The Wink home automation thread

[ieee_raider]

Sadly, it doesn't really matter where I've been hiding

Ecobee clearly doesn't have the brand name that Nest does, which is undoubtedly a big reason why Nest support came first for Wink.

Touche :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

fwiw they had a partial outage on Halloween:

https://twitter.com/TheWinkApp

This is their Achilles heel. The concept is good, the backing is strong, having it 100% cloud-connected is garbage imo.

 

[ieee_raider]

So I'm torn between Zigbee and Z-wave on Wink support.
(for non certified devices)
With Zigbee, every device I add creates a "ghost" device. This has been acknowledged as an issue by Wink Support. Basically you end up with twice as many devices listed as you actually have.

With Z-Wave, none of the devices report actual status.
When I try informing Wink, they blame it on some Lutron patent that prevents status feedback. I don't buy this, because it does this when I control from the app. Switches always say on, even when I turn off on the app... a minute or so later, they say they're on again even though nothing changed. Frustrating.
Luckilly it doesn't impact robot operation, but it's annoying to not see the correct status. I suggested they check out pollster on the smartthings system but haven't received a reply.

 

[Kaido]

So I'm torn between Zigbee and Z-wave on Wink support.
(for non certified devices)
With Zigbee, every device I add creates a "ghost" device. This has been acknowledged as an issue by Wink Support. Basically you end up with twice as many devices listed as you actually have.

With Z-Wave, none of the devices report actual status.
When I try informing Wink, they blame it on some Lutron patent that prevents status feedback. I don't buy this, because it does this when I control from the app. Switches always say on, even when I turn off on the app... a minute or so later, they say they're on again even though nothing changed. Frustrating.
Luckilly it doesn't impact robot operation, but it's annoying to not see the correct status. I suggested they check out pollster on the smartthings system but haven't received a reply.

I wonder if that's why the Pico remotes don't stack natively (have to do Robots or whatever for multiple commands on non-Caseta gear)...patent locks would explain it.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm not really happy with Wink so far. I installed it and got it connected to a light and then saw there was an update. I started the install and then flipped to a browser to surf and I can't get the thing to connect again. It shows as offline in my app. Any tips? It just keeps flashing yellow though it briefly did go blue and then back to yellow again. I have pulled power on it twice and no go. I wonder if I bricked it.

EDIT: Finally got it back up and running -- I just kept rebooting it and finally I was able to connect back and add the light bulb back.

 

[ieee_raider]

I'm not really happy with Wink so far. I installed it and got it connected to a light and then saw there was an update. I started the install and then flipped to a browser to surf and I can't get the thing to connect again. It shows as offline in my app. Any tips? It just keeps flashing yellow though it briefly did go blue and then back to yellow again. I have pulled power on it twice and no go. I wonder if I bricked it.

EDIT: Finally got it back up and running -- I just kept rebooting it and finally I was able to connect back and add the light bulb back.

Make sure you're not near any other electronics and at least 5 feet or so from your router. That seemed to be my biggest issue with not connecting.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Make sure you're not near any other electronics and at least 5 feet or so from your router. That seemed to be my biggest issue with not connecting.

I suspect that might be part of my issue but even after I moved it, I couldn't get it to reconnect. I seriously thought I bricked it during an update. I deleted it and tried to add it back to the app and I could never get it to take my wi-fi PSK. Finally, it finally connected and everything seems to work now. No clue why it suddenly started working (was their server down last night?), but I can tell you one thing -- they have dumbed this device down WAY too much. I hope someone (either Wink or perhaps some Open Source initiative) build some sort of server service with a web-front end that will allow you to get into the guts of this thing and configure options.

Anyway, what kind of range can I expect for connected devices? Let's say I put a GE Link light bulb at 30 ft. straight-line distance, one floor down, and through 2-3 walls. Will that generally work? Right now, I only have the 2 GE bulbs from my starter kit but I am interested in adding more devices if this thing proves stable. House is 2 floors at roughly 3000 sq ft if that helps answer the question.

 

[ieee_raider]

I suspect that might be part of my issue but even after I moved it, I couldn't get it to reconnect. I seriously thought I bricked it during an update. I deleted it and tried to add it back to the app and I could never get it to take my wi-fi PSK. Finally, it finally connected and everything seems to work now. No clue why it suddenly started working (was their server down last night?), but I can tell you one thing -- they have dumbed this device down WAY too much. I hope someone (either Wink or perhaps some Open Source initiative) build some sort of server service with a web-front end that will allow you to get into the guts of this thing and configure options.

Anyway, what kind of range can I expect for connected devices? Let's say I put a GE Link light bulb at 30 ft. straight-line distance, one floor down, and through 2-3 walls. Will that generally work? Right now, I only have the 2 GE bulbs from my starter kit but I am interested in adding more devices if this thing proves stable. House is 2 floors at roughly 3000 sq ft if that helps answer the question.

I've seen pretty good range. Remember these create a "mesh" network so each device passes signals to the next. (zigbee passes to zigbee, zwave passes to zwave, they don't cross)
I think you can go beyond the 30 feet.

 

[Exigence]

The Lutron switches are guaranteed at 30' ft from the hub. That's thru anything (with the exception of a bank vault or something ridiculous). I have found that they go much further, however they are not a mesh network. Also be cautious of doing the walk around Pico test, where you grab a wireless switch and see how far you can walk with it. Your body acts as a booster to the signal, so it will give you a greater range.

Lutron's wireless is in the federally controlled wavelength space, (434 mhz I think) so there's a lot less chatter and wall penetration is better than the other signals. But again, not a mesh network, and I don't think you can add a hub to boost signal strength. Not now at least.

Anyway, what kind of range can I expect for connected devices? Let's say I put a GE Link light bulb at 30 ft. straight-line distance, one floor down, and through 2-3 walls. Will that generally work? Right now, I only have the 2 GE bulbs from my starter kit but I am interested in adding more devices if this thing proves stable. House is 2 floors at roughly 3000 sq ft if that helps answer the question.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Anyone have experience with Wink working with something like this Z-wave to IR AC controller?

http://www.zwaveproducts.com/Zwave-...ZXT-120-IR-Extender-for-Air-Conditioners.html

 

[Tech_Greek]

I think I may have went a little over board...

One bad light out of all of those (it seems to have duplicated another lights signal causing the hub to crash, took about two hours to figure that one out).

I also had to put the hub on the other side of the house...as in WAYYYY further away than I had anticipated but everything works fine (minus a delay when adjusting the lights).

These are ZWave lights from what I read so that's why some people initially had to set them up as ZWave lights before Wink added official support.

I think the Wink Hub will be the downfall of it all (software is buggy at random times, no support/community forum?) but I can always buy another hub and attempt to control the lights that way I'm sure.

I'm in IT so I'm alright fooling around with things to make it work but in the end I'm afraid it's just too many reduction in advanced features to last.

 

[Kaido]

I think I may have went a little over board...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3sOuEv0E2I

 

[Kaido]

I think the Wink Hub will be the downfall of it all (software is buggy at random times, no support/community forum?) but I can always buy another hub and attempt to control the lights that way I'm sure.

That's the thing. It's been out for months. It's still buggy at times. Sometimes the cloud service goes down and poof, you can't control anything in your house. That's the Achilles heel imo. It's nice when it works tho...

 

[IndyColtsFan]

That's the thing. It's been out for months. It's still buggy at times. Sometimes the cloud service goes down and poof, you can't control anything in your house. That's the Achilles heel imo. It's nice when it works tho...

For my part, I'm just concentrating on lights so if the Wink product goes under, I'm not out too much and can still use the bulbs. I'll have four of the GE Link bulbs when my package is delivered Tuesday and I think I'll stop there for now. I'd love to put Hue into the living room but I don't want to make that investment yet.

It HAS been better for me the last few days but it definitely lacks robustness and begs for a web interface so those of us who are more advanced can get into the guts. As a matter-of-fact, I won't be surprised if one enterprising company such as Asus puts this sort of functionality into a high-end router. Also, I agree with the comment about lack of Wink community sites -- the Wink site itself is way too minimalistic and frankly makes me shake my head.

 

[Tech_Greek]

That's the thing. It's been out for months. It's still buggy at times. Sometimes the cloud service goes down and poof, you can't control anything in your house. That's the Achilles heel imo. It's nice when it works tho...

Well, this is not my first adventure into the Wink app as I bought a Quirky Spotter for a server cabinet as I was curious to see what it was actually capable of - the temperature sensor was bonked so it was basically useless to me at that point (the moisture content I couldn't assume was right).

I figured at this point SURELY they have made some fixes to the app by now and I was disappointed to see it hasn't really changed for the most part.

I've actually got four more bulbs on the way plus a flood light for the living room (I say on the way as in the friend is borrowing my truck today to finish moving her stuff so she's picking them up for me on the way here).

For my part, I'm just concentrating on lights so if the Wink product goes under, I'm not out too much and can still use the bulbs. I'll have four of the GE Link bulbs when my package is delivered Tuesday and I think I'll stop there for now. I'd live to put Hue into the living room but I don't want to make that investment yet.

It HAS been better for me the last few days but it definitely lacks robustness and begs for a web interface so those of us who are more advanced can get into the guts. As a matter-of-fact, I won't be surprised if one enterprising company such as Asus puts this sort of functionality into a high-end router. Also, I agree with the comment about lack of Wink community sites -- the Wink site itself is way too minimalistic and frankly makes me shake my head.

This is exactly what I'm doing - anything I buy will not be dependent on the Wink service so I can switch to another hub and with Nest's recent purchase of the revolve deal I may have a decent alternative eventually for ease of access - I haven't taken any time to look up better Hubs yet unfortunately. I looked at the Phillips Hue Lux system but they were low on stock and had no idea when more would be getting in - plus they are double the cost of the GE Link bubs.

I think my issue yesterday night was due to the service being down for what I'm assuming was maintenance or a panic restart but at the same time I run cabinet after cabinet and my servers don't have down time for a reason. I don't understand why someone's company that depends solely on cloud infrastructure would have that many issues with service.

I will say they do get pretty hot in the light enclosures and that makes me wonder about the longevity of them.

Today (I put them in last night) has been flawless, no issues, no huge delays, no lights not working. We'll see how this fairs in the next few days...

 

[SchillerM]

Sorry guys I broke Wink today... Moved to a new router and had to redo the Wink Hub WiFi. After that wink servers went downhill... Sorry
Status.winkapp.com gives some basic details of what's happening.

 

[Kaido]

For my part, I'm just concentrating on lights so if the Wink product goes under, I'm not out too much and can still use the bulbs. I'll have four of the GE Link bulbs when my package is delivered Tuesday and I think I'll stop there for now. I'd love to put Hue into the living room but I don't want to make that investment yet.

It HAS been better for me the last few days but it definitely lacks robustness and begs for a web interface so those of us who are more advanced can get into the guts. As a matter-of-fact, I won't be surprised if one enterprising company such as Asus puts this sort of functionality into a high-end router. Also, I agree with the comment about lack of Wink community sites -- the Wink site itself is way too minimalistic and frankly makes me shake my head.

Yeah, they're trying to be too modern - no instruction manual, minimal verbage on the box, etc. It has backfired on them. It currently has a 2.5-star rating on Amazon out of nearly 200 reviews. As far as compatibility goes, one review summed it up nicely:

Not bad if you buy their gizmos, not good if you already have gizmos

I have also grown to dislike the Lutron Caseta switches from a usability POV. They work fine, but I like flipping a physical switch & always have to fumble for a second or two to find the switch & press the right button when I go into my bedroom. Not that it's a major hassle or anything, but because it doesn't have a lever that sticks out, it makes it hard to find in the dark. And I'm not going to pull my phone out of my pocket, slide to unlock it, open the Wink app, select the light, and turn it on just so the light can be on before I go in the room, you know? I would definitely like to see a traditional flip-switch with a smart relay in it.

If Samsung follows their usual copycat routine, then hopefully Smart Things will address the problems that Wink has in the same way the Galaxy phones have addressed what was previously missing in the Apple phones (waterproofing, big screens, removable battery, removable memory, etc. - or in our case, offline usage, less buggy GUI, broader compatibility with existing equipment standards such as Zwave, etc.).

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Sorry guys I broke Wink today... Moved to a new router and had to redo the Wink Hub WiFi. After that wink servers went downhill... Sorry
Status.winkapp.com gives some basic details of what's happening.

lol, it broke around the same time I added another lightbulb too.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yeah, they're trying to be too modern - no instruction manual, minimal verbage on the box, etc. It has backfired on them. It currently has a 2.5-star rating on Amazon out of nearly 200 reviews. As far as compatibility goes, one review summed it up nicely:



I have also grown to dislike the Lutron Caseta switches from a usability POV. They work fine, but I like flipping a physical switch & always have to fumble for a second or two to find the switch & press the right button when I go into my bedroom. Not that it's a major hassle or anything, but because it doesn't have a lever that sticks out, it makes it hard to find in the dark. And I'm not going to pull my phone out of my pocket, slide to unlock it, open the Wink app, select the light, and turn it on just so the light can be on before I go in the room, you know? I would definitely like to see a traditional flip-switch with a smart relay in it.

If Samsung follows their usual copycat routine, then hopefully Smart Things will address the problems that Wink has in the same way the Galaxy phones have addressed what was previously missing in the Apple phones (waterproofing, big screens, removable battery, removable memory, etc. - or in our case, offline usage, less buggy GUI, broader compatibility with existing equipment standards such as Zwave, etc.).

I think Wink's window is shrinking fast. You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression and the reviews are abysmal. One of the giants will release something that fixes all of their issues AND has advanced features for those of us who are more technical. They're just not moving fast enough with new devices, fixes, and adding offline usage.

 

[Kaido]

Wow, bunch of new stuff from Quirky & GE:

http://gizmodo.com/quirky-and-ge-launch-seven-new-gadgets-to-make-your-sma-1657361846

 

[lsd]

So is that sensor $40 for one or two? The cost of that sensor is a tipping point for me personally.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Wow, bunch of new stuff from Quirky & GE:

http://gizmodo.com/quirky-and-ge-launch-seven-new-gadgets-to-make-your-sma-1657361846

I'd love for them to get the stuff they currently have working reliably before introducing more stuff that will probably get bad reviews.

 

[lsd]

They added the products to their website and they do include 2 sensors for $40 which is one of the better deals for wireless window sensors.
http://www.wink.com/products

 

[SchillerM]

Thermostat will be nice once localization is done. That is one item that I do not think cloud only access is doable. When its cold I want me heat, with or without the interwebs working... Lots of nice products though. I see some more switches that will be more useable than the Leviton/Pico style..
Off to shop!
Matt

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Whenever I walk near my Wink hub with any sort of device, it seems to lose connectivity. Either that, or they're down yet again.