New to HA Looking For Opinions

Devices & Integrations
4

I’ve had my ST setup since late September and I’ve followed pretty much the same path as @darincraven. I planned my implementation in waves:

Wave 1
Hub
Presence (phones and arrival sensor)
Some Lightbulbs

Wave 2
Multipurpose Sensors (on all access doors)
Motions Sensors (in all common rooms)
More Lightbulbs
Smoke and CO Detectors

Wave 3
Outlets
Water Sensors
More Lightbulbs

I’m about to start wave 4, which is a smart thermostat, a couple of garage door openers, and some Aeotec bits and pieces. Wave 5 will involve locks and window sensors and will coincide with me replacing the doors and windows in the house.

The wiring in my house means it’s easier to use bulbs that switches. I use the SmartLighting aspect of ST, but I’m also looking into the excellent Rule Machine. My general goal is to have most of the aspects of my house automated, with minimal need to interact with the lights or environmental controls.

For what you’re asking for:

  1. I’d recommend the GD00Z-4 garage door opener
  2. I’m still researching this, and spend time on the forums to find the best answer
  3. I’ve picked the ecobee3 because I like the remote sensors, the interface, and the fact that it doesn’t smear location information over the internet (okay okay, Nest isn’t that bad)
  4. I’m sure @JDRoberts could share his use cases with you for this
  5. You can get bulbs rated for outside, or switches - depends on the wiring in your house
  6. I’m treating all cameras separately from ST at the moment

As for other things, I’d recommend installing and playing with a few additional things:

I’ve also been playing with HomeRemote, which looks promising.