartthings hub will be ready "when it's done" according to their development].

 

[IndyColtsFan]

It seems as though this firmware update somehow increased the Wifi range issues with the hub. Since November, Wink was suggesting to keep your hub at least 10 feet away from your Wifi router. Now they are suggesting 15 feet or more and after moving my hub, the connection became far more stable.

I did mention to their support staff that this trend can't keep up because I don't think my neighbors want to keep my Wink Hub in their garage for me.

My hub was 20+ feet away from my wifi router and I still kept losing the bulbs after this update.

And regarding a couple of the other posts -- my bulbs were in light fixtures where the power was on 24/7, so no switches were flipped.

 

[tsuprano]

It is interesting to read all the posts related to system issues. I have had my Wink system for over a month and have GE bulbs, a GE outlet, a Schlage lock and a Levitron switch and am having absolutely no issues at all. I am currently a member of the Flight Path testing group and have all the latest uprated all d have not had trouble with any of them. It may be I am just lucky but more likely it is a result of my high speed Internet connection and my wireless network gear. Anyone have any thoughts on if Wink should include wireless routers and network gear in their wink approved devices list?

 

[ChasG]

I too have experienced loss of connection to ge links since the update. Something has definitely changed, and not for the better at my place. I first noticed my Yale locks stopped responding and though those are working again now; they come and go since the upgrade. Next, the grayed out icons on lights started appearing. At one time, I had 25 ge links that wouldn't connect. Now it's down to 5. My system had been working for months...certainly not perfectly but at least usable...prior to .77. I am about to believe range was degraded with the update. I have moved the hub around all evening and some of the light are consistently not connected, the number of disconnected ones vary with location of the hub. I finally had a chance to call support this evening and they had to escalate the issue as normal troubleshooting didn't resolve. I could reset the non connected lights but since the number has been varying throughout the last couple of days and it would require fixing a bunch of schedules and robots, I really don't want to do that. I will certainly post when I hear back from support. I'm glad they are working to improve things at wink but for me, .56 wasn't perfect but was a lot better than what I now have.

 

[FreddieT]

I agree with ChasG. "Something" has changed after the recent updates. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the network gear or isp's of the end user. Lets remember, this is a home automation control system, not a device to control nuclear reactors, so top of the line, rooted devices are unnecessary and not required for functionality. Granted, if the user is still using a router from the 1990's then they probably will have issues, but not just with Wink, but with basic internet access and security as well.

Case in point. I have a friend who is using a ST V.1 hub with essentially the same devices as I am (GE Link's & Leviton outlets) and he has had ZERO issues with usability and reliability. His network gear is EXACTLY the same as mine (I should know, because I set it up for him) and we both use the same isp. Before this upgrade, I was in the same boat as ChasG and a lot of other Wink users in that the system wasn't perfect but it was useable and half-assed reliable. But after this latest upgrade, useability and reliability have nose dived for a lot of us. Why? Who knows. But it is a concern for those of us that have invested in Wink products and now are dealing with a hobbled system.

As far as Wink providing a list of "Wink approved" networking gear, that is a slippery slope. Just ask Belkin when they went down that road when their Wemo devices were having issues. The user backlash was fierce, but also understandable. Here is a company selling a device for a particular purpose (home automation) but with the stipulation that it will only work with a particular list of routers. And seeing as Wink is only a one trick pony offering only a home automation solution, a statement of the Wink hub only being able to work with routers A, B, or C reliably would be the kiss of death for the brand, as there would be a dozen competitors waiting at the door to offer their home automation systen that works with every router brand on the market.

 

[ChasG]

Well, I haven't heard from Wink since my support call was escalated, but things have changed for the better since my post yesterday. For the past couple of days, I was losing ge links left and right and at one point, 25 were grayed out with the ? in the icon. Called support who's normal troubleshooting didn't work and they escalated the call. I certainly did not want to reset and re-pair 25 bulbs so I decided to wait a while and see what happened. This morning when I checked the App, only one ge link was grayed out and everything seemed to be back to normal. I don't think it healed itself so I suspect they know the fix to this issue and have a way of repairing it. One lost connection is not too big a deal. I will reset and re-pair it this evening....then go through all my schedules and robots that are impacted by that bulb.

 

[dgruhin]

I too lost a GE Link bulb for the first time post updating to .77

Not a huge deal to repair it, but having to reconfigure 8 robots is a bit of a pain in the ass.

 

[fletchb]

No, this isn't my issue at all. All of my GE bulbs are in lamps that have the switches remain on 24/7. Plus if that is the case about the new question mark icon, then why are my Leviton outlets showing question marks as well, when they are directly wired to the circuit breaker?
Something really goofy is going on with the hub and what it's interpretation is with the device I think. I'm really starting to regret this upgrade!

I am not sure. There must be some difference between those having issues and those who are not. I wonder if Wink users are partitioned some how and one group is ok while the others are having problems?

 

[trunzoc]

It certainly is weird. So many people posting issues. I personally have had none.

Maybe it's system size?
I have 2 lutron caseta dimmers/remotes
1 Leviton outlet
1 Cree Bulb
1 GE Link bulb
and 1 Schlage

It's kind of a small system compared to most. Maybe only the larger systems are having issues?

 

[bigverm24]

It certainly is weird. So many people posting issues. I personally have had none.

Maybe it's system size?
I have 2 lutron caseta dimmers/remotes
1 Leviton outlet
1 Cree Bulb
1 GE Link bulb
and 1 Schlage

It's kind of a small system compared to most. Maybe only the larger systems are having issues?

I have a single GE link bulb that every 2 days or so, since the latest android update, loses connection and goes grey w/question mark in the app. I have to turn the lamp its in on/off 3 times and then it jumps back in and works fine.

 

[MjnMixael]

I also think the GE Link problems are at least partially to blame on the bulbs and not Wink...

 

[JFHughes08088]

Been living with the same since the .77 update. I have 15+ GE Link bulbs that lose pairing (or show in the app grayed out with wifi/question mark icon). Interesting, yesterday, ALL GE bulbs were grayed out but a hub re-boot returned them to normal state.

New issue I'm having is as follows.

I have a ceiling fixture that includes bulbs and fan on the same switch. When I put GE link bulbs in the fixture, I have to keep the dumb switch on all the time and control the lights with the app only (or toggle dumb switch to off/on, which turns the bulbs on at full power.

Instead, I decided to pick up a Leviton non-dimmable z-wave switch and control the power to both the fan and light from a smart switch, then bulbs via the app. Should be easy, right? Wrong. If the GE bulbs don't have power for 3 hours or more, they lose pairing. Even if you restore power to the bulbs, you still need to re-pair. Arghhhhh.

I talked to the Cree people who tell me power loss does not un-pair the bulb so I picked up 4 today.

Now I have a smart switch ($50 bucks) to feed power to a ceiling fan/light combo. 4 cree smart bulbs in the fixture ($60) that can be dimmed with the app.

$110 to control the light the way I want? Yes, I guess I am that lazy.

The switch does poll correctly........but.............if the switch is turned off, it polls an "off" status, as it should. The bulbs however still show an "On" state. I guess when power is cut from the switch, the bulbs can't tell the hub they are off.

It would be better if the hub reports an "off" status is if can't reach the bulb.

 

[ChasG]

Size, indeed may matter! I have a ton of stuff connected to the Wink Hub that has given me problems since the update...over a hundred devices are controlled by this hub. Maybe that is the difference. 48 lights, 4 locks, and 18 sensors. The lights are mostly ge links but there are about 5 ge jasco switches in that number as well. I also have connection to 6 Honeywell thermostats and 10 Nest Protect Smoke Alarms.

 

[bigverm24]

Size, indeed may matter! I have a ton of stuff connected to the Wink Hub that has given me problems since the update...over a hundred devices are controlled by this hub. Maybe that is the difference. 48 lights, 4 locks, and 18 sensors. The lights are mostly ge links but there are about 5 ge jasco switches in that number as well. I also have connection to 6 Honeywell thermostats and 10 Nest Protect Smoke Alarms.

man, you are wayyyy to invested in Wink for the problems that are occurring thus far...just kidding...kind of

 

[MjnMixael]

I suspect all his stuff works on Z-Wave or Zigbee and can be moved to just about any other hub.

 

[fletchb]

New issue I'm having is as follows.

I have a ceiling fixture that includes bulbs and fan on the same switch. When I put GE link bulbs in the fixture, I have to keep the dumb switch on all the time and control the lights with the app only (or toggle dumb switch to off/on, which turns the bulbs on at full power.

Instead, I decided to pick up a Leviton non-dimmable z-wave switch and control the power to both the fan and light from a smart switch, then bulbs via the app. Should be easy, right? Wrong. If the GE bulbs don't have power for 3 hours or more, they lose pairing. Even if you restore power to the bulbs, you still need to re-pair. Arghhhhh.

I have the exact same setup (FAN/Light controlled by Leviton switch with GE bulbs) and never have this issue. Not before or after the upgrade.

Just have to wonder if wink users are partitioned somehow, based on when they joined wink, where they live etc or size of the network/etc.

 

[JFHughes08088]

I spoke with Wink support yesterday and they told me the GE bulb will lose pairing if their is no power to the light.

What period of time do you have the Leviton switch in the off position? several hours or more consecutively?

I would rather stay with the GE lights as I prefer the clear glass vs Cree opaque covers.

 

[MjnMixael]

If that's what Wink is saying, then it sounds like it's a problem with the GE Link's auto-orphan "feature". I was told that the bulbs, if they don't hear from the hub in 2 or 3 hours they orphan themselves from the network.

Last I heard, Wink was trying to figure out a way to deal with the issue.

 

[JFHughes08088]

Wink tells me (20 minutes ago) the bulb receives firmware updates automatically from the hub and that the orphan feature should be disabled but I shouldn't expect it to be reliable yet. (Like I'm not used to that).

They are trying to improve things and we are all in it for the long run.

 

[MjnMixael]

I said it before and I'll say it again.. whoever designed that orphan "feature" should be taken out back... That was one of the worse ideas I've ever heard of for a networked device!

 

[FreddieT]

I said it before and I'll say it again.. whoever designed that orphan "feature" should be taken out back... That was one of the worse ideas I've ever heard of for a networked device!

Agree with you 100% This is a stupid design for a networked device. I have a couple of TCP Connected lights in table lamps and they quite often go 7 or 8 hours with the power to them turned off, but as soon as power is restored they come back to life in the app, schedules and all.

 

[FreddieT]

Update on my Wink system: Well it looks as though my greyed out icons on my Leviton switches have sorted themselves out because they have been showing the proper state most of last night and all morning. However, I now have an extra "Switch" in the mix that is displayed in the app. Thanks to the new polling feature it shows I can turn it on and turn it off. Only problem is, I don't know where this extra switch came from? All of my existing Levitons are accounted for and working well (so far) except for the "extra" I seemed to have picked up!
This update just gets weirder and weirder!

 

[quagga]

The switch does poll correctly........but.............if the switch is turned off, it polls an "off" status, as it should. The bulbs however still show an "On" state. I guess when power is cut from the switch, the bulbs can't tell the hub they are off.

It would be better if the hub reports an "off" status is if can't reach the bulb.

It should figure this out with the polling update in .77 but it takes a bit to realize the bulbs have disappeared.

We have 5 Cree Connected bulbs in our dinning room fixture. They went ? the other day when my wife flipped them off at the dumb switch. When I powered them back on (they had been off for a while), they reconnected happily and worked fine. The App showed them back maybe 10-15 seconds after I powered them back on.

I do have the case where I run a shortcut, the status of the bulbs updates pretty quickly but the app take a bit to update my groups. So this leaves data in an inconsistent state (light is off, group says it's on). Wink figures it out eventually, but for a short time it is annoying.