But last year SmartThings made significant changes to its platform that limited the customization that some of its users had cherished. SmartThings: This is the granddaddy of the generation of DIY home hubs that added a user-friendly mobile app, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth radios to the established home automation companies that included Vera, Insteon, and others. But the easiest options aren’t actually available, so if you want to switch today, you’re going to have to build your own. We’ll rank them in terms of the most user-friendly to the most complicated. I may even decide I no longer need my beloved Z-wave outdoor outlets since the Wi-Fi options available have gotten so good.īut for those of y’all who still have Z-wave or ZigBee gear on hand, and who are frustrated with Wink’s downtime and general unreliability (it was out for a few days during the summer) I have some hub options that offer a compelling switch. So after the weeklong Wink outage, I finally was able to say goodbye to my Wink hub without feeling a sense of loss. However, after moving in 2019 from Austin, renting for a year, and then dealing with the pressures of the pandemic, I stopped using the Wink hub because I only had a single lock, and a few Z-wave outdoor outlets left. Up until last week, when I wanted to control my Z-wave or ZigBee sensors I used a second-generation Wink hub, paying $4.99 a month for the privilege. After that, I ended up with a first-generation Wink hub and a device from Staples that was later discontinued. I’ve had some sort of smart home hub in my life since 2013 when I received one of the first Kickstarter-backed SmartThings hubs. What the heck is going on? Has COVID caused disruptions in the supply chain? Many of them have been unavailable for the last few weeks, so I suspect that’s the case, but it’s hard out there for a home automation lover who needs Z-wave radios and decent software.
This was going to be a post about the smart home options to buy after you ditch the Wink hub that has been down for the last few weeks, but it has since turned into a realization that there are no smart home hubs available on the market from established and reliable vendors.
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