Product Changes for 2017

CastleOS is designed specifically for Windows. It even uses Kinect for voice control.

This just reminded me to check mine. All were leaking, figures.

2 Likes

BTW, ST, regarding backup.

If you could offer a customer service-coordinated process you could provide “backup” w/out actually having to back anything up.

Scenario:

  1. Loser like me buys ST and adds 1,000 devices and 88 Smartapps, and custom configures the sh_t out of it.
  2. Loser like me accidentally drops a quart of hydrochloric acid on hub. Sue me, I was Spring cleaning!
  3. Loser purchases new hub.
  4. Loser gets on phone w/ST support, and is escalated to Level 2 support, and is taken through a process that allows ST to link the new hub to the customer’s existing account. Requires various proofs of ownership, blood samples, and offering up of first born male child.Maybe ST owners are required to go through a pre-disaster enrollment of some sort (providing info to ensure proper ID) to facilitate this process.

Loser —>> WINNER! New hub, all ST devices, apps, customizations retained!

No, don’t shower me with money, your applause is sufficient.

5 Likes

I suppose while bandaids are being ripped off, does that mean that @slagle can confirm the @alex weekly updates are not coming back?

4 Likes

Whatevs’… Your product has been buggy since day one for me. Thank you for making the decision to move on easier.

Oh, and everyone please check your ST provided batteries.

I didn’t see the recall notice for this well known issue either, but decided to check since it was mentioned in this thread.

1 Like

Holy batteries batman! I didn’t know about the batteries! I just checked mine… I would have been very angry if more time had passed and ruined my hub. Especially with no way to back up and restore.

Glad I was reading this thread. I had no idea batteries were leaking. Phew… I would suggest anyone who has stock batteries check.

2 Likes

Is the current recommendation to just remove the batteries and run without them?

Good question… I just replaced mine with good Duracells. If I find out its better to run without them Ill pull em out.

I understand Windows phone but You know there are a few windows tablets out there right?

3 Likes

ST is flawed in their thinking here… this low percentage is because you don’t have UWP app my friend. It’s the chicken and the egg game and ST chose poorly in not jumping to a UWP app years ago. It isn’t about the Windows Phone but about Windows10 UWP. ST is showing their ignorance with some of the statements above.

But that being said I think the best solution for all platforms is one that was mentioned earlier and that is to make the ST user interface agnostic via html 5 browser. SmartTiles gives you a sense that a robust web client would be widely accepted.

I also think a backup/restore tool is desperately needed because if my system were to fail I don’t know why I would not just go reconfigure with a HomeSeer system.

2 Likes

From the reports in the Facebook group, brand doesn’t matter. Most of them came with Rayovac, but some people have replaced them with other brands and had those leak, too. I’ve left mine out.

I’m not sure this is a valid scenario, but if there are a decent amount of SmartThings users that aren’t on the Facebook group or this forum, there could be a lot of hubs that will be ruined without a way to backup and restore to a new one. Which means those users go to a new platform.

There is a recall notice? I know people with batteries issue on this forum but I don’t think there is a recall notice.

There is no recall and highly doubt there ever will be.

My batteries were also leaking!

I’m not on facebook, I had no idea until I saw this thread and then searched the forum. Mine were badly leaking too. Smartthings really should have made an announcement here or contacted users by email of this potential problem.

1 Like

Checked mine and they leaked too. Thanks for the heads up. Same brand of batteries

1 Like

Same issue!!! Batteries were leaking!.

I am so glad you and others commented on this. This is crazy!

I had to clean my cover too, due to the leaking/corrosion on the cover of the compartment. Its drying off right now. I have 2 over powered battery backups running my media center, so I may just leave these out. High risk…

1 Like

What in the world is causing all of these leaking batteries. Are the batteries which were included bad, or is it the hub itself? How can a device cause its batteries to leak?

1 Like

As someone who uses a Lumia 950XL as my main phone, and used a Surface Pro 2 for years (only now replacing it with a no-name Chinese tablet also running Windows 10), I have to laugh when people say things like this. Just because computers are now on W10 doesn’t mean the majority of people are using the Store. And even developers who do have UWP apps are frequently deciding that it’s not worth the time to release for phone, let alone someone who would have to start from scratch.

But even if the Windows Store was heavily used by people, how many people want to control home automation from their desktop? Or on their Xbox? Or from VR? Sure, there’s Cortana, but you know a lot more people are using Amazon Echo / Alexa.

Even though SmartThings is owned by Samsung, it always has sounded like they’re still a pretty small team with relatively constrained resources… maybe a bit larger than before the purchase, but I doubt Samsung gave them a blank check. With that being the case, there are far more efficient ways to achieve some of their goals, and there are more important things to be focusing on. Or have you forgotten how much we all were desperately begging them to spend more time focusing on stability instead of reach only a year ago?

(That being said while I understand the decisions, like I said before… I still wish the WP app would keep me logged in instead of having to re-sign in every time :smiley: ).

2 Likes