If you browse my blogs you will see very glowing articles about SmartThings.
You need to know the not so good too.
Summary:
One of the GE Z-wave dimmer switches (made by Jasco) stopped responding to the SmartThings Hub to turn ON and OFF. I eventually got it to work without help from support. I called it Entry Light.
Solution was to remove the switch forcibly using the Android App, remove the bulb, screw the same bulb into the same socket, add new device and call it Entry Light. When I removed the device, I had to remove it from 2 Apps which were controlling this switch. One of the Apps was Smart App called Hello Home from Smartthings.
I luckily had one Android phone rinning version 1.7.6 of the App which still has Hello Home and all the things I automated.
Interesting thing is after the Android App update to newer App version 2.02 and the Hub update the App Hello Home was replaced by something else Market Place -> SmartThings Recommends -> Smart Lights -> Automations. I was able to add a new App to shut off the light called Entry Light.
However, the old Hello Home App still runs on the devices it was supposed to. Now if I want to add back the Z-Wave switch which I was forced to remove and add back, I cannot even see the App. Unbelievable!
I also had a SmartApp called Clothes Dryer stopped. I still use it to detect end of cycle by sensing vibration on washer and dryer and they work. It is an App called Laundry Monitor which was moved into a new section. Market Place -> More -> Laundry Monitor. They could have moved Hello Home also under More.
That App Laundry Monitor is the only one listed under My Apps. Hello Home disappeared but still the App works and I cannot modify and device or the features. I am in touch with support about this strange problem. I will update it when I am done. BTW, it took me 5 days to get a response from support but one day after I posted on Twitter. Apparently they are busy with the v2 Hub. BTW, migrating to the new v2 hub requires all the devices and Smart Apps to be deleted and re-installed.
What they say about the new hub v2 is
" SmartThings Hub will come equipped with “AppEngine” functionality. This means that much of the processing that has previously existed in the cloud (ie: SmartApps and device types) can now automatically occur locally in the Hub. Circumventing the cloud will result in a much faster response time with automations. It will also mean that certain automations (SmartApps; Hello, Home actions, etc.) driven by ZigBee, Z-Wave, or LAN-connected devices will continue to work even if you lose your Internet connection. And because the new Hub contains battery backup capability, certain automations can continue to work for awhile even without power."
I was told that there would be a migration process for upgrading from hub v1 from hub v2 by the end of this year. I look forward to it. Compared other IoT hubs, I surely recommend new users to try the new v2 hub by SmartThings and look forward to an easy upgrade for existing hub v1 users so that all the devices will disconnect from the hub, the new hub connects to servers and then connects to all the devices using the device ID.
You need to know the not so good too.
Summary:
One of the GE Z-wave dimmer switches (made by Jasco) stopped responding to the SmartThings Hub to turn ON and OFF. I eventually got it to work without help from support. I called it Entry Light.
Solution was to remove the switch forcibly using the Android App, remove the bulb, screw the same bulb into the same socket, add new device and call it Entry Light. When I removed the device, I had to remove it from 2 Apps which were controlling this switch. One of the Apps was Smart App called Hello Home from Smartthings.
I luckily had one Android phone rinning version 1.7.6 of the App which still has Hello Home and all the things I automated.
Interesting thing is after the Android App update to newer App version 2.02 and the Hub update the App Hello Home was replaced by something else Market Place -> SmartThings Recommends -> Smart Lights -> Automations. I was able to add a new App to shut off the light called Entry Light.
However, the old Hello Home App still runs on the devices it was supposed to. Now if I want to add back the Z-Wave switch which I was forced to remove and add back, I cannot even see the App. Unbelievable!
That App Laundry Monitor is the only one listed under My Apps. Hello Home disappeared but still the App works and I cannot modify and device or the features. I am in touch with support about this strange problem. I will update it when I am done. BTW, it took me 5 days to get a response from support but one day after I posted on Twitter. Apparently they are busy with the v2 Hub. BTW, migrating to the new v2 hub requires all the devices and Smart Apps to be deleted and re-installed.
What they say about the new hub v2 is
" SmartThings Hub will come equipped with “AppEngine” functionality. This means that much of the processing that has previously existed in the cloud (ie: SmartApps and device types) can now automatically occur locally in the Hub. Circumventing the cloud will result in a much faster response time with automations. It will also mean that certain automations (SmartApps; Hello, Home actions, etc.) driven by ZigBee, Z-Wave, or LAN-connected devices will continue to work even if you lose your Internet connection. And because the new Hub contains battery backup capability, certain automations can continue to work for awhile even without power."
Well for the Smart App called Hello to work you first have to find it...
I think it was the missing Menu in the Android 2.0.2 update all they had to do was put it back under routine for existing users. Looks like this was fixed in 2.0.3. I was asked to look under Routines and there they were.
I was told that there would be a migration process for upgrading from hub v1 from hub v2 by the end of this year. I look forward to it. Compared other IoT hubs, I surely recommend new users to try the new v2 hub by SmartThings and look forward to an easy upgrade for existing hub v1 users so that all the devices will disconnect from the hub, the new hub connects to servers and then connects to all the devices using the device ID.
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