Is SmartThings a good platform to move to? (With specific questions about the ADT model)

[JDRoberts]

@dguisinger01

I know most of the devices which are compatible vs not compatible, but it changes if I were to pick the ADT hub and use ADTs service because a lot of them are sensors.

For example, can i use a non-ADT water sensor to trigger a z-wave water valve if I’m not paying ADT to monitor water leaks and fires? Or will ADT force me to use all their stuff if it overlaps with one of their services?

When using the ADT/smart things hub, The dual logo ADT/SmartThings Sensors can trigger A call to the monitoring center or be used in any of the other home automation rules. So you could definitely have one of those sensors trigger the valve control. Or any other smartthings – compatible sensor could trigger the valve. That counts as a home automation rule. It is only calls to the monitoring center. Which are handled differently.

You can also use a non-dual logo sensor in home automation rules. The only thing it cannot do is trigger a call to the ADT monitoring center.

See the FAQ (this is a clickable link)

FAQ: Will my zigbee/zwave sensors work with the new ADT/SmartThings security hub? Can I use the new dual logo sensors with the original SmartThings hub?

This question turns out to be more complicated then you would think. The new ADT/SmartThings security panel has two separate control silos, one for triggering calls to the ADT monitoring center and one for home automation rules. Only the new devices which have both the ADT logo and the SmartThings logo on the box can be used with the new ADT/SmartThings security panel to trigger alerts to the ADT monitoring center. And those are the only devices that can trigger those alerts. Those devices are not using zwave. They are not using zigbee. They use their own proprietary protocol. However, if you just want to set up home automation rules like turn the entryway light on if the contact sensor on the front door opens after sunset, then the new sensors will show up on your list of sensors when …

Ok, so you are saying the WiFi mesh which has the built in Z-Wave and Zigbee support won’t repeat signals if you have a non-WiFi Mesh Hub on the system running things?

No, I’m saying that you cannot add the non-Wi-Fi mesh hub to the same “location“ on your account. They cannot control the same devices. You can own both the Wi-Fi mesh hub and one of the standalone hubs, but each will have its own set of devices and they will not do any repeating for the devices that belong to the other hub. It’s basically just two separate networks.

Hmm, that was one of my biggest complaints with Iris is I was constantly having devices drop offline due to range issues or things like duct-work in the line-of-site.

Then you need to have more repeaters and work on the network backbone. That would be true regardless of the hub that you were using. The Wi-Fi mesh hub does not change anything about the range of your Z wave and ZIgbee devices.

See post 11 in the following thread, then go up to the top and read the whole thread.

A Guide to Wireless Range & Repeaters

One more thought. While I understand the marketing reasons for the decision, the fact that SmartThings gives customers zero guidance on how to set up a network backbone does lead to a lot of frustration that shouldn’t have to exist. if people knew that .1) The hub should be located centrally in the home, both vertically and horizontally. Don’t put it in a garage or basement as those have concrete and pipes and metal objects which will reduce signal. If your Internet router is off in some inaccessible corner, you can use a Wi-Fi access point that has a ethernet port on the side and plug into that. Also, the hub should not be put in a cabinet. You just want to make it as easy as possible for signal to spread around your house. .2) you need one device that can repeat about every 40 feet…