Anyone migrated from Homeseer to Home Assistant?

[BraveSirRobbin]

upstatemike, on 18 Nov 2021 - 07:15, said:
My problem is that I like using new stuff but I reject the notion that I should have to give up my old stuff in trade. I want platforms that let me expand my system and also let me keep things that I am happy with in place. There is nothing out there that can easily replace my Stargate or my 24 extension phone system so I don't see them going away any time soon. There is a lot more to Home Automation than Z-Wave, Zigbee and Wi-Fi so platforms that limit themselves to a handful of protocols like that are not going to score very high with me.

I have to strongly agree with upstatemike! I had a system eight plus years ago that used HomeSeer, SageTV, and MainLobby with hardware such as my Ocelot (with add on modules), Elk security, Davis weather station, WGL sprinkler controllers, etc... and all worked out great.

This was the best setup I ever had, but limited mobile phone user interface use.

Now it seems that I did get the mobile phone use (although very limited with HomeSeer), but the graphical user interrace (touch screens) went away with MainLobby's demise, SageTV was purchased by Google and vaporized, don't know what is up with WGL these days and just going with a non automated sprinkler controller, better options out there with Davis weather stations, but you have to use third party plugins with HomeSeer (good and bad there), Applied Digital seems to be going out of business with Ocelot products and stopped upgrading/supporting that platform years ago.

Looking at options, it seems I can get 'some' functionality, but not everything. Granted my Alexa use has risen dramatically, which brought me back to home automation (due to finally having a reliable voice interface) but the HomeSeer functionality is difficult and I really don't feel like getting a PhD in automation (with all the additional add-ons and learning curve) to have this working with my setup.

I now use an Arduino which is a close replacement to my Ocelot, but every now and then the HomeSeer interface to it locks up.

Still sticking with HomeSeer, but following this thread closely for alternatives!

Another point in posting this is the reality is, the automation we have/had will most likely change. Products come and go and it seems home automation will be a constant process of change as the years go by.

 

[upstatemike]

I'm not saying anything has to be given up in trade.  But I am saying that sticking with something 'just because' is never a good plan without actually looking into alternatives. 

Especially when it becomes clear that certain aspects of what's being used no longer work (if they ever did). 

Or adapting them to new things seems to be a lot more trouble than is required with new solutions.

Because these two points are issues for me, and I'm looking at my options and considering HA as a part of my next steps.

I asked if anyone's made the transition and has tips.  Not "is everyone afraid of change and desperate to confirm their choices by scaring everyone away from any kind of new thinking".

Now, I don't think anyone here is THAT narrow-minded, but it sure seems like many of the replies... raise questions about my assumptions on that.

 
I'm not trying to scare anybody or justify my HA choices but I do have both Homeseer 3 and Home Assistant running with the intention of considering a migration and I have found that for me there is no path to get there yet. I also have Hubitat, ISY/Polisy, and Homeseer 4, instances online and each of those have shortcomings I have not been able to overcome. I am fine with changing the way I accomplish the things I need but one way or another those things need to get done. My tip is to make a list of your critical functions and make sure you understand how those will be achieved on the new platform in a satisfactory way.

 

[DavidL]

I'm watching this thread with interest.   Homeseer works, but I am fed up with the undelivered promises, the arrogant and dismissive responses, and the way they strand long-standing functionality (e.g., HSPhone).  But I have not been able to find other software that integrates with all ELK M1 and Sonos as completely as HS does.  Thank goodness for the plugin developers - HS would be nothing without them.
 
I was about to jump into Home Assistant, but after reading the above, I might be wasting my time.  
 
I looked at ECS some time ago, and it was not nearly as comprehensive as HS.  It is interesting that ECS says it works with Stargate - maybe I should dust mine off and go old school.  Nah.
 
I have not looked at Allonis since the Main Lobby days, so I will give that a look.
 
I am open to any suggestions.

 
The ELK and Sonos are fully integrated with both myServer5 and 6.  And...you can integrate homeseer with myServer too if HS is supporting devices that myServer 6  today is not supporting.
 
Oh, and to clarify, Dave and I both worked with Cinemar, but Allonis's myServer 5 was a complete rewrite of MLServer that supported MainLobby client.   And myServer 6 was a rewrite from myServer 5.  Now it runs on all major operating systems.  Our favorite is Raspberry Pi OS.  We have not had any system that exceeded our implementation of the solid Pi4 / CM4.  And there have been big systems (convention centers).

 

[DavidL]

I have to strongly agree with upstatemike! I had a system eight plus years ago that used HomeSeer, SageTV, and MainLobby with hardware such as my Ocelot (with add on modules), Elk security, Davis weather station, WGL sprinkler controllers, etc... and all worked out great.

This was the best setup I ever had, but limited mobile phone user interface use.

Now it seems that I did get the mobile phone use (although very limited with HomeSeer), but the graphical user interrace (touch screens) went away with MainLobby's demise, SageTV was purchased by Google and vaporized, don't know what is up with WGL these days and just going with a non automated sprinkler controller, better options out there with Davis weather stations, but you have to use third party plugins with HomeSeer (good and bad there), Applied Digital seems to be going out of business with Ocelot products and stopped upgrading/supporting that platform years ago.

Looking at options, it seems I can get 'some' functionality, but not everything. Granted my Alexa use has risen dramatically, which brought me back to home automation (due to finally having a reliable voice interface) but the HomeSeer functionality is difficult and I really don't feel like getting a PhD in automation (with all the additional add-ons and learning curve) to have this working with my setup.

I now use an Arduino which is a close replacement to my Ocelot, but every now and then the HomeSeer interface to it locks up.

Still sticking with HomeSeer, but following this thread closely for alternatives!

Another point in posting this is the reality is, the automation we have/had will most likely change. Products come and go and it seems home automation will be a constant process of change as the years go by.

 
Hi BSR!!!!  long time!
 the "smart phone support"....with any version of myServer, that's just a different web template on the same system to support.  If you are going back to MainLobby days, that was originally a Flash client that didn't have much phone support.  But later MLServer also supported HTML so that is how you would add smartphone user interfaces...Moving farther forward, myServer has no Flash client support (it's dead technology) and all is HTML5.  myServer 6 includes the HTML5 backend system configuration ("dashboard") user interfaces.  It runs "headless" for improved reliability (rock solid).
 
Krumpy (remember him?) and I just discussed HomeAssistant integration the other night.  Looking to improve / make it easier to do a full bidirectional integration.  The issue is more on HomeAssistant side...but we are researching methods.  It's doable now, but we want to make it easier.   If one was more technical and can write "HomeAssistant config scripts", then it's doable now.

For both Homeseer and HomeAssistant integration, we would love to center on MQTT. Michael McSharry's MQTT addon for Homeseer is what that takes. He has (as usual) added a TON of features there (I think there is over a hundred pages of documentation!).  HomeAssistant natively supports MQTT.
 
We are having the current integration discussions pivoting off of our SmartRemote.  ie: how does a Homeseer / HA user use the SmartRemote in their system with the much more advanced user interface capabilities of myServer 6 talking to HS / HA (and others) as "legacy back ends".

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Hi DavidL
 
Good to see this type of new development taking place.  Can Allonis interface with Alexa (two way)?