Wink API vs. SmartThings

Call be crazy but this device has wifi and physical switches. It appears to be an android device. Could you not root it and install the Smartthings app? Would take a little work but I cannot imagine it being that difficult. If I owned my apartment instead of renting it, I would do this in a second. It couldn’t act as a hub but could be an android device in your wall with wifi and two physical switches.

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“rooting” depends on finding an exploit… some way to hack it. These devices have over-the-air update ability, but must require signed secure files. The boot loader may never be made accessible.

Motorola Photon was an example phone for which a full boot ROM (kernel overwrite) exploit has not been found, but root still possible. So manufacturers can lock down such hardware.

It had ADB access it sounds like, which would allow you to sideload the smartthings apk or a web browser apk without needing to root it. I’ve been tempted to pick one up and see if it has the older firmware with ADB still enabled, only concerns are if it will auto-update on me and even if I can get things sideloaded will I be able to launch the app? Very interesting product, I really like the form factor, mostly because I doubt I could mount my old Note 2 to look as nice as the relay.

Theoretically, you could use this product as the shell, use the screen, and buttons, and install a separate android device behind the shell. Tempted to find a broken one and try that myself.

The Relay, like just about everything else from Wink, turned out to be a much better idea than actual product. The Relay attaches to the mounting plate on the wall with a plastic clip-on mechanism. The clips lasted about a month of very light usage (one on/off cycle most days) before they stretched to where the Relay no longer reliably made contact. My Relay replaced physical light switches in a wall box so when the Relay lost contact, we lost the ability to turn on power to these lights. It’s now a few weeks later and the clips are so loose that the thing fell off the wall last night with no one in the room, leaving the 110v AC contacts exposed.

Even if you replace Wink’s tablet, you’ll still have a small 4.5" display in portrait mode, hanging by the flakey clips.

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I realize this is super-old, but I had a handy voltmeter. The contacts are this in order: left to right 1 2 3 4. 1 is 5v dc. 2 expects you to give it 5v from the relay to enable the top light load. 4 is the bottom light load, and 3 is a ground. Not dangerous at all.