Historically, I have used both SmarthThings and Control4 in previous homes. I love C4’s video and audio distribution functionality, but hate that I can’t maintain the system without the help of my dealer. I love ST’s flexibility and the ability to control a ton of smart devices on my own to create various scenes, routines, etc.
I am building a new house and am contemplating implementing a hybrid system that leverages the best of both worlds (C4 for video/audio and ST for lights, blinds, thermostats and everything else). Couple of questions:
Any issues or concerns using 2 separate systems like this?
Some of the connected devices can be controlled by either C4 or ST (thermostats, blinds, etc). Will I have to pick one or the other platform to control those devices or is it possible for ST and C4 to both control a device independent of each other? In other words, can change the temperature of my thermostat from either ST or C4, depending on which system I am accessing at the time?
You shouldn’t have any particular problems running both systems. You do want to keep the two hubs at least 3 m apart to avoid zigbee interference but otherwise it should be fine.
As far as your thermostat question, as with most things it comes back to the first rule of home automation: the model number matters.
Smartthings and control 4 use different zigbee profiles And each individual device will only be able to belong to one Zigbee network or the other. (This is why you will see manufacturers offer two versions of the same device: one using the control 4 zigbee profile and one using the generic home automation zigbee profile which is what smartthings uses.)
On the other hand, if it was a Wi-Fi device, it might very well be able to talk to both your SmartThings account and your Control 4 account. For example, the Phillips hue bridge can talk to both.
So you’re just going to have to look device by device to see what integration options are possible.