The Wink home automation thread

[dennisj00]

I have a question. . . my brother-in-law, a new Wink user, had his ATT gateway changed today. He did have the foresight to have the installer duplicate the SSID and key. But he had to re-enter on everything, iPhone, iPad, printer and Wink.

(I've replaced probably a dozen routers with the same SSID / key and not had to refresh clients. But never dealt with an ATT gateway).

He called for guidance on Wink and while I had him go through the app to update the SSID / key, how did it work?

It was flashing purple / yellow before re-entering so not online. How did updating the credentials on the app get to the Hub? Or was it just the fact that the credentials were the same?

He had rebooted the hub before calling and it didn't connect.

 

[GSter]

I must respectfully disagree with the Post by Termie in which he or she questions the utility of the Wink hub other than light toggling. I have used the Wink hub with great success to control/monitor window and door sensors, locks,motion sensors, sirens, garage door openers, Nest Thermostat, Nest CO and Fire monitoring,Nest cameras, and various appliance device power toggling. Utilizing the smart robots allow for great security control and monitoring of windows,doors, and motion and sound sensoring. Shortcuts like I am working from home today used in conjunction with robots to disable the notifications with normally being at home are very handy. I have set these up for mass enabling and disabling of notification and device enabling (lights,sirens etc) for scheduled and unscheduled times away from home as we depart. I think it can be configured to be the hub of an excellent security solution.

I have found the Wink hub to be a great integrator of most of my home automation.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I must respectfully disagree with the Post by Termie in which he or she questions the utility of the Wink hub other than light toggling. I have used the Wink hub with great success to control/monitor window and door sensors, locks,motion sensors, sirens, garage door openers, Nest Thermostat, Nest CO and Fire monitoring,Nest cameras, and various appliance device power toggling. Utilizing the smart robots allow for great security control and monitoring of windows,doors, and motion and sound sensoring. Shortcuts like I am working from home today used in conjunction with robots to disable the notifications with normally being at home are very handy. I have set these up for mass enabling and disabling of notification and device enabling (lights,sirens etc) for scheduled and unscheduled times away from home as we depart. I think it can be configured to be the hub of an excellent security solution.

I have found the Wink hub to be a great integrator of most of my home automation.

A few points, and I'm sure I'll go off on some tangents:

1. None of the consumer-level hubs offer enough reliability to be an iron-clad security solution. If you're really interested in a security system, I'd look elsewhere. If you're not that concerned and are only interested in something that will do an "OK" job, consumer-level HA hubs might be somewhat acceptable.

2. The problem with Wink is the lack of device support. SmartThings kills Wink badly in this area and it isn't even close. Wink has pretty much said they'll only support devices from "partners," which pretty much means you're not going to have widespread device availability with Wink. Instead, you'll get support for devices few, if any, want or need (see: the Andersen sensors in the last update).

3. Wink has been silent far too long about their future plans and frankly, as I've posted before, I take anything their spokeswoman says with a huge boulder of salt. It took them a year to support another temperature sensor after they killed Spotter. That's completely unacceptable. Their lack of a roadmap or communication with the community is doing them a lot of harm but they're unwilling/unable to address it.

4. SmartThings has its own issues too, but at least there is a solid developer community behind it which releases new device support at an incredible pace. It is for this reason that I will always recommend SmartThings over Wink.

 

[RodolfoDLV]

I must respectfully disagree with the Post by Termie in which he or she questions the utility of the Wink hub other than light toggling. I have used the Wink hub with great success to control/monitor window and door sensors, locks,motion sensors, sirens, garage door openers, Nest Thermostat, Nest CO and Fire monitoring,Nest cameras, and various appliance device power toggling. Utilizing the smart robots allow for great security control and monitoring of windows,doors, and motion and sound sensoring. Shortcuts like I am working from home today used in conjunction with robots to disable the notifications with normally being at home are very handy. I have set these up for mass enabling and disabling of notification and device enabling (lights,sirens etc) for scheduled and unscheduled times away from home as we depart. I think it can be configured to be the hub of an excellent security solution.

I have found the Wink hub to be a great integrator of most of my home automation.

I'm glad it has worked for you. It has worked for many people as well, you just usually don't tend to hear from the people that are happy, because they don't hang around in forums. And it is good that some people here (and the Facebook's group as well), post good things about the hub. It can't all be good or bad.

That being said, I do agree with Indy, that non of the "cheap" consumer-grade hubs out there are reliable enough. None. End of discussion. If you really want a good HA solution with integrated security, you'll most likely have to go to the higher end HA systems that rich people have used for a long time. Control4, Crestron, etc. You just need to have enough money to pay for it. Works reliable, 24/7 customer support, they install it for you and they tinker with it. You just have to sit back, relax and enjoy.

 

[Kaido]

Relocated & upgraded. Current setup:

1. Wink Hub
2. Lots of Lutron Caseta lights with Pico remotes & Pico wallplates
3. Schlage Century deadbolt
4. Chamberlain MyQ garage door opener (yay garage!)
5. Philips LED bulbs & Cree LED can lights
6. Bluetooth bathroom fan with nightlight
7. Honeywell thermostat
8. 4K Roku TV (kitchen)
9. 100% wireless setup

imo Wink is still the best for a hassle-free consumer DIY smarthome system. Replaced all of the 2-way, 3-way, and 4-way switches with Casetas. They updated the design with a little nub sticking out on the dim-up triangle switch, which is nice because my can lights are pretty dang bright, so I can turn them on lower from complete darkness. imo, they should have included the round favorite button in the center of the Caseta switches, like they did with the Pico remotes. Pico wallplates are genius - I have a Caseta switch at my bedroom entry door, then stuck Pico wallplates on either side of the bed for quick access when going to bed or waking up. I do have one Caseta plug-in dimmer for the living room, which has zero built-in lights, so I daisy-chained four floor lamps together with extension strips & added a Pico wallplate to the room entry for a zero-wiring-required wall switch, very nice!

Went 100% LED as well. Philips is making even better & smaller (and cheaper! some were as low as five bucks!) LED bulbs now, up to 100 watts, which are just awesome. Tons of light & dimmable! The Cree can lights are amazing (not a fan of their regular bulb designs, don't like how the light looks, but the cans are great!), 60 watts (only use 9 watts a pop!), nice warm color, frosted, and include mounting hardware for like ten bucks. They fit into retrofit ceiling can light housings (~$15/ea), so about $25 per light installed, plus Romex etc.

The bathroom fan is kind of novel. White LED light, blue LED nightlight, pair of small speakers, and 90 CFM fan. Has an in-wall plate & a remote control (remote is waterproof & has a suction cup, nice!). Wanted something to listen to podcasts in the bathroom & shower without having to remember to charge one of those little portable BT speakers. $159 at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Net...-Bath-Fan-with-LED-Light-7130-02-BT/205429483

I went 100% wireless this time around - zero Ethernet anywhere. Used a combination of a TP-Link AC3200 & RE450 wireless range extender. Works like a champ! Never had any range extenders (wired or wireless) that ever worked right, so this setup is really great. Mini review here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2463439

4K in the kitchen is kind of fun ($399 Insignia 4K TV with 4K Roku built-in, just plug in the power cable & voila!). Probably will add my Kangaroo PC into it at some point. Quick review here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=38135872&postcount=10

Future tech:

1. Ring Video Doorbell (the new slim 1080p model)
2. Kuna/Maximus porch light (video + LED)
3. Logi Circle cam (baby cam)

I would have liked to have gone with motorized shades, but the cost was outside of my budget. Aside from the last few bits above, I think I'm pretty much done. Nice to have iPhone access to everything!

 

[MjnMixael]

Yay Caseta! And I totally agree about the favorite button...

 

[jkchad]

No, I'm trying to he as simple as possible since the ceiling fan and light are controlled only by the pull cords. My thinking would be to wire it to wall switch that wink can control the on/off and leave it up in the ceiling or above the fan blades. I'll keep the fan in the lowest speed and light off, then use wink to kill the power at a certain time in the middle of the night.

This is what you're looking for, I think. This a relay module that connects inline of your power coming into the fan.

Enerwave ZWN-RSM1S Z-Wave Smart Single Relay Switch Module

Search that on amazon. I'm considering them on a few hardwired, no wall switch lights and ceiling fans in my house.

the module, itself, is tucked inside the electrical junction box. So you would have to remove the fan or light to gain access to the electrical junction box behind it. That's the only, semi, tricky part. If you're comfortable, or know someone who is, with messing with basic line voltage wiring; It's pretty straight forward.

 

[lupi]

Target clearancing out the honeywell thermostat. Been 'shopping' for one for a year and managed to get one of the last in my area at the $68 sell off.

 

[ihsaank]

hey guys, just getting into home automation with the wink hub.

has anyone gotten it to work with those bluetooth bulbs.

 

[RodolfoDLV]

hey guys, just getting into home automation with the wink hub.

has anyone gotten it to work with those bluetooth bulbs.

Not that I know of. So far the GE Bluetooth bulbs only work with their own app, I believe.

 

[byoung8]

I came across this "No Logo" but it looks really similar to Aeon Labs Aeotec Micro Smart Energy switch.

Has anyone attempted to connect this with Wink Hub?

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_...TPxlwfQxTr9dha7zwOC_5_pXdQ6QgWxo04aAmbo8P8HAQ

 

[RodolfoDLV]

I came across this "No Logo" but it looks really similar to Aeon Labs Aeotec Micro Smart Energy switch.

Has anyone attempted to connect this with Wink Hub?

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_...TPxlwfQxTr9dha7zwOC_5_pXdQ6QgWxo04aAmbo8P8HAQ

Can't really say. It's not in the Wiki, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Monoprice Z-wave stuff usually tend to pair with Wink. They are the same as the Linear/GoControl/2Gig. Please do let us know if you go for it.

 

[Gage_Hero]

Anyone use ecolink tilt zwave2 with wink?

 

[CAL7]

Anyone use ecolink tilt zwave2 with wink?

Tried, but I could never get it to pair with my Wink Hub; so put it into my SmartThings network.

 

[Artdeco]

Heads up Nest 2nd gen $159... http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/nest-home-thermostat-2nd-generation/

 

[MjnMixael]

I really like Nest products.. but I'll be damned if I buy anything else from them right now... not after what they did to Revolv and the stories around Nest's internal issues. I have more expectation that Nest will disappear before Wink, now... and probably take their cloud service with them.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I really like Nest products.. but I'll be damned if I buy anything else from them right now... not after what they did to Revolv and the stories around Nest's internal issues. I have more expectation that Nest will disappear before Wink, now... and probably take their cloud service with them.

I have a feeling Nest will be fully absorbed into Google and cease to exist as a semi-independent entity.

 

[RodolfoDLV]

Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I read all those Nest rumors and what I gathered was there was one rumor, one media source published it, and then all the other ones just copied and made a big fuss about it. Then the "anonymous" Nest engineer that all of a sudden recalled his post. Then the Revolv thing came up, which was something they had announced a while ago, and it just added fuel to the fire. Then the "leaked" conversation of Fadell at Google's TGIF.
Right now, Nest is one of the strongest competitors out there in the HA market, and competition might go a long way to stumble on their credibility.

 

[MjnMixael]

They have a strong brand,sure.. (for now), but their products are weirdly picky. Take Nest's Home/Away feature. In every single case (except Wink, somehow) you have to manually agree to change the state.

*Logitech Harmony can set your Nest to Home if you pick up the remote, but you have to hit YES on the remote.
*Automatic can set Nest to Home if you leave work, but you have to respond to a text message saying YES.
*IFTTT doesn't even have an Action to set Home/Away.

And then there's the Works With Nest stuff... which, ironically, only usually works. But when it fails you have no way to figure it out.

Don't think I even need to bring up Nest Protect Gen 1's issues of which I experienced myself.

I mean it's just odd the way they choose to do some things at the company.

 

[majunee]

Hello all,
I have an older home that the wall switch controls wall outlets and not the celing fan or ceiling light. Is there anything in the market to connect to the fan to then control it via wink? I'm having to go into my kids' rooms after they fall asleep to turn off the fan. I don't want to replace the fan, just looking to connect something to control it.

Thanks

I have a similar setup which is right now controlled by a linear zwave switch that turns off light and fan together. I was doing research and I think best option would be to install the Aeon Labs dual relay module in the fan so you can control the fan and lights individually. For local control I would add two zwave aux switches on the wall to control the fan and light separately. I'm not sure if there is any cheaper option besides running a new wire in the wall to your fan. This will cost around $40 for relay and then $20 for each switch. If anyone has better ideas please let me know too. Thanx

 

[GSter]

Some Reading Material For Those of you who laud Smart Things over Wink: There are many more, but I just chose 3

I have used Wink for over a year with only minor issues well supported by their support team.

https://community.smartthings.com/t/reliability-issues-with-smartthings/11840

https://community.smartthings.com/t/fed-up-platform-stability-issues/13260

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2016/01/smart-things-unreliable.html

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Some Reading Material For Those of you who laud Smart Things over Wink: There are many more, but I just chose 3

I have used Wink for over a year with only minor issues well supported by their support team.

https://community.smartthings.com/t/reliability-issues-with-smartthings/11840

https://community.smartthings.com/t/fed-up-platform-stability-issues/13260

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2016/01/smart-things-unreliable.html

Many of us who laud SmartThings over Wink actually have and use both platforms, so we speak from actual experience. Everyone is aware of the issues SmartThings is having now - none of this is news and yes, it is inexcusable. From my own experience as having used both extensively, I will tell you that I've used Wink almost 18 months now and have had many more issues with it than with SmartThings. In fairness, I have more rules and stuff like that running on Wink; however, even in terms of device connectivity, SmartThings has been more reliable for me though Wink hasn't been too bad. There is also a thread or two at the ST community asking for alternatives to ST and you'll notice that not many recommend Wink - there is a reason for that.

Wink's device support is a sad joke and their refusal to release a roadmap is all I need to know. I will *never* recommend Wink to anyone until I see a roadmap or better device support. As it stands now, I'll take ST almost every time, though I am keeping an eye on VeraPlus and may buy one to play with in a few months. I've said it before and I'll say it again - neither of these platforms (ST or Wink) are going to be left standing once the market matures - I think it will probably come down to Google, Apple, and possibly a solution from Amazon when all is said and done. Too bad Amazon didn't buy Wink instead of Flextronics or it may have had a future.

 

[bigverm24]

Some Reading Material For Those of you who laud Smart Things over Wink: There are many more, but I just chose 3

I have used Wink for over a year with only minor issues well supported by their support team.

https://community.smartthings.com/t/reliability-issues-with-smartthings/11840

https://community.smartthings.com/t/fed-up-platform-stability-issues/13260

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2016/01/smart-things-unreliable.html

dont waste your time arguing your point with any ST user, they are nearly a cult in my opinion, its very odd haha. Wink is a good DIY system and the good thing about every device they do offer is that it is supported. It's not some dev tinkering with some code in his spare time and when the code stops working you may or may not have a solution in place. The rule system on Wink isn't great..yet, but otherwise a good system with high quality devices, that are simple to connect and implement, and that work well on the system.

 

[bigverm24]

Some Reading Material For Those of you who laud Smart Things over Wink: There are many more, but I just chose 3

I have used Wink for over a year with only minor issues well supported by their support team.

https://community.smartthings.com/t/reliability-issues-with-smartthings/11840

https://community.smartthings.com/t/fed-up-platform-stability-issues/13260

http://blog.streamingmedia.com/2016/01/smart-things-unreliable.html

Also for those of you that like Wink but are looking for more powerful robot building, without having to go buy a ST or any other hub, I would highly recommend checking out the Wink Node Red setup, which can be found on Github (also a Facebook group). Been using this for quite some time now and am successfully running some of the most complicated robots (6+ variables) to include weather, time of day, presence, motion, etc. Awesome tool! https://github.com/tfatykhov/WinkRedNode

 

[IndyColtsFan]

dont waste your time arguing your point with any ST user, they are nearly a cult in my opinion, its very odd haha. Wink is a good DIY system and the good thing about every device they do offer is that it is supported. It's not some dev tinkering with some code in his spare time and when the code stops working you may or may not have a solution in place. The rule system on Wink isn't great..yet, but otherwise a good system with high quality devices, that are simple to connect and implement, and that work well on the system.

I could say the same about Wink users as well - I read Wink groups and am amazed at how people refuse to look at alternatives and continue to support an ecosystem which frankly sucks in terms of device availability (especially sensors). People (including me) have begged and pleaded with Wink to support more devices and to give a roadmap, but we get PR spin that never materializes into anything meaningful. I have an advantage over most because I own and use both and can impartially evaluate them. To me, after interacting with both sets of users extensively, ST users generally seem more technical and more aware of market offerings than Wink users.

The bolded in the quote above is also Wink's big problem - they don't support much compared to other platforms. For example, the Wink ecosystem went nearly a year without a temperature sensor between the time Spotter was killed and the Leaksmart water sensor was released and there have been TONS of complaints about the Leaksmart sensor. There are no multisensors available which Wink fully supports.