All about Hubitat Elevation Home Automation Hub

TechBill

Known around here
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
1,770
Reaction score
1,175
I started this thread since it gaining popularity and many of us are discussing about it in other thread so I didn't want to go too far off topic in other threads.

Hubitat Elevation (HE) is a hub that is not cloud dependance so it will run local without any internet access. You will only need internet access if you want to be able to remotely control your devices at home otherwise you can automatic your home devices without it. It will allow many of the discountiune hardwares/devices like Iris (Lowe's) to bind and operate on it. Many of the former Smartthing and Wink users are now joining the HE bandwagon and HE will allow more than one hub linked to it. You can have HE and SmartThing running together.

HE Website - Hubitat Elevation™ | Local, Reliable, Fast and Private Home Automation

We have our HE linked to a Sage Doorbell sensor which detects when our DB1 EZVIZ Camera Doorbell button is pressed so it can send event to our other devices alerting us. New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera
 

David L

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
7,932
Reaction score
20,757
Location
USA
I started this thread since it gaining popularity and many of us are discussing about it in other thread so I didn't want to go too far off topic in other threads.

Hubitat Elevation (HE) is a hub that is not cloud dependance so it will run local without any internet access. You will only need internet access if you want to be able to remotely control your devices at home otherwise you can automatic your home devices without it. It will allow many of the discountiune hardwares/devices like Iris (Lowe's) to bind and operate on it. Many of the former Smartthing and Wink users are now joining the HE bandwagon and HE will allow more than one hub linked to it. You can have HE and SmartThing running together.

HE Website - Hubitat Elevation™ | Local, Reliable, Fast and Private Home Automation

We have our HE linked to a Sage Doorbell sensor which detects when our DB1 EZVIZ Camera Doorbell button is pressed so it can send event to our other devices alerting us. New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera
Glad you started this Thread. I am sure once I get my Hub I will have questions :)

Thanks TechBill
 

TechBill

Known around here
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
1,770
Reaction score
1,175
Here a link to Sage Doorbell Sensor which I am using with my HE to automatic some devices when a doorbell is pressed.


It is a discontinued product but there are still hundred of those on Ebay in the 5 dollars to 10 dollars price range and HE already have a driver to support it. There are YouTube video on about installing it with HE. If you want to use it with DB1 Doorbell then you will need to use the included powerkit to connect it with or without chime.
 

David L

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
7,932
Reaction score
20,757
Location
USA
So I do see Hubitat has a Smart Home Monitor like SmartThings, great...


1584457820744.png
 

David L

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
7,932
Reaction score
20,757
Location
USA
Here a link to Sage Doorbell Sensor which I am using with my HE to automatic some devices when a doorbell is pressed.


It is a discontinued product but there are still hundred of those on Ebay in the 5 dollars to 10 dollars price range and HE already have a driver to support it. There are YouTube video on about installing it with HE. If you want to use it with DB1 Doorbell then you will need to use the included powerkit to connect it with or without chime.
So can you include the HE driver link, also the picture of the wiring connecting to the Chime? Thanks.
 

TechBill

Known around here
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
1,770
Reaction score
1,175
So can you include the HE driver link, also the picture of the wiring connecting to the Chime? Thanks.
The wiring diagram is the same as one shown in the DB1 101 doorbell guide - New RCA HSDB2A 3MP Doorbell IP Camera

Latest version Hubitat already have a built in driver for it and when you do a zigbee detect, it will pair it with the driver after detecting the Sage Sensor. Someone on here posted that he couldn't get it to work with a built in driver so he went with a custom driver which is found over at trunzoc/Hubitat . So far, the built in driver is working for me.

I clipped off the wire "Y" connector on the DB1 powerkit since it served no real purpose and I also clipped off the wire connector on the Sage Sensor then I use a new wire connector to crimp both Sage Sensor and Powerkit wires together to make it easier to connect to a doorbell chime.

Connect the Sage Sensor white wire with Powerkit white wire to chime common terminal and the Sage Sensor green wire with Powerkit black wire to Chime front door terminal.

The Sage Sensor yellow wire connects to the Chime rear door terminal if you have a standard doorbell installed on the rear door but I don't know if it affect the DB1 setup or not since I don't have a rear door doorbell button.

The powerkit is placed inside of the chime with a double stick tape and the Sage sensor is placed outside on the chime housing. The sage sensor wire was long enough for me to place it on the outside so I can easily change battery (it claim to have 5 year life span) or reset if needed without having to take the chime housing off.

Photo of my Sage Sensor / PowerKit / Chime setup

doorbell.jpg
 
Last edited:

bradner

Getting comfortable
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
426
Reaction score
757
Location
PNW
I like the idea of this thread. I us Smart Things now, tied in with Alexa, but am concerned with the transition over to Hubitat and taking all the house's smart devices offline, re-setting up, ect... and pissing off the household if things don't go smooth. I've had the Hubitat device on my Amazon wishlist for a month but haven't pulled the trigger because of the thought of the task of doing the switchover. I have 30-40 smart devices in the home from light switches to whatever else I could make "smart".
 

TechBill

Known around here
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
1,770
Reaction score
1,175
I like the idea of this thread. I us Smart Things now, tied in with Alexa, but am concerned with the transition over to Hubitat and taking all the house's smart devices offline, re-setting up, ect... and pissing off the household if things don't go smooth. I've had the Hubitat device on my Amazon wishlist for a month but haven't pulled the trigger because of the thought of the task of doing the switchover. I have 30-40 smart devices in the home from light switches to whatever else I could make "smart".
If ST works for you then I would stick with it but HE can link to other hubs like ST and control the devices on it.

Several folks on HE community board posted that they left their Zigbee bulbs behind on ST while all other stuffs was moved over to HE because Zigbee bulb would act like a repeater and mess up with their zigbee mesh when it is powered off at the physical switch by accident.

I suggest to read more about it on the HE community board before deciding if you want to make the transition over to it. There are great folks on that community board and lots of current or former ST users on there sharing their knowledge.
 

bradner

Getting comfortable
Joined
Aug 15, 2019
Messages
426
Reaction score
757
Location
PNW
Thanks for the tips. ST is working but I just don't like the idea of cloud hosting and relying on their dependability. I'll definitely check out the HE board. Thanks again!
 

David L

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
7,932
Reaction score
20,757
Location
USA
So question, probably dumb, so with No Internet, will Alexa Assistant still work? I know Google won't without Internet connection.
 

David L

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
7,932
Reaction score
20,757
Location
USA
I don't know but let me pull someone into this thread whom may know since he have an Alexa if I remember correctly........ paging @alexdelprete :)
Thanks, so I just ordered my Hubitat Hub. Got it for almost half off with my Amazon Gift Card I had. :)
This will work for me, I have v2 of my Alarm system being sent soon so I will start there in using the Hubitat, then move everything else one at a time, got a wife too bradner :) Though she is used to things not going smoothly...
 

TechBill

Known around here
Joined
Nov 1, 2014
Messages
1,770
Reaction score
1,175
Thanks, so I just ordered my Hubitat Hub. Got it for almost half off with my Amazon Gift Card I had. :)
This will work for me, I have v2 of my Alarm system being sent soon so I will start there in using the Hubitat, then move everything else one at a time, got a wife too bradner :) Though she is used to things not going smoothly...
Cool,

I got my Ezviz doorbell for free from Amazon by using the bonus points I received for signing up with a major credit card company. I had it for a year and never gotten around to using it then they offered me to transfer it to Amazon gift card with bonus points so Ezviz was the first item I use the points with to purchase. I still have lots of points leftover .. now it's time get some Zwave goodies from it .. I am working on my garage door opener project next.

I got all my exterior door fitted with Zwave and Zigbee Kwikset deadbolt locks now.

Lowes had a clearance on those Kwikset 914 and 916 Zigbee locks for 78 dollars which I put on the basement back door. I also grabbed a kwikset 914 zwave plus lock for front door at 70 dollar off Ebay .. And for upstair back door, I got the Amazon convert zigbee lock which have no keypad but that ok with me, I don't want a keypad on the back and it was only 34 dollar for the motorized end of the lock so it can automation lock all the locks nightly if any of those door was left unlocked. The purpose of that convert lock was to allow Amazon delivery person to be able to access the home and drop in the package if you sign up for it. I didn't sign up and since it had a zigbee radio so the Hubitat was able to pair it and control it for person uses :)
 

David L

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
7,932
Reaction score
20,757
Location
USA
Cool,

I got my Ezviz doorbell for free from Amazon by using the bonus points I received for signing up with a major credit card company. I had it for a year and never gotten around to using it then they offered me to transfer it to Amazon gift card with bonus points so Ezviz was the first item I use the points with to purchase. I still have lots of points leftover .. now it's time get some Zwave goodies from it .. I am working on my garage door opener project next.

I got all my exterior door fitted with Zwave and Zigbee Kwikset deadbolt locks now.

Lowes had a clearance on those Kwikset 914 and 916 Zigbee locks for 78 dollars which I put on the basement back door. I also grabbed a kwikset 914 zwave plus lock for front door at 70 dollar off Ebay .. And for upstair back door, I got the Amazon convert zigbee lock which have no keypad but that ok with me, I don't want a keypad on the back and it was only 34 dollar for the motorized end of the lock so it can automation lock all the locks nightly if any of those door was left unlocked. The purpose of that convert lock was to allow Amazon delivery person to be able to access the home and drop in the package if you sign up for it. I didn't sign up and since it had a zigbee radio so the Hubitat was able to pair it and control it for person uses :)
So here is how I got my Sage, I had a eBay $10 e-gift card sent to me back 4 years ago, 2016 from a Newegg purchase. Well I did not buy from eBay back then and found it recently, so I tried to use it. Well, of course it did not work, eBay, after several days had to unlock it. :)

Our Schlage's has also a story; a family member gave us an extra used Schlage that when they bought their house they found. It did not have a key, so I called Schlage to see if I could get a replacement key, they said not without original key code so they ended up sending me a brand new one :), $120 valve at the time. We put the new one on the front door, and old one on the back and did end up buying one for our garage door. It is nice to have those monitored (Locked/Unlocked status) along with our alarm system Open/Close sensors. Next will be our main garage door, Leaning :), on a tilt sensor.
 

Rickoo

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Nov 16, 2019
Messages
200
Reaction score
71
Location
USA
It is community supported. It not "built-in" but community developers have released custom driver or websocket apps for it to link it with Hubitat
I've been with Insteon since it began. The android app they had for many years was pretty bad. The hardware is exceptional (imo) and being that I have so much of it, I've hung in with it. They recently released a "public beta" version of their new and improved app. It's much snappier, but leaves a LOT to be desired as far as functionality. I was hoping for much more. Would love to have something more powerful and flexible that works with Insteon. Maybe I'll check it out.
 

bob2701

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jan 7, 2016
Messages
1,009
Reaction score
482
Location
Jersey Shore
I have had about a dozen or so lamp and wall switch modules running off 2 hubs for a few years now. Had to replace a few blown caps in the hubs but other than that they work great. Not sure I want to mess with them. :cool:
 
Top