Continuing the discussion from Reliability issues with SmartThings:
No big decisions yet. I already have a separate controller for my security system. Some people want everything all in one UI, but it’s never bothered me to have different controllers for different systems.
LIGHTS ON ECHO
I’ve moved all the ZLL lights over to the Amazon Echo (1 echo, 7 rooms) and it works great for my purposes. Scheduling through the Philips bridge. Simple but practical. Gives me pathway lights I can turn out after I’m in bed, lights I can turn on in the rooms that aren’t easily accessible to me, and with one sign taped on the wall, usable by everyone who comes through the house. So that part’s working well. 
LOCK ON ST FOR NOW
For the lock, I need remote control of the lock from my watch, motion sensor control from inside the house, auto relock with a two minute delay, and handsfree auto unlock under 100 feet. I’m willing to replace the zwave lock I have, but I don’t want to replace it twice.
So far, the only lock that gives me all the features I want happens to be zwave plus ST. The missing piece with most controllers is the sensor control. But I’m expecting some locks that fit the bill to be released over the next few months. But they’re not here yet.
Staples might give me the sensor piece, I haven’t checked, but they don’t have any geofencing so I can’t get the auto unlock I want. And no watch options.
Most people don’t need the sensor control and some systems consider that a security flaw, so I’m not spending a lot of time looking for that yet. That’s the piece I’m leaving on ST for now. SmartThings has a lot of lock control options, including having locks in the IFTTT channel. So for me, that’s a good thing, since it lets me set up handsfree control.
(Harmony, for example, is more typical of a security concious paradigm–their indirect options will let me lock the door, but not unlock it.)
It’s possible I’ll go a completely different way and get an automatic door opener like a lot of people who use wheelchairs have. You install a button remote on the chair in a form the person can use. These work very well, but cost about $2500 installed so I’ve been hoping to find a cheaper HA alternative.
If I do that, it means my door lock itself is separate from any other system, although I can still have sensors for notification. That may be OK for me, I didn’t have my lock in any scenes when I had everything on ST. Since the model I have is self locking, the door is always locked except when someone’s actually coming through it. We aren’t unlocked in some modes and locked in others. Again, everyone’s use case is different.
Well, I’ll get this all figured out eventually. Someday.
it was too much $$ for what i can already do with smartthings and SmartTiles