The Samsung SmartThings home automation thread

[poofyhairguy]

Could that be an issue with the dimmer trying to handle LED? I had a normal switch (not evne a dimmer) connected to my LED light fixture, and it was blinking like crazy. This was just a standard, run-of-the-mill Leviton 2-way switch. I replaced it with a Lutron Diva LED dimmer, and it all went away. Maybe you could test it using a dimmable incandescent bulb?

Unfortunately that fixture pretty much requires LED bulbs (it is those little tiny Christmas light looking bulbs). I might have to look at another dimmer I guess.

 

[slag]

Even though I went with the GE switch the first time, given the sheer amount I will need that I want dimmable, I think that right now, this is the best option for me. https://www.amazon.com/Linear-WD500...&qid=1483998659&sr=1-3&keywords=z+wave+dimmer

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Even though I went with the GE switch the first time, given the sheer amount I will need that I want dimmable, I think that right now, this is the best option for me. https://www.amazon.com/Linear-WD500...&qid=1483998659&sr=1-3&keywords=z+wave+dimmer

Linear switches generally get great reviews, so I think you'll be happy.

I made a mistake early last year when I redid all the electrical in my living room - I probably should've gone with smart switches and maybe a couple of smart outlets as well.

 

[slag]

ah... ok, wow.. I just took a cursory walk through the house to see how many 3 way switches I have.
Mother of God..
15 3 way switches
2 that have 3 switches that control a light
1 that has 5 switches for the same bank of lights....
Then I have probably 20 or so other single switches throughout the house.

This can easily get super expensive.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Yup. That is why I am doing it a little bit at a time, one room at a time. The EBay's lowes coupons help too.

 

[slag]

Yup. That is why I am doing it a little bit at a time, one room at a time. The EBay's lowes coupons help too.

Every time you add an item, do you have to rebuild your mesh? Can you add on multiple 3 way switches up to 4 or so? i have one bank of 4 lights that 5 different switches in the same room/hallway area can control.

 

[mustang5o]

S
2. Amazon Echo - I have 8 Echo devices in my home (2 of the "big" Echo cylinders and 6 of the small Dots). I have them spread throughout the house to ensure there is voice coverage everywhere and it is working pretty well. Actually, I haven't deployed the 8th unit yet - the Dot in my kitchen is on top of my refrigerator and is close to the Dot in the adjacent room, so I'm thinking about moving it to a more central location and then I'll take the 8th unit and install it in the garage or maybe my car.
3. Logitech Harmony hubs - I have 3 of the Harmony Home hubs integrated with SmartThings and two of them are controllable with Echo (I need to get the third one added soon). I used them to control my home entertainment devices but they're very flexible and can control almost any IR device - I have a portable AC in my office since central air can't cool it fast enough with all my equipment, and I can use Harmony to power it on and off.
4. Blink cameras - I have 10 Blink cameras spread throughout the house, focusing on entry points, my dog's cage, and my office. One is on my front porch, protected from the elements. I've preordered one of their external cameras and will probably eventually deploy a second, "exterior" Blink camera network with 3 or 4 exterior cameras.

I bought some Echo Dot's on sale and have been playing with one of them. Debating on returning the other two and getting Google Home and see which one I like better. Echo Dot is much more cost effective for total home voice control. Just not sure if I care that much about voice control as opposed to using my phone or tablet.

I'm not sure what functions I'd use with Harmony setup but it's cool to see it there. I think I like remotes in my hand when watching TV .

Do the Blink camera's integrate with ST at all? I currently have Arlo Pro setup to test but the price on Blink looks really good. I think I might return the Arlo Pro and order the Blink 5 camera with a free Blink XT this month and then a second Blink XT. Have they given a price of the Blink XT standalone? Arlo Pro does have a couple of features I don't see on Blink like the siren, local storage and speakers. However, from what I've read so far the only integration with ST and Arlo is that you can use the motion sensors in ST.

I have the First Alert Smoke/CO units in my house and don't have any issues. I purchased a spare one to test and it does alert when exposed to both smoke and CO. In ST they show battery level and they can be setup to report when the battery does get low. However, after 10 months, the battery is still at ~80% on average.

That's good to hear. I was planning to go with these.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Every time you add an item, do you have to rebuild your mesh? Can you add on multiple 3 way switches up to 4 or so? i have one bank of 4 lights that 5 different switches in the same room/hallway area can control.

No, I don't rebuild my mesh. Its kinda just plug and play, I only worry about that when things don't work. I know the 3 way switches go 4 way too, it just comes down to wiring.

I'm not sure what functions I'd use with Harmony setup but it's cool to see it there. I think I like remotes in my hand when watching TV .

The best thing about Harmony support is when someone in the house leaves the TV on and you can just say "Turn off the tv" rather than find the remote or dig for an app on your phone.

One thing I like about Google Home is the Youtube support with Chromecast. So I can go "Ok Google, Turn on the TV" and "Ok Google, play X youtube video" and boom you are watching the thing you want to watch as long as you have a Harmony activity called 'tv" that basically goes to your Chromecast input. I find that to be great when me and my wife are talking about a video one of us saw that day and rather than digging out the phone and casting it we can just quickly throw it on a screen. The Netflix integration is less useful right now because you can't pick episodes. When it can do that I expect to use it much more. One thing very interesting is play, pause and volume controls via voice already work on both.

 

[Red Storm]

The best thing about Harmony support is when someone in the house leaves the TV on and you can just say "Turn off the tv" rather than find the remote or dig for an app on your phone.

One thing I like about Google Home is the Youtube support with Chromecast. So I can go "Ok Google, Turn on the TV" and "Ok Google, play X youtube video" and boom you are watching the thing you want to watch as long as you have a Harmony activity called 'tv" that basically goes to your Chromecast input. I find that to be great when me and my wife are talking about a video one of us saw that day and rather than digging out the phone and casting it we can just quickly throw it on a screen. The Netflix integration is less useful right now because you can't pick episodes. When it can do that I expect to use it much more. One thing very interesting is play, pause and volume controls via voice already work on both.

That sounds awesome! Unfortunately I have not really paid any attention to the smart home scene. I understand you need a Google Home and a Logitech Harmony remote for this, but what else would you need to get this working?

 

[poofyhairguy]

That sounds awesome!

Its pretty cool, but it isn't how I would watch tv 24/7 at least not until the Google Home can pick episodes in Netflix or follow the command "start X show where I left off."

But for music, OMG the Google Home is THE only way I control music in my house nowadays. I have Chromecasts in every room downstairs including my garage (some just connected to otherwise unused bluetooth speakers), so I can just say "Ok Google, play my X playlist on the house" and it plays whatever Spotify playlist I want (or any song I ask for) in the entire downstairs of my house. Music controls are pretty much perfect, as the Google Home already understands pause, play, shuffle, next track and stop. I will never go back to controlling music from an app.

Unfortunately I have not really paid any attention to the smart home scene. I understand you need a Google Home and a Logitech Harmony remote for this, but what else would you need to get this working?

For the tv trick you need the following:

-Google Home
-Logitech Hub
-Smarthings hub (to tie the first two together)
-video Chromecast (I have a first gen one which means its a little slow but works)

 

[pmark]

Its pretty cool, but it isn't how I would watch tv 24/7 at least not until the Google Home can pick episodes in Netflix or follow the command "start X show where I left off."

But for music, OMG the Google Home is THE only way I control music in my house nowadays. I have Chromecasts in every room downstairs including my garage (some just connected to otherwise unused bluetooth speakers), so I can just say "Ok Google, play my X playlist on the house" and it plays whatever Spotify playlist I want (or any song I ask for) in the entire downstairs of my house. Music controls are pretty much perfect, as the Google Home already understands pause, play, shuffle, next track and stop. I will never go back to controlling music from an app.



For the tv trick you need the following:

-Google Home
-Logitech Hub
-Smarthings hub (to tie the first two together)
-video Chromecast (I have a first gen one which means its a little slow but works)

Is the trigger point for Google music only the Google home device? Can you trigger it from your phone too?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[poofyhairguy]

Is the trigger point for Google music only the Google home device? Can you trigger it from your phone too?

Sure. All my Chromecast Audios are seen as sources within the Spotify app (I am a premium Spotify subscriber). I also have one source I call "house" I created in Google's Chromecast app that is all of them put together. But if I want I can easily just cast to my bedroom, living room, or kitchen or garage. When I cast to the whole house the Google app for the Chromecasts have an offset you can manipulate to make sure they are all in sync.

 

[pmark]

Sure. All my Chromecast Audios are seen as sources within the Spotify app (I am a premium Spotify subscriber). I also have one source I call "house" I created in Google's Chromecast app that is all of them put together. But if I want I can easily just cast to my bedroom, living room, or kitchen or garage. When I cast to the whole house the Google app for the Chromecasts have an offset you can manipulate to make sure they are all in sync.

I meant that in order to control the Chromecasts audio by voice, you need to be near the Google Home, right? So if the google Home is in the kitchen then you can't tell it to play music if you are in the bedroom or is there a phone app to tell it to start the music?

Your comment about Spotify being able to see your Chromecasts audios is interesting though. I wonder if an Amazon Echo is able to control the Chromecasts audio through Spotify. (I'm currently invested into the Echo).

 

[poofyhairguy]

I meant that in order to control the Chromecasts audio by voice, you need to be near the Google Home, right? So if the google Home is in the kitchen then you can't tell it to play music if you are in the bedroom or is there a phone app to tell it to start the music?

Yeah currently the Google Home has to hear me. The Pixel phones come with Google Assistant (which is basically what the Google Home has) so they would work like you describe, but I don't have one of those. I expect within 2017 Google Assistant will be open to all of Android and iOS devices but today its only the Pixel phones.

Your comment about Spotify being able to see your Chromecasts audios is interesting though. I wonder if an Amazon Echo is able to control the Chromecasts audio through Spotify. (I'm currently invested into the Echo).

There is this:

https://github.com/erik/alexacast

 

[mustang5o]

There is this:

https://github.com/erik/alexacast

Is there an beginners guide to setting up these Alexa skills?

 

[poofyhairguy]

Is there an beginners guide to setting up these Alexa skills?

I will be honest, I don't have an Echo so I don't want to steer you wrong with random Googled links I haven't tried.

The whole reason I have a Smarthings hub is because I wanted the hub that best worked with the Google Home. I bought them on the same day- the Home then the Hub. I didn't want to get into home automation until Google had made some decisions, as I knew from friends that the Echo was kinda a hackers paradise and I kinda more wanted the Apple-ish "Just Works" product in this sector so my wife would use it more.

I will admit the Smarthings hub was the one I was hoping they would tie to the most as I thought it was the best option at this price point anyway. The Google Home integration just made it a slam dunk for me.

 

[mustang5o]

I will be honest, I don't have an Echo so I don't want to steer you wrong with random Googled links I haven't tried.

The whole reason I have a Smarthings hub is because I wanted the hub that best worked with the Google Home. I bought them on the same day- the Home then the Hub. I didn't want to get into home automation until Google had made some decisions, as I knew from friends that the Echo was kinda a hackers paradise and I kinda more wanted the Apple-ish "Just Works" product in this sector so my wife would use it more.

I will admit the Smarthings hub was the one I was hoping they would tie to the most as I thought it was the best option at this price point anyway. The Google Home integration just made it a slam dunk for me.

That's funny you say that because that's the same reason I almost went with the Wink2. My understanding is that it was a little more plug and play for the limited things it works with and that SmartThings is a "hackers paradise" as you put it. I'm still debating on switching from Echo to GH. The price of the Echo Dot is what got me in to that because I bought 3 for the price of GH. So far I've only opened one to play with and need to figure it out before the return policy ends. If I'm going to get into voice control then having several devices around the house to hear my commands would be nice.

 

[poofyhairguy]

That's funny you say that because that's the same reason I almost went with the Wink2. My understanding is that it was a little more plug and play for the limited things it works with and that SmartThings is a "hackers paradise" as you put it.

Yeah that is my understanding too. If the Google Home would have launched with Wink support instead I would have gotten one. My enthusiasm for SmartThings is less tied to the platform (which is nice now that I have it) and more for the fact that they have deep Samsung pockets bankrolling them. I feel like Wink really could use an acquisition fairy godmother like that.

I'm still debating on switching from Echo to GH. The price of the Echo Dot is what got me in to that because I bought 3 for the price of GH. So far I've only opened one to play with and need to figure it out before the return policy ends. If I'm going to get into voice control then having several devices around the house to hear my commands would be nice.

Yeah I wish the Google Home had a Dot version, but this is early days and I expect that Google will eventually catch up to Amazon on that sort of thing. At least the full Google Home is cheaper than a full Echo, which makes it a little better. To me the platform you chose is a five year decision, not a 2017 decision, as the hardware in the devices shouldn't need upgrades like mobile phones do- the upgrades come all on the backend. Break the cost over five years and even a few Google Homes aren't that much per year/month. The SmartThings support is as good as I could expect, and once Android Assistant is on every phone it will be very easy to get away with having fewer Google Homes.

I don't regret waiting for the Google Home one bit. Partially because I already had an army of Chromecasts so that support out of the box was amazing, and partially because the experience so far has been top notch. I realized the other day that I really trust the Google Home to get things right the first time, because I now tell it to do things and then walk away before I know it understands me because unless I really stuttered when I said it the Google Home will understand it the first time.

Google is doing a good job getting its hooks into the bigger players (like Netflix and Hue) which I expect to continue in the future. In two years I see the Google Home being the iPhone of the category- limited support and ecosystem but amazing usability within that walled garden- while the Echo will turn out to be the Android platform of this product category- more flexible, more supported devices, but needs what are basically hacks to do a few important things that the Google Home can just do out of the box.

 

[slag]

This really isn't a smart things question, but more of an IFTTT/google assistant question. I'm trying to set up a custom trigger in IFTTT. I do that, click the check mark, but where do I go to see what triggers I've set up? I can't find a trigger section that shows them similar to where I can find my applets or anything. I am guessing that its part of the whole "create an applet" where creating a trigger is just a step in the applet creation?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Do the Blink camera's integrate with ST at all? I currently have Arlo Pro setup to test but the price on Blink looks really good. I think I might return the Arlo Pro and order the Blink 5 camera with a free Blink XT this month and then a second Blink XT. Have they given a price of the Blink XT standalone? Arlo Pro does have a couple of features I don't see on Blink like the siren, local storage and speakers. However, from what I've read so far the only integration with ST and Arlo is that you can use the motion sensors in ST.

Yes, Blink can integrate with ST if you use RBoy's device handlers and app. It isn't free, but well worth it.

I think the normal price of the Blink XT will be $119 IIRC.

 

[mustang5o]

Yes, Blink can integrate with ST if you use RBoy's device handlers and app. It isn't free, but well worth it.

I think the normal price of the Blink XT will be $119 IIRC.

Thanks. I found the page and read it. I'm still debating on keeping Arlo or going with Blink. I like the local storage and 2 way communication with Arlo but man the blink package price is tempting.

 

[poofyhairguy]

This really isn't a smart things question, but more of an IFTTT/google assistant question. I'm trying to set up a custom trigger in IFTTT. I do that, click the check mark, but where do I go to see what triggers I've set up? I can't find a trigger section that shows them similar to where I can find my applets or anything. I am guessing that its part of the whole "create an applet" where creating a trigger is just a step in the applet creation?

Isn't that to be found under the "My Applets" link on the Google Assistant IFTTT website? I will be honest, I haven't played with IFTTT much.

Yes, Blink can integrate with ST if you use RBoy's device handlers and app. It isn't free, but well worth it.

I think the normal price of the Blink XT will be $119 IIRC.

Oh that is tempting if it can work with ST. Even since you got me hooked on Smarttiles I have wanted some cameras so it looks cooler. The 50% off deal is pretty good too.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Oh that is tempting if it can work with ST. Even since you got me hooked on Smarttiles I have wanted some cameras so it looks cooler. The 50% off deal is pretty good too.

I believe the Blink cameras can only show snapshots in SmartTiles, not live video. So if you click the tile, it takes a snapshot.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Thanks. I found the page and read it. I'm still debating on keeping Arlo or going with Blink. I like the local storage and 2 way communication with Arlo but man the blink package price is tempting.

Blink is supposed to add local storage at some point. I'm not sure what the delay is - the sync module has a USB port designed for that very purpose.

 

[slag]

wiring question. On my island, I have a switch with 3 wires coming out of the box. I assume the purpose of this switch is just to cut power to the circuit because the only wires going to the box are just a white, black, and ground, and the ground is screwed to the back of the box. Is it going to be possible to put any type of zwave switch or relay in here and yet still function as a normal switch? There are no wires going to the overhead lights, so I assume the 120V is wired directly into the panel and the purpose of the wires at the switch just break the circuit.

I think what I'm going to end up doing is opening up the ceiling where the light is where both sets of wires should be and inserting a small zwave relay and just keep the switch in its normal location.