Update: OK I need put a prominent clarification here. Since writing this reply I have realised that the original post in this project does indeed wrap the Rules API running locally up as part of SmartThings Edge along with the Edge Device Drivers. However everywhere else Edge only seems to be used in the context of Edge Device Drivers.
Nothing needs setting up.
No. Edge is purely for integrating hub connected devices. It replaces the Groovy DTH.
While in beta ‘stock’ drivers can be installed in the same way as community developed ones. Eventually they will be installed transparently to the user as stock DTHs currently are.
See next …
Edge is purely for hub connected device integrations.
You are thinking more generally of the shutdown of the legacy platform which webCoRE runs on.
The Rules API should eventually be able to implement many of the webCoRE capabilities. Whether there will be a migration path isn’t clear. It was once suggested there would be a migration tool of sorts but plans may have changed. I see differences in the way webCoRE and Rules behave so I will be pleasantly surprised if there is one.
WebCoRE is an independently developed app that is still in beta and hasn’t seen significant development for years now. The webCoRE community don’t seem to have been proactive in preparing for the sunset of the legacy platform. Rather they seem to be relying on SmartThings to dig them out of a hole.
Any stock handlers running locally can continue as they are as they are part of the hub firmware. Whether they actually do is up to ST.
Presumably any other stock devices will be replaced by Edge drivers.
Devices with custom handlers will need replacing with Edge drivers.
I can’t answer that for you.
No because that is the latest hub.
Not really. The IDE was itself a development environment.
I’m not a developer, nor an advanced user. I’ve been seeing a lot of threads referring to development and eventual migration to SmartThings Edge, and have a question. As a user, once the migration to SmartThings Edge has happened, will there be any benefits, enhancements, or new features for me as a user?
All of your hub connected devices will be running locally which might show itself as sharper performance and may also be of benefit should your home internet connection fail occasionally.
If you wish to use community written device drivers, either because a device isn’t supported by stock drivers or a community drivers does something a bit different, you will able to do so as an end user using simple web pages to install drivers, rather than having to mess around with code as you do currently. The drivers will also update automatically.
Edge drivers can do an awful lot more on the LAN than Groovy DTHs. That could open things up for some interesting new integrations with LAN based devices.
Migrating to Edge drivers may mean more of the legacy platform can be switched off, or at least remove a major obstacle. Hopefully that will improve the stability of the platform.
Understood. But for me this might not be much of an Edge enhancement since all of my Hub Zigbee and Z-Wave connected devices are already running locally except for one, the thermostat. And with the exception of the thermostat, all of them are respond instantaneously. However, the BIG thing that’s really annoying are time involved Routines (Automations not Smart Lighting) do not run local. Hopefully time involved Routines for local devices will run local in the Edge world?
This sounds interesting. So in the Edge world, I will see a list of available drivers in the app, so that I can select which driver I want to use?
That sounds cool.
Stability??? I guess time will tell.
So will the Edge world have the ability to backup/restore SmartThings Hub configurations?
Also, will the Edge world allow moving my Hub connected devices to another Hub (aka migrating, upgrading, disaster recovery from a failed Hub) perhaps?
Since Webcore now also runs on Hubitat, I believe some of their most active developers are now using that platform. So not relying on ST at all. Beyond that, you’re right: they aren’t collectively going to provide an alternative hosting solution, so I don’t see a lot being done. For those who want more details, there’s a discussion in their forum, which I know you already participated in.
Also the original primary author was hired by SmartThings a couple of years ago to work on the Rules API and other official features, which probably explains the timeline break in rapid Webcore development.
