As far as security goes, there are lots of purpose-built low-end systems which should be more reliable, but they all have many fewer features and device choices than smartthings. But I think many of the people in this Forum, including myself, do use a different security system than the original SmartThings. The new ADT/SmartThings security panel does offer some significant security improvements over the SmartThings standard hub, so it’s also worth considering just as a low cost security option.
As far as home automation, you will find a number of existing discussion threads on alternatives or add on systems.
There are a lot of choices out there, and different things work for different people. There’s no one best answer. The trick is to be honest with yourself about what your own highest priorities are (reliability, low price, support for complex rule sets, wide choice of devices, no monthly fee, whatever).
You can find a system that will match your top priority, but you can’t find a system that matches everything, so you need to know for yourself what matters most to your household. And what you are willing to give up to get that highest priority. People who want to write their own code will be looking for a very different system than someone who wants something they can “set and forget.”
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Even with the unreliability, SmartThings is the platform of choice for many people because of the power and versatility it provides at one of the lowest costs on the market. That’s a valid reason to choose it if that kind of versatility is your top priority. You can make SmartThings do almost anything. It’s just that at present you can’t count on it to to do it every day. Whether that works for you or not, and what specific use cases it works for, is something only you can say.
