The Wink home automation thread

[IndyColtsFan]

Mine will be destined for the trash AFTER Wink re-flashes it. It will be a small victory for me to throw it out in (supposedly) working condition.

This whole situation is so dumb. The hub costs Wink $56 to build according to Ben Kaufman. Now, think of the shipping costs to/from Wink, the time spent "repairing" the hubs, and the length of time you'll be without the hub. They should've at least offered to give people new hubs in exchange for the old ones. They probably would save money by doing that.

 

[dennisj00]

Mine was on .77 and apparently did its last control around 12:30 when the mail arrived. I returned around 12:45 from a bicycle ride and couldn't turn the light off.

Hub was blue but a tripper wouldn't show the green flash on the hub, then the app showed offline.

Of course, I rebooted (several times) and was going to report the 18 hour outage to Testflight this morning when I found things were severely awry.

I don't wish them any continued bad luck for a couple of employees poor planning / execution if it indeed was an expired cert.

I've also wondered how their business model of free cloud control would be sustained over the coming years from hardware sales. Even with local control and cloud 'backup' -- that is still a big annual expense in servers, programming and staff.

But even Amazon continues to lose money!

 

[brinkbart]

From FB:

"... are you still working on any potential solutions that could alleviate the need to mail in the hubs?

"Maybe a do-it-yourself flash tool for your more techy customers who feel comfortable doing that sort of thing?"

Ben Kauffman's response:
"Yes we are hoping to have an 'advanced user' option where you wont have to send in your hub, but we're prepared for the worst just in case."

 

[FreddieT]

Per Ben Kaufman on the Facebook Wink User's Group:
"We are hoping to have an 'advanced user' option where you won't have to send in your hub. "

 

[tctmonkey]

This whole situation is so dumb. The hub costs Wink $56 to build according to Ben Kaufman. Now, think of the shipping costs to/from Wink, the time spent "repairing" the hubs, and the length of time you'll be without the hub. They should've at least offered to give people new hubs in exchange for the old ones. They probably would save money by doing that.

Real companies that screw the pooch as badly as wink has usually cross ship when they screw up like this. Dell, Sun, Samsung to name a few. I think I am going back to x10.. Much cheaper, works and if you need remote just vpn to your house and change it up. Wink is just marketing garbage. 24 hours and still no we are gonna fix it email.

 

[Kaido]

I'm not sure what firmware the unopened unit has on it, I guess I'll just send it in as well...

If what was mentioned earlier is true (apparently an SSL certificate lapsed in renewal), then they'll have to get a new certificate, which would lock out a lot of Wink devices based on their security model. Had this happen at one client's site recently...their networking vendor let the cert for their email lapse & kicked out hundreds of users. The on-site guy was getting positively hammered with support calls, it was really bad. Easy mistake to make though! Unless someone specifically adds it to the business processes checklists or remembers to do it in time, it's not an issue until it's an issue

 

[Shawnrr1]

I just called the Home Depot and despite the fact that I do not have the box but I do have the receipt they stated that the would honor my request for a refund. I bought my hub on 3/28/2015 just to get my feet wet with the automated home concept. Homeseer here I come.

 

[MjnMixael]

My hub was on 0.81. My guess is that "bricked" hubs are due to people constantly trying to reboot them during the outage.

 

[Edubbwa]

So does anyone have a hub that survived "The Wink of Death" yesterday?

I am wondering why some would have survived and others would have died. It doesn't seem like those running with .82 were saved.

If your Hub still works could you provide some details as to what Firmware you have?

I was on .82 and my hub is online and functional... And updated to .86

 

[brinkbart]

My guess is that "bricked" hubs are due to people constantly trying to reboot them during the outage.

That's my suspicion as well. And I only unplugged mine ONCE! How dumb I feel.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

My hub was on 0.81. My guess is that "bricked" hubs are due to people constantly trying to reboot them during the outage.

I didn't reboot or power the hub down at all and still have not, yet mine is bricked.

 

[smhawkes]

I didn't unplug my hub until after the announcement by Ben Kaufman about not recovering all the hubs and it is bricked.

 

[FreddieT]

That's my suspicion as well. And I only unplugged mine ONCE! How dumb I feel.

Not your fault. We were only doing something we've had to do a hundred times before when the hub went off line for no reason at all. By the time Wink acknowledged a problem and said not to power cycle the hub, it was way too late for more than a few of us. Serious communication failure.

 

[dgruhin]

I was at .77, did not power cycle at all as I was out the entire day and it is still bricked as well.

My father had the unfortunate timing of having me install a Casetta for him and when it wouldn't pair, I power cycled his hub. Of course this was well before Wink posted any information about issues.

I guess we should all just remember to call Wink before doing anything in regard to power on the hub, and we should all have them on battery backups!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Lol Wink wants nearly $14 to ship a single Tripper package via UPS ground. Seriously?!? Guess I'll use my credit on 2 more Link bulbs, which are roughly $13 to ship.

 

[Kaido]

Per Ben Kaufman on the Facebook Wink User's Group:
"We are hoping to have an 'advanced user' option where you won't have to send in your hub. "

Awesome, I'll wait for that rather than shipping mine in.

I'm willing to forgive them. Partly because I know they're a fledgling startup under pressure & mistakes happen, and partly because imo they're still the best budget turnkey system out there, despite the flaws. There's just no way I'm going over to anything else right now (and lose my Kidde support & have to buy a Lutron hub?), even the new Vera Edge hub...it seriously has a 2.5-star review on Amazon out of over 50 reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Vera-Control-VeraEdge-Home-Controller/dp/B00PFGJZM8/

I mean, they messed up, sure - not going to brush that under the rug. However, they are actively working on a solution to fix it. It would be more professional not to have employees debate with end-users publicly, and, as tctmonkey said, offer a cross-ship option (because really, they give these away literally for free right?), but it is what it is...you kind of either have to accept it, or switch camps. And no company is perfect...even the F-22 got nailed with a simple international dateline bug:

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/f22-squadron-shot-down-by-the-international-date-line-03087/

So...the bugs are frustrating, and the STv1 is available for just $99 if anyone wants to jump ship, which is perfectly understandable at this point. But, I also see the larger picture of Wink's growth history, the upcoming features, the upcoming hardware options from other vendors, etc., so I'm going to hang tight for the time being.

 

[dgruhin]

Awesome, I'll wait for that rather than shipping mine in.

I'm willing to forgive them. Partly because I know they're a fledgling startup under pressure & mistakes happen, and partly because imo they're still the best budget turnkey system out there, despite the flaws. There's just no way I'm going over to anything else right now (and lose my Kidde support & have to buy a Lutron hub?), even the new Vera Edge hub...it seriously has a 2.5-star review on Amazon out of over 50 reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Vera-Control-VeraEdge-Home-Controller/dp/B00PFGJZM8/

I mean, they messed up, sure - not going to brush that under the rug. However, they are actively working on a solution to fix it. It would be more professional not to have employees debate with end-users publicly, and, as tctmonkey said, offer a cross-ship option (because really, they give these away literally for free right?), but it is what it is...you kind of either have to accept it, or switch camps. And no company is perfect...even the F-22 got nailed with a simple international dateline bug:

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/f22-squadron-shot-down-by-the-international-date-line-03087/

So...the bugs are frustrating, and the STv1 is available for just $99 if anyone wants to jump ship, which is perfectly understandable at this point. But, I also see the larger picture of Wink's growth history, the upcoming features, the upcoming hardware options from other vendors, etc., so I'm going to hang tight for the time being.

I am hanging on as well. Wink fucked up, big time. That is not in question, but for the most part at least for the better part of a year the system has been reliable compared to other vendors from what I have read.

Wink may have its issues, but they are pumping out product, and are backed by big names.

 

[tctmonkey]

I am hanging on as well. Wink fucked up, big time. That is not in question, but for the most part at least for the better part of a year the system has been reliable compared to other vendors from what I have read.

Wink may have its issues, but they are pumping out product, and are backed by big names.

But will they continue to be after this debacle?

 

[khaass]

my surived.

 

[brinkbart]

I almost unsubscribed from this thread because of everyone's negativity. But then I thought that wouldn't be fair to me, and to others who are just looking for help and a supportive community.

Everyone threatening to jump ship, just do it already. You are eroding at the sense of community we've built here. It is not helpful, and you contribute nothing by continuing to be so negative in these forums.

We get it. You're displeased. Write a letter to Wink or something. Move to what you consider to be a more mature platform. I'm sticking with Wink, because they're trying and I want them to succeed. And I'm sticking with this thread because I think those who want Wink to succeed deserve a sense of community.

If this "Advanced User" option comes to fruition, I will be offering any assistance I can to other users who need help walking through that process.

 

[FreddieT]

Anything Wink does to reduce the inconvenience their mistake caused for their affected users can only be a plus at this point.

As far as staying with Wink after this debacle is resolved and in their rear view mirror, they are going to have a huge mountain to climb in terms of regaining user confidence.

What happened yesterday wasn't an "oops," mistake, but rather a "holy f&$%" mistake. Coming back from this to not only keep their user base, but to grow it will be a monumental task. How they move forward from this point on will be key for their future.

 

[LegendKiller]

Awesome, I'll wait for that rather than shipping mine in.

I'm willing to forgive them. Partly because I know they're a fledgling startup under pressure & mistakes happen, and partly because imo they're still the best budget turnkey system out there, despite the flaws. There's just no way I'm going over to anything else right now (and lose my Kidde support & have to buy a Lutron hub?), even the new Vera Edge hub...it seriously has a 2.5-star review on Amazon out of over 50 reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Vera-Control-VeraEdge-Home-Controller/dp/B00PFGJZM8/

I mean, they messed up, sure - not going to brush that under the rug. However, they are actively working on a solution to fix it. It would be more professional not to have employees debate with end-users publicly, and, as tctmonkey said, offer a cross-ship option (because really, they give these away literally for free right?), but it is what it is...you kind of either have to accept it, or switch camps. And no company is perfect...even the F-22 got nailed with a simple international dateline bug:

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/f22-squadron-shot-down-by-the-international-date-line-03087/

So...the bugs are frustrating, and the STv1 is available for just $99 if anyone wants to jump ship, which is perfectly understandable at this point. But, I also see the larger picture of Wink's growth history, the upcoming features, the upcoming hardware options from other vendors, etc., so I'm going to hang tight for the time being.

Why is Wink any better than ST1? Both pretty much suck but Wink has proven to such far worse for reliability and now bricking a huge portion of their system. It's ridiculous to pick them over anybody else.

As far as Vera, my hatred for their system is well known.

I'm using a 12mo free code from Schlage that is up in December. Their system sucks too, no way I'd pay $120/yr for it. At that point hopefully ST2 is out.

All of these companies are either going to get destroyed by Samsung or Apple. Their testing blows, their cloud-only process blows.

The only hope Wink has is getting local ASAP and turning the ecosystem largely over to users. If they don't do that they will get utterly crushed and go out of business.

As far as Vera, they have local but their software is terribad. Their forums are awful. The only bright spot they have is a dedicated user base. However, once Apple or Samsung comes out with nice forums, pretty GUI and easier to use systems, rather than this ridiculous thing Vera has, they will die also.

 

[Yuriman]

I'm happy to continue using Wink for light bulbs, but after this I doubt I'd buy smart locks for my doors.

 

[LegendKiller]

I almost unsubscribed from this thread because of everyone's negativity. But then I thought that wouldn't be fair to me, and to others who are just looking for help and a supportive community.

Everyone threatening to jump ship, just do it already. You are eroding at the sense of community we've built here. It is not helpful, and you contribute nothing by continuing to be so negative in these forums.

We get it. You're displeased. Write a letter to Wink or something. Move to what you consider to be a more mature platform. I'm sticking with Wink, because they're trying and I want them to succeed. And I'm sticking with this thread because I think those who want Wink to succeed deserve a sense of community.

If this "Advanced User" option comes to fruition, I will be offering any assistance I can to other users who need help walking through that process.

Sorry, but the product is eroding what it built. If they can't take user feedback and learn from it, like a big boy, then they deserve to go out of business, period. Being a pussy about it and burying your head in the sand gets you nowhere. Buck up.

Wink was nothing more than a Beta testing platform that charged its users to test what should have been tested originally, hence these problems.

Rather than learning from the feedback people like Knopf just show they are a bunch of arrogant douchebags that were handed the keys to the city and decided to piss on the inhabitants. Knopf should be fired, immediately. That he hasn't been just shows what the company is made of.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So...the bugs are frustrating, and the STv1 is available for just $99 if anyone wants to jump ship, which is perfectly understandable at this point. But, I also see the larger picture of Wink's growth history, the upcoming features, the upcoming hardware options from other vendors, etc., so I'm going to hang tight for the time being.

At this stage, it doesn't make sense to jump to a competitor until STv2 is released. If Wink releases a tool to let me fix the hub myself, that will go a long way towards making me happier. I still think they're a very poorly run company, but if I can get my stuff running again, I'll use it until STv2 comes out.