Perplexing - Really like Smart Things system, but the problems! Your perspective on Smart Things please?

General Discussion
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Knock on wood, say three prayers, throw salt over your shoulder and that’s how you keep your system going, there is no certainty that your system will work again tomorrow :wink:

SmatThings runs on superstitions because at any time you can be served a curved ball that knocks down your system.

My set up has been solid for the past few weeks, BUT after stripping it down to avoid known bugs, time outs, external APIs, etc. This should not happen. If you add ANY of the devices listed on the ‘connect new device’ list your expectation is that will work, unless you are forewarned at the time of inclusion with big red bold letters:

***this device is known to create instability of your system **** proceed with caution ****

Unfortunately I didn’t see that note when I added Wemo Switches, Sonos speakers, Harmony hubs, LIFX bulbs and other devices that may destabilize your system.

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I love the helpful and friendly attitude among the ST community members, the willingness to share and help and solve. And the encounters I’ve had with ST tech support have been snappy and responsive and professional. I think they’re good people with good intentions.

All that said, a product that’s been on the market this long that still has such significant problems is unacceptable and doesn’t bode well at all for the future of the platform IMHO. The slow pace was understandable before the Samsung buyout, but I’d assumed that buyout would result in vastly increased resources devoted to fixing the product. Apparently that’s not the case.

Samsung is doing a lot of talk about their IoT expansion in 2016, while ST remains buggy and awkward and IMHO just not worth the effort when other solutions can be put together that work perfectly and blow ST’s functionality out of the water. I’m wondering if Samsung is committed to keeping the platform alive at all, or if they’re gonna move in a different direction.

The only things I have remaining on ST are one door lock and one electrical switch. They’re only still there because I haven’t taken the time to figure out how to unpair them from ST so I can add them to my main HA ecosystem.

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@SBDOBRESCU @jnschemm I figured someone would take offense to that statement. You are right, there are a lot of smart and talented people in this community (which I stated is one of the things I really like about SmartThings), but there are a lot of people in the community that aren’t as technically capable. I’m sure most of the complaints are legit, but they just don’t line up with my experience. Maybe I’m in a different data center, or a different cluster or even a different blade in the same datacenter. I don’t know, I just rarely have problems.

Also, I am not new to SmartThings, but have been a customer for almost 2 years. I’ve been with it through several ups and downs. I also have a lot of experience with other HA products. Generally people feel inclined to post their negative experiences in public forums like this, and I merely wanted to state that mine has been somewhat different. I have a lot of scheduled events, and they rarely get missed.

On the other hand I don’t think the platforms performance as a whole has been acceptable. And like I said, it feels like it is getting better, but it is not quite there. If you choose inter operable, quality devices, you aren’t married to the platform. It isn’t a one way road and almost your entire investment can be moved over to another platform if you plan things right.

As for trusting SmartThings as a security system, I would not. There is not a home automation system on the market that I would trust with my home security. I have been extremely spoiled by a dedicated security system that has a 100% reliability.

I am merely saying that my experience is different. So many people complain (it is just human nature), I felt that a differing opinion could add to the conversation. There are a lot of improvements that need to be made, but the openness and the community are what keep me sticking around.

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Gawd help us all. We’re doomed … Might as well party like it’s 2012 (end of the world)…

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Do tell. I’m listening. :neutral_face:

Edit: Adding nifty meme for effect.

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There have been a few posts by those that are lucky enough to not have had major issues, producing theories as to what they are doing right and possibly what others are doing “wrong”…

But the reality is there are dynamics/variables not only out of our control as end users, but they are also completely unknown to us. These theories have never added up to much as far as I can tell.

And yes. There are several on here that write code, better code that ST writes for sure, as well as extremely competent and knowledgeable end users that know their LANs well, use only ST certified devices, etc and yet they still have issues - so NO… the complaining is NOT a result of failures due to incompetence or insanely borderline configurations.

ST is broke in many ways. Your experience can only be described as luck.

In your post you state, and I quoted it, that you don’t use it as security device. That’s great, and it certainly explains why you haven’t had the bad experiences with Smart Home Monitor, but this is a CORE product for ST and it is broke. You may not trust it and therefore don’t use it, and while I don’t trust it - it is part of my security strategy and I do use it as I am hopeful it will one day work properly. ST apparently does to as they are asking for 19.95 a month to monitor it.

At times, I think folks can be dismissive of using ST as a security device and the thinking might be 'Well no, sh*t, use a REAL security system!" - but this is SOLD and marketed as exactly that. So we need to push ST to fix it, not to dismiss those that use the product for what it was DESIGNED to do.

Now, that being said, I currently have security in layers. And it is unlikely that will ever change, just evolve, depending on what I can get out of each system and therefore how much i can rely upon it. .

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Hi, newbie here and this feels like a good thread to get my feet wet.

I went with ST for the relatively open nature of the platform (I’m a geek, I want to code!) I’m in the UK, and the fact that it’s now being sold by Currys/PC World suggests a big push to the general consumer. I’m hoping that doesn’t lead to the platform being closed and dumbed down.

So far it’s been pretty reliable for me with a couple of switches and bulbs (I had a couple of wemo ones but didn’t like their app, and was happy they work with ST). The only thing I’ve had trouble with is presence sometimes failing to register when I’ve gone out.

Generally, then, my initial impressions are positive and what has also impressed me is the enthusiasm and helpfulness of the community. Early days, though, I’m sure I’ll be banging my head against the wall with the rest of you at some point!

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Have you read the Samsung announcement for their 2016 smart tvs?

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ST isn’t my first trip down the home automation rabbit hole, but its by far the best I’ve used. I have Staples connect, Lowes iris, a zstick that I used almost a dozen different home automation suites with.

While its not perfect, nothing is. I use it lock my doors, monitor my house…we are rarely outside of the house since we have 3 small kids. But its great for turning off lights two floors down. Knowing when someone is at the door without waking the kids via a doorbell or knock. Securing the house at night - yes, its part of my security and has been very reliable. Only 2 false alarms and several “oops” alarms.

I think the core of the problem is their business model. They likely don’t have the resources (devs) they need. They make money solely off of hubs and devices…devices I’ve never gotten from ST, since so many third party devices work. So what have they gotten from me? $50 net on a hub that they then need to support for who knows how long, and pay bandwidth for since its in the cloud.

From a business perspective, that’s not one I would bet on. I think that’s why you’re seeing paid monitoring service. They need something to increase profitability and scale up. They’re stale. V2 hub was a way to generate more business, even though it was part of the same failing model. You can’t rely on hardware alone. Its why iris charges a monthly fee. How much would it be worth to you to increase stability? $2 a month? $5? I would pay a couple bucks…maybe $50 a year for updates and stability improvements.

In the grand scheme, ST is CHEAP compared to other products. Cost of entry is $99. Devices, as many have said, can be used with most other systems. My locks, schlage sensors, motion sensors, hue lights, energy sensor, light switches, etc etc etc all came from amazon or Lowes or home deport and even staples. My hub came from amazon. My v2 hub was the package with 2 sensors! Where’s the money in this whole thing? $99 for the hub, no matter how basic it is probably nets less than $50/unit.

Its a bit of a hobbie for me. I enjoy it, and my family finds it useful. It provides some piece of mind and it (ST specifically) is very inexpensive. If you try it and don’t like it, don’t find it useful or find it too buggy then you’re only out $99. If that’s a lot to you, then stay away from HA as a whole until you can afford it. The hub is nothing compared to the cost of everything else.

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The catch is that it doesn’t appear to work reliably. That’s a big problem for a security system.

It all depends on what you have now. Nothing? Then something that works right 99% of the time, or even 95% of the time, is still a big improvement. I am glad to have a system that can monitor my home for intruders and leaks, even if it isn’t up to the highest standards.

However I would not suggest connecting anything that could degrade the security of your home to this, such as door locks or a garage door opener. Nor, if you like your neighbors and value your sleep, a siren.

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Exactly.

SmartThings isn’t selling $400+ cell phones…

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As I’ve said From the time the purchase was first made, I don’t think Samsung bought SmartThings for anything that SmartThings actually sells. Hub or services or sensors.

My belief is that they bought it for the name and for the good press that it had. It kept the Samsung name at the top of every IOT story for 2015, which in itself is probably worth the purchase price.

They trademarked the name, and will be using it with both the cloud data service that they already had in development before they ever bought SmartThings and their appliance lines, including televisions.

That’s enough in itself. They don’t have to make money off of SmartThings products.

You can’t look at it as a business model based on just the little company as it existed before the Samsung purchase. Nobody was making money on hubs then, and nobody’s making money on hubs now. But Samsung doesn’t need the hub to make a profit. They just need owning the SmartThings name to be of value. And I think it clearly is.

The tech press and the financial press all see Samsung as a big IOT player because of “SmartThings.” That’s enough for now.

of course none of that says anything about the future of the hub itself, or the networks that have been built around it in individual customers’ homes. For that, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. :wink:

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Yup and will continue in 2016 with ‘every TV is HA ready’ same as Netflix enabled Smart TV. How many are using the TV app and how many are using 3rd party players?

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I decided to go with Indigo. It’s Mac-only, but I suspect there’s something comparable for Windows.

It’s infinitely customizable, works with all the major protocols (simultaneously), tons of plugins available, and also has a great community around it. Here’s one of my control pages, which are all just HTML that can run in any browser.

indigo-control-page.png1550×1072 467 KB

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I like indigo, but unless something’s changed, there’s no Zigbee integration, right?

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I’ll gladly rip all three of my Zigbee devices out and drop them in the pond across the street in exchange for a stable platform.

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Indigo is rock solid.

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I’m firing up the evaluation version now. Thanks guys.

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I haven’t done it, but others are using Python scripts to connect Indigo to Wink hubs for Zigbee.

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Wow. Wow. WOW.

Indigo. Thank you so much for posting that link. I was unaware of the product! And from 30-ish minutes of reading, I’m pretty much in love.

Years ago I used XTsion from shed.com, and Indigo reminds me of that a lot, but it’s even better.
I might even still have a box full of old X10 stuff that I could put in less demanding roles.

Local server, runs (only) on a Mac, rock solid, lots of plugins including HomeKit allowing Siri, Apple Watch integration.

Oh and holeeeee carp–Applescript support!!! Can you tell I’m a Mac guy? Applescript allows so much power talking to other macs, other apps.

Let me tell you, if I had seen this on the first day of my holiday vacation, I would probably be done testing it and about to pull the trigger in the full blown product.

Luckily I don’t have much Zigbee stuff, just a couple of bulbs and the ST motion sensor. Those might soon be for sale, along with my V1 hub, in the Devices/deals topic here.

Could you please describe any issues you had transitioning?