I like the Nest because it never failed me (yeah, I am aware of the incident last year with Nest but I was not impacted). Also, the user interface is very nice. Smartthings is great but it is not reliable enough for me to trust it to fully control my thermostat.At this time thermostat control with Smartthing is a “nice to have” that I don’t rely on. I can set temperature and home/away through the Smartthings integration as well as read temperature and humidity.
Other devices to get: Lots of in-wall light switches to replace your existing ones. I recommend the GE z-wave switches but there are many other nice that work well, too based on your preference.
Cool first project suggestions with the starter kit:
- The multipurpose sensor has acceleration capabilities built in. If you put it on the front door you can get a notification on your phone or turn the outlet on if someone knocks on the door (search forum for “door knocker”). You can also set up an alert if someone left the door open for X number of minutes (“notify me when” app)
Based on what you want the Sonos for, you may want to read this before buying. If you are only looking for text notifications, this is a much cheaper alternative…