What % of the time does ST actually work?

It may just be my neophyte implementation here but I’ve noticed my ST setup doesn’t work 100% of the time. In fact, it probably only works about 75-80% of the time. Yesterday, I came home from a biz trip and my wife said, these lights are not turning themselves off. I said, I think you are mistaken, they should be. So i walked down the hall way and sure enough, the turned on (Iris Motion Sensor). But in fact, they didn’t turn off until I used the app maually. But this AM, they appear to be working just fine. Is this normal or should I be digging deeper here to figure out why?

It happens. Subscribe here for issues. They don’t post immediately when there is an issue, but it is worth checking before bothering to troubleshoot.

http://status.smartthings.com

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It’s also worth looking at the community for any other threads related.

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Ah, had no idea! I just realized something too. Sometimes, my wife forgets and just turns off a light manually. Then when i walk into a room and nothing happens, I notice the light switch is off. So i turn it on. It seems that in that situation, ST doesn’t “take over” until I manually cycle it off and on again with the app. Could that be the case too? I’m fishing here because I don’t know.

Sounds like you are using smart bulbs instead of switches. There are several threads discussing which is better. Tastes Great vs Less Filling.

Personally I prefer switches, but I still use a few bulbs. The most annoying part about bulbs for me is when there is a power outage and then they all are turned on when the power is restored. There are a few apps that help with that, but my grid gets switched fast so it’s always too quick to register with the app, just the bulbs.

experiment with a switch and decide for yourself which works better for you.

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As @greg stated, are you using smart bulbs with regular switches? If so, not only will you have experiences like you’re having, but you could also be introducing other device performance issues. Depending upon the bulb, it could also be considered routing capable (like the GE’s for example), and when you power those off, other devices stop responding as well (you’ll see them go offline in the IDE and the mobile app).

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Yes, I have not used any smart switches yet. but thinking of that now. Do you have a good recommendation? Thanks.

Also, 100% of my lights are Hue. The only mix and match are the sensors (ST, Iris and Hue)

If all your lights are hue you should cover or remove all of your wall switches to prevent them being switched off. Smart bulbs are designed to be always on and not switched off at the mains.

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Smart bulbs and switches, as others have mentioned, is an entirely different conversation and one that has been discussed many times in the forums. :sunglasses:

It used to be that there was no good answer, but fortunately in the last six months or so there are now a number of different choices. So start with the FAQ:

And then take a step back and consider the whole switches versus bulbs discussion:

Just remember that the older arguments about not having a light switch to use with a smart bulb no longer apply, which is why you should read the switch FAQ first. :sunglasses::level_slider::bulb:

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Yes, I am trying to find a solution for that. Any suggestions?

I’ve had very good experiences with the GE 12xxx series. Stay away from the 4xxxx series. Leviton also makes a very good switch/dimmer.

As others have mentioned, smart bulbs and dumb switches are not good combinations unless you somehow prevent the switch from being turned off.

I think @JDRoberts post answers your question!

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Multiple options are discussed in the following thread :sunglasses: (this is a clickable link)

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You can’t blame ST entirely for recent Hue issues if you installed the 4/5/17 Hue software update. They’ve admitted that there is an issue in the update. It bricked one of my V2 Bridges. Hue replaced the bridge, as soon as the new bridge updated ​to the latest software everything is screwed up again. I can control rooms, but individual lights are extremely hit or miss.

And, when we have a ST outage or internet outage, this means no control of smart bulbs at all, unless you have the bridge.

Funny thing I never imagined I’d say, “I’m sorry, but the lights are down.” I had to tell my guests that last night. I’m going to have to take a second pass at redundancies in a few areas to have more graceful failovers.

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This is why I invested in a bunch of Hue dimmers & Tap switches. Came home to a dark house at 3 am because of an internet outage once too many times. You can still control Hue lights locally with the Hue app as long as your on the same LAN

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True, hence i only use smart bulbs for ambient and secondary lighting. All my primary and main lights are on smart switches for this reason. Also, most of my smart bulbs are connected to hue which are still accessible through a few hue switches via local connection.

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I am now convinced, due to this thread, to really understand how the switches work. I think thats the key to making this smooth. Thanks everyone.

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Unless you have a one off lamp or two in the room I see no reason not to use the switches. I bought the Leviton Z wave plus ones and they work well, and it works just as a regular Decora switch, so guests do not even need to use the automation. On top of that I can always turn it on no matter if ST is up or down.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N4F487U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1