The Wink home automation thread

[JFHughes08088]

At least it's only $10.
If you had to explain why you wasted $50 on an egg carton, then that surely would result in you AND your fancy electronic egg carton spending some time in the dog house!

Or he would have egg on his face

 

[JFHughes08088]

Anyone have any thoughts on my question below? Thanks.

Don't have the robot cover more than 1 calendar day. Example = if you want it to do something between 6 PM and 5 AM, do 1 robot for 6 PM - 11:59 PM. Another for the next day, starting at 12:01 AM through 5:00 AM

 

[Mike A.]

I'm having screwy things happening with Groups. e.g.:

- I have 4 identical GE/Jasco Zwave switches in one area of the house. All work fine independently. If I add them to a group, only one of the switches responds to the group action. I can go back to the Lights section of the app and toggle each of them on/off just fine independently. The one switch which does work within groups does so reliably. I can put it into another group and it works fine. The others I can't get to respond regardless what group they are in. Switches are the same model all purchased at the same time, same packaging, etc. There could be some internal difference but not as far as I'm aware. All are within close distance to the hub. The only difference among them that I can think of is that the one working switch was installed about 1 week before the others. The "non-working" switches do respond to schedules and robots. It's only in a group that they don't.

- On the Group screen (after deleting everything through multiple tests) I have 3 groups: All Lights, Interior Lights, Kitchen Lights. The groups are subsets in that order (i.e., the Kitchen Lights are included within Interior Lights which are included within All Lights). If I hit Kitchen Lights to toggle that group on/off, it grays out that icon and switches that group as expected. BUT it also grays-out the Interior Lights icon and actually toggles on/off every light in THAT group as well. That is, if I create a group containing 3 lights in the kitchen (only) touching that group turns on/off ALL interior lights as well.

Support tried but was at a loss to offer any explanation or solution and wasn't aware of any similar reported problems. Same happens on both Android and IOS. Guess that I'll try excluding and then setting up the 3 non-working switches again. Though I don't understand why they would work outside of a group if that was a problem. And that doesn't affect the second flaky issue.

 

[jfisch]

Anyone had luck pairing Everspring/Utilitech water sensor with wink. I have it connected as unkonow product so it doesn't provide any feedback when tripped.

Looking for suggestions how to connect as Common Binary Sensor.

 

[TripleR]

Also, I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure you can associate 2 Linear WD500s with each other. You can absolutely pair them with WT00 slave, but nothing in the instructions specifically names the slave and seems to imply that you can associate another WD500 if you wanted too.

page 2 association section...
http://www.nortekcontrol.com/pdf/manuals/WD500Z1_manual.pdf

Has anyone been able to get the WT00Z-1 recognized by the Wink? I have a WD500Z-1 and WT00Z-1 installed in a 3-way configuration. No problems with the WD500 but the WT00 comes up as an unrecognized Z-Wave device.

 

[TechWise]

This may be a dumb question but here goes...is there a way that I can use the sunset function but add a plus or minus additional time to it? I want my lights to come on 30 minutes before sunset but can't figure out how to set that up?

Can it be done? Thanks!

 

[Mike A.]

This may be a dumb question but here goes...is there a way that I can use the sunset function but add a plus or minus additional time to it? I want my lights to come on 30 minutes before sunset but can't figure out how to set that up?

Can it be done? Thanks!

Don't think that there's anyway to do +/- time offsets from sunrise/sunset. At least not directly that I've seen.

I was thinking that maybe the timezone could be changed to do it but don't see a way to do that either.

You might be able to hack a round-about way of doing it using IFTTT with your timezone set 1/2 hour earlier.

 

[Mike A.]

I think that I may have figured out what's causing the group problem mentioned above...

It appears that this affects new Zwave devices which are paired after some point in time. Older Zwave devices paired at an earlier date seem to work fine. Which explains why the one working switch mentioned above works while the other three do not.

I can replicate the same effect with two other GE outdoor module-type switches that I have. If I create a group containing an older, previously added switch and a newly added switch (both of which work fine independently), then only the older, earlier-paired switch responds to the group action.

Removing and re-pairing the new switches has no effect. They still don’t work. However, If I remove a working Zwave device and then re-add it as new, then it no longer works within groups.

This appears to be limited to Zwave devices (at least as far as I've tried). A newly added Zigbee-based device (Link bulb) works fine within old and newly created groups.

The second issue regarding one group affecting another seems to have disappeared now.

 

[TechWise]

Don't think that there's anyway to do +/- time offsets from sunrise/sunset. At least not directly that I've seen.

I was thinking that maybe the timezone could be changed to do it but don't see a way to do that either.

You might be able to hack a round-about way of doing it using IFTTT with your timezone set 1/2 hour earlier.

Thanks for the response. I hope that offsets are added in the future. Sunset is generally too late for my interior lights to come on. Using a set time is a pain as it needs to be changed every month or so.

 

[gierso]

Look for a city you know it has a earlier sunset than yours enought minutes and put it as the sunset location..

 

[dennisj00]

Just got the EggMinder delivered an hour or so ago. Spent about 15 minutes getting it to initialize and sync with the hub.

For $10 (free Prime delivery) it was worth my curiosity. Two AA batteries - already there. I wish I hadn't taken the battery cover off. Getting the gasket back on was tricky. And the On/Off switch is recessed, but once it's synced it isn't necessary.

It uses a flashing screen to sensors on the top of the tray to initialize. I used the iPad because my phone was busy, so that may have been the reason it took 3 or so times through the initialization to take. You can watch the video on the Add a Product segment.

It then showed all full after I filled it up and an expiration of each 28 days away.

Looks like it updates / changes status with each sensor change and while the refrigerator is open. Not sure it can transmit out of a closed metal box!

Not sure how useful it really will be. We use enough eggs that freshness isn't a problem. But interesting for $10.

 

[Kaido]

Just got the EggMinder delivered an hour or so ago. Spent about 15 minutes getting it to initialize and sync with the hub.

For $10 (free Prime delivery) it was worth my curiosity. Two AA batteries - already there. I wish I hadn't taken the battery cover off. Getting the gasket back on was tricky. And the On/Off switch is recessed, but once it's synced it isn't necessary.

It uses a flashing screen to sensors on the top of the tray to initialize. I used the iPad because my phone was busy, so that may have been the reason it took 3 or so times through the initialization to take. You can watch the video on the Add a Product segment.

It then showed all full after I filled it up and an expiration of each 28 days away.

Looks like it updates / changes status with each sensor change and while the refrigerator is open. Not sure it can transmit out of a closed metal box!

Not sure how useful it really will be. We use enough eggs that freshness isn't a problem. But interesting for $10.

Nice! On a tangent, I think ten bucks would be the magic number for a lot of people to adopt smarthomes. A regular outlet or switch is what, 99 cents? If they could offer smart versions for $9.99 each, I think people would be more apt to buy them. Right now, they are $59.99 each. I have one in-wall & one plug-in & don't really want to spend $1600 outfitting the rest of my house with them (as cool as it would be to have every outlet & lightswitch automated!). But I think before that, they need to fix the glitches, so if Local Control (or STv2) does that, then the next step will be driving the price down to make it more affordable to the masses.

 

[JayDole]

Has anyone here tried connecting to an existing home security system? I have an ADT untit that I want to upgrade. My doors and windows are already hard wired with this unit, but that information doesn't go anywhere.
The Honeywell Tux system looks like it is compatible with the existing alarm controller. The Tux system uses Z-wave, so it may be Wink compatible?

I'd love to get an alarm unit that I can control remotely for arming and alerts, plus utilize the existing door sensors for home automation.

If anyone has any recommendations or has successfully integrated an alarm system into an existing wired service I'd love to hear about it!

 

[Kaido]

Has anyone here tried connecting to an existing home security system? I have an ADT untit that I want to upgrade. My doors and windows are already hard wired with this unit, but that information doesn't go anywhere.
The Honeywell Tux system looks like it is compatible with the existing alarm controller. The Tux system uses Z-wave, so it may be Wink compatible?

I'd love to get an alarm unit that I can control remotely for arming and alerts, plus utilize the existing door sensors for home automation.

If anyone has any recommendations or has successfully integrated an alarm system into an existing wired service I'd love to hear about it!

There are some hacks you can do, but the standard warning is that it will not be 100% reliable because it is not Wink Certified. That's the pros & cons with this system...Wink Certified hardware generally works pretty well, whereas it's a diceroll for generic Zwave gear, and you have to ask yourself whether or not you want to put your security system on an unofficial, generic support system. For reference, here is a list of officially-supported products as of last week:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=37340846&postcount=2195

I mean, it wouldn't hurt to try. It just depends on how much time & energy you want to invest in it, versus simply picking up some extra sensors @ $20 a pop. Wink's security settings are very limited presently. There's only support for a single web camera (Dropcam) & they just barely added support for the first siren (GoControl). No number pads or control stations or service hookups to Alarm.com or ADT or anything like that yet, so it's pretty much all DIY piecemeal right now. So keep all of that in mind as you look at a solution: Wink is what Wink is right now. Anything beyond that will essentially be a hack.

 

[dragongtr]

I think that I may have figured out what's causing the group problem mentioned above...

It appears that this affects new Zwave devices which are paired after some point in time. Older Zwave devices paired at an earlier date seem to work fine. Which explains why the one working switch mentioned above works while the other three do not.

I can replicate the same effect with two other GE outdoor module-type switches that I have. If I create a group containing an older, previously added switch and a newly added switch (both of which work fine independently), then only the older, earlier-paired switch responds to the group action.

Removing and re-pairing the new switches has no effect. They still don’t work. However, If I remove a working Zwave device and then re-add it as new, then it no longer works within groups.

This appears to be limited to Zwave devices (at least as far as I've tried). A newly added Zigbee-based device (Link bulb) works fine within old and newly created groups.

The second issue regarding one group affecting another seems to have disappeared now.

This is interesting as I am not experiencing this problem at all.

I installed 3 GE-Z-wave switches (technically 4 as one is the add-on switch for 3-way but that one is basically dumb) last Thursday. Set them up in a group, and created a robot so that if the 3-way switch is activated, the other two switches automatically turn on.

This configuration and robot has been used EXTENSIVELY since it was installed, and it is working perfectly.

 

[dragongtr]

I too have issues with this and I have multiple devices as well.

Has anyone tried this with a single device signed in?

It's a PITA but I have been disabling this robot while I am home, and enabling it while I am away.

It works perfectly if I do this.

 

[aaronbooker]

I'm wondering if anybody has tried out the GoControl security kits with Wink? I've got a wink at a vacation rental and one at my office, and was thinking this might be a good way to spend my coupons? I currently run alarm.com but hate paying the monthly fee.

 

[Mike A.]

This is interesting as I am not experiencing this problem at all.

I installed 3 GE-Z-wave switches (technically 4 as one is the add-on switch for 3-way but that one is basically dumb) last Thursday. Set them up in a group, and created a robot so that if the 3-way switch is activated, the other two switches automatically turn on.

This configuration and robot has been used EXTENSIVELY since it was installed, and it is working perfectly.

Thanks for the reply. Not sure what's up. I opened a support case with Wink and did some tests so they could watch via logs. We'll see what they say. At least it's relatively consistent so that I can replicate it. Individually they all work fine. I can flip them on and off as much as I want and it's 100% good and as fast as any others. If it were a problem with the switches themselves I'd expect to see some flaky behavior in that case.

Several times lately I have had one of the devices in the group respond to turning on. But then it doesn't respond to turning off right behind that. And when it does come on there's a longer than normal delay. Say like 10 seconds after the other working devices come on and much longer than if done alone. Which makes me wonder whether it's related somehow to the ordering in a table/list of Zwave devices that's maintained and some related effect of timing for the commands sent when done as a group. That is, maybe something along the lines of the older devices being higher up in the list so they see the commands quickly but by the time it traverses the full list to get to the later-added, it's already gone. Something like that would explain why removing and re-adding a working device causes it no longer work. I do have a bunch of Zwave stuff so it's probably a much larger set than most. Or maybe some parameter that's maintained for older/newer devices that's changed between some times.

Whatever... Standard HA weirdness. ; )

 

[trunzoc]

This may be a dumb question but here goes...is there a way that I can use the sunset function but add a plus or minus additional time to it? I want my lights to come on 30 minutes before sunset but can't figure out how to set that up?

Can it be done? Thanks!

Use my Tasker project
**How the hell can I still not post links?**

Search for Craig Trunzo on Google + and look for my post about Tasker and Wink

 

[utahraptor]

Has anyone set up a system using ibeacons and wink to only turn on the lights in the room you happen to be in based on having your phone in your pocket? What would the cost per room be? Is there a cheaper alternative?

 

[quagga]

Has anyone set up a system using ibeacons and wink to only turn on the lights in the room you happen to be in based on having your phone in your pocket? What would the cost per room be? Is there a cheaper alternative?

A motion sensor for the room you're in would probably be cheaper, but I'm not sure Wink has the automation-robot-level features to support this. It really needs timer functionality and that doesn't exist (ie, no motion for 5 minutes, turn off lights).

When I thought about doing all of this, I determined it was probably cheaper / easier to just install Lutron presence sensor switches. No Hubs to go down; no wifi needed; and nothing to configure. As a renter, I didn't have that option so I have smart bulb I just flip on and off as groups or which activate when a tripper senses a door open or close.

 

[utahraptor]

I read wink can handle Ibeacon via the IFTTT app, but no clear instructions or material list. I don't even want them on 5 mins without me in there. I want them instant on/off as I walk about.

 

[quagga]

I read wink can handle Ibeacon via the IFTTT app, but no clear instructions or material list. I don't even want them on 5 mins without me in there. I want them instant on/off as I walk about.

I don't think that IFTTT (assuming you even got the ibeacon functionality up) with Wink shortcuts would scale very well to this level of automation. Indeed I think Wink overall would have challenges operating at this level.

I think you'd be better off trying motion sensors. Either "dumb" wall switch sensors or if you want a smarthome system, SmartThings with motion sensors in each room you want to illuminate. Either way, I don't think this is going to be very cheap.

 

[Kaido]

Nice email update from Aeotec:

1. Gateway: They don't make a gateway, but they are fans of Oomi on Indigogo:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/oomi-smart-home-redefined

2. Doorbell: Available June.

Originally designed to be an add on to our Siren, Doorbell will soon be released as its own product. It'll feature two parts: the push button for outdoors, and a speaker system for indoors. That speaker system takes the best of Siren, including its beautiful radial pattern, and enhances it by allowing you to not just configure the inbuilt chimes, but to also upload your own in MP3 format.

3. Garage Door Controller: Available June.

With Garage Door Controller we'll bring Z-Wave to one of the most overlooked, frequently used household entrances. Like Doorbell, Garage Door Controller will come with two separate parts. One part is a sensor, capable of understanding if your garage door is opened or closed. The other part is the actual controller, capable of connecting to your garage door's existing motor and allowing you to control it manually or via Z-Wave.

4. Smart Film: Samples will be available in July to installers & distributors. Very cool. Time to build myself a Jack Bauer room!

5. New product: TBA.

Extremely excited about the doorbell, especially with MP3 customization, nice!! The smart film stuff will be very cool too.

 

[quagga]

Nice email update from Aeotec:

2. Doorbell: Available June.

Now I just need the Zwave enabled trap door that fires off when the doorbell is pressed and dumps the solicitor into the furnace!