The Wink home automation thread

[IndyColtsFan]

No idea, I was looking at that myself (including the GE Link bulbs) and considering ditching the Wink system but I'm waiting for them to ship before I do that and check the reviews...I personally don't trust anything software wise from Samsung.

The GE Link bulbs definitely are compatible with it. I've received my ST v2 kit but haven't opened it yet. Hope to get some time to play with it this weekend, but I did learn a few things from their forums last night:

1. Local control - local control only works under very specific circumstances. Apparently you have to have specific devices and specific apps (apparently, ST uses an app model for their devices). That kind of pisses me off, though people are saying it is very fast.
2. As you mentioned above, people are complaining about the software and that it is confusing and doesn't make much sense.

I'm even wondering if I should just resell the kit on eBay - I'd get more than I paid for it at this stage and that will probably be true for a few months since I only paid $99 for the hub, a motion sensor, and a window/door sensor. However, I'm still not convinced of Wink's long-term viability so I'll probably end up holding on to it, running some tests, and posting my impressions here.

 

[Tech_Greek]

The GE Link bulbs definitely are compatible with it. I've received my ST v2 kit but haven't opened it yet. Hope to get some time to play with it this weekend, but I did learn a few things from their forums last night:

1. Local control - local control only works under very specific circumstances. Apparently you have to have specific devices and specific apps (apparently, ST uses an app model for their devices). That kind of pisses me off, though people are saying it is very fast.
2. As you mentioned above, people are complaining about the software and that it is confusing and doesn't make much sense.

I'm even wondering if I should just resell the kit on eBay - I'd get more than I paid for it at this stage and that will probably be true for a few months since I only paid $99 for the hub, a motion sensor, and a window/door sensor. However, I'm still not convinced of Wink's long-term viability so I'll probably end up holding on to it, running some tests, and posting my impressions here.

Please do share when you run the tests. Wink seems like it's finally starting to mature but I still have issues (like two link bulbs that randomly turns on at 3 AM in my bedroom from time to time).

I'm always concerned with software from Samsung when they are behind the scenes - everything from bluray players to their phones I've never been impressed with as there are always bugs that do not get fixed.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Please do share when you run the tests. Wink seems like it's finally starting to mature but I still have issues (like two link bulbs that randomly turns on at 3 AM in my bedroom from time to time).

LOL! That happened to me for the first time a couple of days ago. I have a Link bulb in a little socket hidden at the back of my night stand shelf to use as a repeater for my Trippers and I rolled over after midnight and the light woke me up.

Personally, I really enjoy Wink right now. The only problems I've really had were the following:

1. Inconsistent results with some lights - moving my hub farther away fixed that issue.
2. Trippers suddenly started acting erratically and not reporting - solved by me dropping a spare Link bulb as a repeater between the hub and Trippers.

I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I have major concerns about Wink's viability and hope someone like Amazon buys them. Otherwise, the community seems to be in the dark and they REALLY need to communicate with us and get us excited again. If they'd just implement local control and if it works with Lutron Casetas, I'll be in heaven. My problems with Wink have always been more towards how they operate the business than with the actual product.

I'm always concerned with software from Samsung when they are behind the scenes - everything from bluray players to their phones I've never been impressed with as there are always bugs that do not get fixed.

I'm really hoping some enterprising person (Craig Trunzo?) builds a web-based system that support MOST of the major hubs and consolidates them into a single place. I think that would be SLICK but I'm not sure how open the other platforms are. He has done a heck of a job with the winkathome portal and if my tests with SmartThings look promising, I may chat with him and offer to supply a hub and sensors to him to hack around with if he is willing. I'm more of a hardware engineer and am in the process of designing a simple refrigerator/freezer monitor for use with Wink and SmartThings as well. I'm hoping I can get some components ordered shortly to begin my testing.

 

[RodolfoDLV]

The GE Link bulbs definitely are compatible with it. I've received my ST v2 kit but haven't opened it yet. Hope to get some time to play with it this weekend, but I did learn a few things from their forums last night:

1. Local control - local control only works under very specific circumstances. Apparently you have to have specific devices and specific apps (apparently, ST uses an app model for their devices). That kind of pisses me off, though people are saying it is very fast.
2. As you mentioned above, people are complaining about the software and that it is confusing and doesn't make much sense.

I'm even wondering if I should just resell the kit on eBay - I'd get more than I paid for it at this stage and that will probably be true for a few months since I only paid $99 for the hub, a motion sensor, and a window/door sensor. However, I'm still not convinced of Wink's long-term viability so I'll probably end up holding on to it, running some tests, and posting my impressions here.

As for the local control and speed, yes it does run way faster than Wink. I saw the video one of the ST staff uploaded showing an unplugged hub and it was very fast to turn on the lights when a door sensor was triggered. But........ apparently ST users still don't know what are the specific conditions under which the local control runs. What I've gotten from their forums is that ST and Samsung just screwed everything with this launch of the new hub. Miscommunication, backorders, people receiving their hubs without getting a shipment notification and the list goes on.
Just yesterday I added to a post that was wondering if ST became a developer platform. I was seriously considering ditching Wink and returning everything I bought that was ST non-compatible, until my wife made me realize how much time I was spending on those forums. Apparently, there is no straightforward way to group your lights and automate them. You have to rely on smartapps, which you need to look for given that you know they exist, and sometimes play with some code people write for others.
All of this is very nice if you have the time, commitment and understand something about developing software. At this point, I'm willing to install sensors, change my light switches and bulbs, etc., but I don't wan't to have to tinker with it. I want something more of a plug and play, even if it means waiting for the lag to actually turn on my lights (although there are some days I just wish I had the time for the other). This is what I like about the Works with Nest program. You actually don't have to do a lot after you connect things to your Nest account.

Anyways, my thoughts on this. ST is a great platform, with lots of power and potential, and with Samsung backing it, they won't go bankrupt. Although they may go deep into Samsung, which is very annoying.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

As for the local control and speed, yes it does run way faster than Wink. I saw the video one of the ST staff uploaded showing an unplugged hub and it was very fast to turn on the lights when a door sensor was triggered. But........ apparently ST users still don't know what are the specific conditions under which the local control runs. What I've gotten from their forums is that ST and Samsung just screwed everything with this launch of the new hub. Miscommunication, backorders, people receiving their hubs without getting a shipment notification and the list goes on.
Just yesterday I added to a post that was wondering if ST became a developer platform. I was seriously considering ditching Wink and returning everything I bought that was ST non-compatible, until my wife made me realize how much time I was spending on those forums. Apparently, there is no straightforward way to group your lights and automate them. You have to rely on smartapps, which you need to look for given that you know they exist, and sometimes play with some code people write for others.
All of this is very nice if you have the time, commitment and understand something about developing software. At this point, I'm willing to install sensors, change my light switches and bulbs, etc., but I don't wan't to have to tinker with it. I want something more of a plug and play, even if it means waiting for the lag to actually turn on my lights (although there are some days I just wish I had the time for the other). This is what I like about the Works with Nest program. You actually don't have to do a lot after you connect things to your Nest account.

Anyways, my thoughts on this. ST is a great platform, with lots of power and potential, and with Samsung backing it, they won't go bankrupt. Although they may go deep into Samsung, which is very annoying.

Yeah, one of my initial criticisms of Wink was that they dumbed it down too much and that just hindered troubleshooting and caused their support load to increase. It seems SmartThings may be at the opposite end of the spectrum, where you need to hack around to get everything working right. I used to love hacking around with hardware, scripts, etc, but now I am older and I just want things to generally work with minimal customizations unless I am getting HUGE payback for the time I have to invest in hacking it.

Have you seen the videos of hacked Wink hubs running local control? I think those were made 6+ months ago so we know it is possible. I'm hoping they release their version soon as it would be a big win for me with the wife.

My friend was asking about DIY security systems yesterday. It seems many of the DIY security systems are incorporating HA systems as well and I think the overall market direction will consolidate them all. How do you guys feel about using something like Wink or SmartThings for home security? Without local control, I think you could be exposing yourself unnecessarily if your internet is down, so I would think you'd need a network solution which incorporates a 3G/4G dongle as backup.

 

[RodolfoDLV]

Yeah, one of my initial criticisms of Wink was that they dumbed it down too much and that just hindered troubleshooting and caused their support load to increase. It seems SmartThings may be at the opposite end of the spectrum, where you need to hack around to get everything working right. I used to love hacking around with hardware, scripts, etc, but now I am older and I just want things to generally work with minimal customizations unless I am getting HUGE payback for the time I have to invest in hacking it.

Same here. When I got my first Android device I would root it, change ROMs every two days or so, play with everything. Now I just want my phone to have updates fast and work how I want it to, instead of how a company wants me to, so I go for the Nexus phones. Yesterday my wife got the Note 5 from AT&T and just from the first 5 minutes playing with it I was frustrated with all the bloatware they put on it.

Have you seen the videos of hacked Wink hubs running local control? I think those were made 6+ months ago so we know it is possible. I'm hoping they release their version soon as it would be a big win for me with the wife.

I haven't and I need to see those ASAP. IF Ben Kaufman lives up to his local control promise, I'm sure it'll work with all their lights. Heck, if you use a Hue bridge, Lutron bridge or the Lutron remote to control lights, it is immediate. It's like clicking your garage door opener in your car. My wife likes the whole thing so far, but thankfully I failproofed the system by using switches instead of smart bulbs, so she just uses them the regular fashion if it takes too long.

My friend was asking about DIY security systems yesterday. It seems many of the DIY security systems are incorporating HA systems as well and I think the overall market direction will consolidate them all. How do you guys feel about using something like Wink or SmartThings for home security? Without local control, I think you could be exposing yourself unnecessarily if your internet is down, so I would think you'd need a network solution which incorporates a 3G/4G dongle as backup.

For DIY security systems I'd go with SimpliSafe or Scout. As of the things right now, I wouldn't trust neither Wink, nor ST, nor Nexia, nor Vera, etc. The actual DIY security systems are made so they will respond no matter what. The transition into HA for them is just the natural way to go. You have a bunch of sensors already in place, so why not use them to make your home life easier? If you think of ADT, that's how they started and they've been in this HA business for a long time now.

I'll be waiting early next week to hear about your ST experience, if you decide to try it and not to sell it. It's an amazing platform with everything you can do and the support for AEON labs stuff gives you a wide variety of things to choose from. Having modes or scenes is something I really want and the presence sensors make it way more accurate than your phone's geolocation. But then again, an app UI simplicity is needed because my wife will just say "the hell with this". And if I read properly, with the new app revamp they made, you can't share your account with someone else for now. What good will it make me that?

 

[BadPapaBear]

I have a 2Gig Go alarm panel with z-wave locks/light/thermostat the panel and zwave controls are sent though a cellular connection and I have my Wink sync'd to it as well. Wink can't see what the security side of the system is doing but my wink can see and use all of its zwave devices.

With Alarm.com I have rules set for when my doorbell is rang it turns on my zwave porch light for 20 mins, to if my garage is opened after dark it turns on my kitchen zwave light and when I arm the system for away it pretty much turns off my ac, and if I have a fire it shuts off my ac.

Wish I could make something interface with the alarm more (see sensors and trigger zigbee devices also)but having it separate makes it more secure. Some of what I am looking for could be setup with tasker IFFFT and more email alerts from Alarm.com..... too much of a headache for the moment....

I used SuretyDIY to get it all setup through Alarm.com and just hunted online for the best deals in regards to equipment.

 

[BadPapaBear]

I haven't had any issues with my 4 GE Link bulbs. In regards to yours randomly coming on could you be having minor surges or spikes in power causing them to think the switch or juice was switched off and on? I have one of my wink bulbs on a 3way switch that is constantly being accidentally turned off and sometimes love/hate that flipping it off and back on turns it on rather than returning it to it's last known state.

 

[Aikouka]

After taking a look at my electric bills for the past two months, I think it might be wise to look into these smart thermostats. When I was looking into the place, I asked about how much they paid for utilities, and they said an average of $225, which included keeping the temperatures down further than I do. So, how much am I paying? Oh, about $350-400 to keep ~2100 sqft at 71F. (That's just the electric portion, the overall bill is around $450-500.)

So, I'm assuming these thermostats will help since they adjust the temperatures when you're not around. I doubt that they'll help with the fact that my AC unit is just really old and probably not that efficient, but even reducing the use of an inefficient unit should help.

 

[lsd]

I'm even wondering if I should just resell the kit on eBay - I'd get more than I paid for it at this stage and that will probably be true for a few months since I only paid $99 for the hub, a motion sensor, and a window/door sensor. However, I'm still not convinced of Wink's long-term viability so I'll probably end up holding on to it, running some tests, and posting my impressions here.

If you're ever looking to trade I have two caseta dimmer switches I can trade for the v2 package...

I migrated my st hub to st v2 yesterday without issues. It was time consuming but all devices except an outlet transferred just fine. The outlet refuses to be excluded from the old hub.

 

[Mike A.]

Well, that was fun...

After trying to incorporate Wink into my new wireless network and having it FUBAR things, I ended up having to effectively recreate most everything that I had set up. Real pain in the ass having to take down door sensors, etc., to re-pair all of that. Still have some stuff that's hard to get to and/or not working yet but back in business for the most part.

Ridiculous that they have no way to change wireless settings without going through all of that. Even more so that they have no way to back up the config of these things.

If you ever have to do it, then keep your SSID and encryption/password key the same and don't go into the wireless setup for Wink. Then it shouldn't know any difference. Unfortunately, I couldn't do what I wanted to do that way in this case. Do not click past the first wireless setup confirmation or you'll be done. It does appear to keep most things generically labeled but some of it doesn't actually work and I was having enough problems that I ended just wiping the whole Z-wave side and re-doing it. Some of the Link bulbs also weren't working even though they show in the app and needed to be reset.

The one positive aspect to this little misadventure is that Wink seems to have no problem tunneling through a relatively complicated multi-router setup. I thought that I'd probably have to battle with that some but so far no problems.

 

[TechBuddy]

You can change the WiFi on the Wink Hub without loosing any settings or devices. Below is what I posted on FB several months ago. I haven't tried this with the new hub firmware and there have been many phone app upgrades but I see no reason why it still wouldn't work.

If you want to change your WiFi settings or migrate to a new router you can do it and not loose any of your devices or settings. First step is to power down/unplug your existing wireless router. After a short time with no WiFi connection the Wink Hub LED will start flashing yellow. Wait until the LED starts flashing violet. Be patient, it could take several minutes If the LED doesn't flash violet you can power cycle the Wink hub to help it along. While you are waiting for the LED to change to violet get your phone connected to the new wireless router. Turn off your cellular via Airplane mode and then turn your WiFi on. Less chance of problems. When the Wink hub starts flashing violet, open the Wink App and select "Add a Product" from the Home screen. Then select Hub and then select Wink Hub. Go through the procedure and watch for the LED to go to solid blue. Be patient and give it time. Recently I have found that the Wink App never gets to the last step where it would normally be complete and the Hub is added. Give it some time and if the app seems to hang at the last step you can back out. Just be sure you have a steady blue LED on the HUB. I confirmed this worked last weekend. I am installing a new router and I wanted to make sure I could add the existing Wink hub to my new router without loosing devices and settings. Did it several times and no problems. Just follow the steps as I have listed them. This also works on the GE Link Hub. And now for my disclaimer. I CAN'T BE RESPONSIBLE IF THIS DOESN'T WORK FOR YOU. I also did the test using the most recent Wink App beta version but I see no reason why it wouldn't work on the current non beta release. The information I provided is in the Wink App. Select your WinK hub from the Home screen. On the next screen you will see a picture of the hub. Click on the settings (three dots ...). Select Wink Hub. On the Wink Hub Settings page scroll down WiFi Settings. Below the red block toward the bottom of the page you will see Advanced Options. Click and you will see what i have explained above. What they don't tell you is that you need to Add the hub to complete the process. DON'T USE THE CHANGE WI-FI RED BOX TO CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT WiFi ROUTER. YOU WILL LOOSE ALL DEVICES AND SETTING!!!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

If you're ever looking to trade I have two caseta dimmer switches I can trade for the v2 package...

I migrated my st hub to st v2 yesterday without issues. It was time consuming but all devices except an outlet transferred just fine. The outlet refuses to be excluded from the old hub.

What are your thoughts on the v2? How does it compare to Wink?

 

[Mike A.]

You can change the WiFi on the Wink Hub without loosing any settings or devices....

Wish that they'd told me all of that. As roundabout of a process as it may be, it's still better than having to recreate things. Not sure why they can't just let you simply enter your new wireless info like every other freaking network device in the world. And why would they'd put that under a button for "Advanced Options" which has no advanced options???

Anyway, let me make sure that I understand what you're saying... that's a long block of text.

You disconnect the current router and force the current hub to lose the connection. Add the current hub which now is in the mode searching for a connect as a new hub filling out the prompts for the new network SSID and PW. You end up with a single new hub (not two, the old and new) shown with all of the old settings maintained (the old hub disappears and becomes the new?). Then bring up the new router and let it connect as normal. Is that right?

I'd test it now to give you some additional confirmation but at this point I just don't have the patience to mess around with it anymore. I'd end up smashing it with a hammer if something didn't work. :biggrin:

 

[TechBuddy]

You disconnect the current router and force the current hub to lose the connection. Add the current hub which now is in the mode searching for a connect as a new hub filling out the prompts for the new network SSID and PW. You end up with a single new hub (not two, the old and new) shown with all of the old settings maintained (the old hub disappears and becomes the new?). Then bring up the new router and let it connect as normal. Is that right?

You will need to bring up the new router as soon as you see the LED on the Wink Hub flashing violet. Once the router is completely up you should start the add Hub sequence. I am sure that's what you understood but you had it as the last step and the router needs to be up to add he hub.

 

[Mike A.]

You will need to bring up the new router as soon as you see the LED on the Wink Hub flashing violet. Once the router is completely up you should start the add Hub sequence. I am sure that's what you understood but you had it as the last step and the router needs to be up to add he hub.

Right. The new/changed router needs to be up and ready when the "new" hub goes to look for it. Prior to that it goes into AP mode when it can't find a connection and you're accessing it that way. Once done, it then connects to whatever new SSID you've pointed it to.

I'm still not sure why simply changing networks requires deleting all of your setup. When I called them back the second time to give them grief after they gave me incomplete info as far as what specifically would be deleted (I was told that I might have to reset some of the Link bulbs), they said that the assumption is that you've either moved or there's a new owner in which case the old setup info doesn't apply. Which is one huge-ass assumption. lol And which makes no sense given that it's not even a complete reset anyway.

Anyway, thanks for the info. Please pass my bitching along to the beta guys. ; )

 

[lsd]

What are your thoughts on the v2? How does it compare to Wink?

I pulled the wink hub back in March so I don't think I can give the best comparison and it's also way too early with the v2.
So far with the v2 I'm not seeing any problems as far as the hardware is concerned with everything running quickly with minimal latency. But local control is NOT working on my end, afaik there is a light app that should be local but it is not loaded for me. Definitely not happy about them shipping the hub without some local processing apps loaded as I migrated to this hub for its security features.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I pulled the wink hub back in March so I don't think I can give the best comparison and it's also way too early with the v2.
So far with the v2 I'm not seeing any problems as far as the hardware is concerned with everything running quickly with minimal latency. But local control is NOT working on my end, afaik there is a light app that should be local but it is not loaded for me. Definitely not happy about them shipping the hub without some local processing apps loaded as I migrated to this hub for its security features.

Yeah, I am pretty disappointed in that to be honest. But, I think I'll give it a go and see what I think. One thing I like about their sensors is that it seems regardless of function, all of them have temp sensors built in. I think that's pretty awesome and reduces the need for many different sensors in a single room.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Tom's Hardware has a list called "Best Smart Home Tech of 2015" and Wink made the list as the Best Smart Home System. Ecobee won as the best smart thermostat, too.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-sm...=10152972496587000&adbpl=fb&adbpr=22359506999

 

[RodolfoDLV]

I think that wss probably before the April hub bricking. Not sure what they'll say now.

 

[MjnMixael]

That article was posted 2 days ago... They knew about the bricking when they posted it.

 

[Mike A.]

That article was posted 2 days ago... They knew about the bricking when they posted it.

That's kind of a poorly done article. Seems more intended to generate affiliate revenue than anything else. The actual review that they've pulled for that summary is from January:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/quirky-wink-hub,review-2607.html

They gave the Staple's hub the same 7/10:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/staples-connect-hub-powered-by-linksys,review-2833.html

Harmony got 8/10.
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/logitech-harmony-ultimate-home,review-2641.html

Doesn't look like they reviewed any other systems in 2015, so I guess Wink it is. ; )

 

[TechWise]

Are you guys seeing server issues today? I can't seem to connect and most functions are timing out.

As an aside..I bought one of the new Lutron smart bulb remotes and am eager to try it out.

 

[TechBuddy]

There were major issues with Amazon AWS this morning affecting Wink, Nest, Amazon Echo and My Q to name a few. Issues have been resolved and systems are coming back up. Wink reports they have recovered but my hub LED is cycling through solid blue to flashing yellow to solid yellow and back to blue. There is some lag when controlling devices. I am sure it will improve over the next few hours.

 

[MjnMixael]

Yeah... this one was on Amazon, though. Nothing Wink could have done.