I'm not even sure what I am asking here, other than maybe some pointers to reliable sources (or direct input).
I have been doing a fair amount of electrical work lately at my house, and also finally got the last RF sensors converted to wired. This has be re-examining the state of what is a reliable fixture -- the Elk M1G and some UPB controls I have on it. Should I add some more, should I change? Also, my wife's growing frustration with anything that looks like a remote (but fascination with Google Assistant) added into the mix.
So I started reading; I now know a lot more technically about UPB vs Zwave vs Zigbee, a bit about some various HA hub-like tools (but mostly enough to be confused by old info on old webs ites). I also started pricing stuff and found out Automated Outlet passed, then looked on the SA site for dealers and 2 or 3 of those seem like dead links, and some others are dealer-only (Yes, I did find some that are DIY friendly, but it was the trend I was noting). I also have a vague recollection that Elk's new ethernet board had some dealer-only aspect (though again, vague).
So some questions (bearing in mind I pay attention only when something needs changing, so am badly out of the loop):
Is Elk Products healthy? Are they continuing to be DIY friendly? If a year or three from now I need more Elk parts, am I likely to find them? Am I likely to need to find a friendly dealer/installer to get parts, or use services? (Unlikely here at least last time I tried).
UPB seems to be extremely stable and reliable and... dying. Not much new comes out, and while almost every retailer sells other various smart devices, no one in-store sells UPB and the number online seems shrinking. I have only 6 or so devices. Starting to think I am better off changing if I wanted to double that, rather than adding on?
Caveat: I resist strongly any HA system that requires cloud accounts or stores/controls from the cloud. If I do a Google Assistant integration it will be an add-on for my wife, not something required to make it work. If I want mobile access I'll do my own tunnel back into my network.
I see lots of projects, some free/open-source, some not too expensive, but I am struggling to figure out which ones really appear to have longevity and stability. I'm a developer by trade and interest and do not mind working on them to get it set up, but I want something that afterwards will just sit there and work. Kind of like the M1G does. Not a daily hobby to keep tweaking. My philosophy says go with open source stuff, my gut tells me after reading from the firehose that a lot of those projects are pretty fragmented and a bit rudderless (even if fairly active). But that same gut tells me the more interesting commercial offerings from small companies are going to get slaughtered by the big guys (who invariably seem to require cloud accounts).
Just wondering if someone has good pointers to current "state of DIY Home Automation" from people that know? As opposed to inarticulate and uninformed fanboy postings, which I can find far too many of.
And last more concrete question: Where would a happy Automated Outlet customer (US) buy from now for someone trustworthy and with decent pricing, as a DIY'er?
Linwood
PS. I have the security system (M1G) also doing automation now. I have little need for that, it could be completely separate, or better yet just have an input. It's just convenient now.
I have been doing a fair amount of electrical work lately at my house, and also finally got the last RF sensors converted to wired. This has be re-examining the state of what is a reliable fixture -- the Elk M1G and some UPB controls I have on it. Should I add some more, should I change? Also, my wife's growing frustration with anything that looks like a remote (but fascination with Google Assistant) added into the mix.
So I started reading; I now know a lot more technically about UPB vs Zwave vs Zigbee, a bit about some various HA hub-like tools (but mostly enough to be confused by old info on old webs ites). I also started pricing stuff and found out Automated Outlet passed, then looked on the SA site for dealers and 2 or 3 of those seem like dead links, and some others are dealer-only (Yes, I did find some that are DIY friendly, but it was the trend I was noting). I also have a vague recollection that Elk's new ethernet board had some dealer-only aspect (though again, vague).
So some questions (bearing in mind I pay attention only when something needs changing, so am badly out of the loop):
Is Elk Products healthy? Are they continuing to be DIY friendly? If a year or three from now I need more Elk parts, am I likely to find them? Am I likely to need to find a friendly dealer/installer to get parts, or use services? (Unlikely here at least last time I tried).
UPB seems to be extremely stable and reliable and... dying. Not much new comes out, and while almost every retailer sells other various smart devices, no one in-store sells UPB and the number online seems shrinking. I have only 6 or so devices. Starting to think I am better off changing if I wanted to double that, rather than adding on?
Caveat: I resist strongly any HA system that requires cloud accounts or stores/controls from the cloud. If I do a Google Assistant integration it will be an add-on for my wife, not something required to make it work. If I want mobile access I'll do my own tunnel back into my network.
I see lots of projects, some free/open-source, some not too expensive, but I am struggling to figure out which ones really appear to have longevity and stability. I'm a developer by trade and interest and do not mind working on them to get it set up, but I want something that afterwards will just sit there and work. Kind of like the M1G does. Not a daily hobby to keep tweaking. My philosophy says go with open source stuff, my gut tells me after reading from the firehose that a lot of those projects are pretty fragmented and a bit rudderless (even if fairly active). But that same gut tells me the more interesting commercial offerings from small companies are going to get slaughtered by the big guys (who invariably seem to require cloud accounts).
Just wondering if someone has good pointers to current "state of DIY Home Automation" from people that know? As opposed to inarticulate and uninformed fanboy postings, which I can find far too many of.
And last more concrete question: Where would a happy Automated Outlet customer (US) buy from now for someone trustworthy and with decent pricing, as a DIY'er?
Linwood
PS. I have the security system (M1G) also doing automation now. I have little need for that, it could be completely separate, or better yet just have an input. It's just convenient now.