re: Official WINK HUB Home Automation thread

lots of good info in this thread but some of it is probably dated and/or flat-out incorrect so dont hesitate to ask questions.

i have tried out just about every type of smart doodad out there so i know this will come as a big shock to you, but i probably have an opinion on anything you're looking to buy

I use 1 smart switch since it controls 4 floodlights. Personally I like switches over bulbs. With zwave you would have to unpair the buld and pair the new one anytime you change the smart bulb, which shouldn't happen often at all just 1 more thing need to remember to do.

Cad,

I have a porch light, back yard floods, backyard patio and front yard garage lighting. 3 of the 4 are currently a single standard 60 watt bulb. The remaining are floods. i can't imagine I would ever need dimming but I guess it may be beneficial for patio lighting.

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switch over bulb in 99% of cases.

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i wouldn't call it 99%. here's a repost of what i posted to reddit

here are a few scenarios where a smart bulb is appropriate.

- you have no common/neutral wire and every smart switch except maybe the lutron caesata2 needs that wire to work
- you have a few plug-in lamps and would rather not have to install a $50 smart outlet for every lamp especially when you may end up moving the lamp to another location when a $15 smart bulb will work just as well.
- you have an attic light or another light in a bare light socket and pull cord (no switch available in this scneario to swap)
- you want colors (you already mentioned this)
- you have a switch on the wall that controls more than one light and would like to turn the lights on and off or dim them individually instead of all or nothing.
- you are renting or planning to move soon. even if you are comfortable messing around with electrical boxes in a house you don't own, ain't nobody got time to leave behind expensive switches. You can take the bulbs and hub with you.
- ceiling fan already on a smart switch that has bulbs that turn on via pull chain that may be out of reach like a cathedral ceiling for instance.
- You want to get very very dim. I've yet to see a smart switch LED pair that gets very dim. Individual bulbs typically can get very dim.
- You want control on a per light basis. Maybe you have 8 overheads and you want a scene where four of them are off and four are lit.
- in addition to color, white balance bulbs are also an option for some use cases (like c by ge and osram)
- duplex switches (2 stacked vertically), so you can't replace the existing switch without installing a larger switch box

ok 90% of the time instead of 99%. the point remains. if you have the option and the light has a switch on the wall already get a switch.

Am i stuck with Lutron if i have no neutrals?

If so am i seeing right that the simple on/off smart switch is about $10 more expensive than the actual dimmer?

Pretty sure. I installed three Lutron Caseta dimmers yesterday. I have only three wires white, black and ground. I asked if the white was neutral and was told it was a switch leg and not a neutral. No clue what the hell that means but the dimmers work which is all I care about.

If this is thiscase
Do smart outlets work without neutrals? I wasn't planning on putting in a lot of them but did have two or three places where they would have been convenient. If i cant I can go with smart plugs.

Ok perfect.

Great video!! Well worth the 11 minutes to watch.

Guy installs both NEURIO and SENSE whole-home energy monitoring systems, runs them in parallel and provides feedback. Best 'real world' video I've seen if you're thinking of getting into home energy monitoring.

SENSE unboxing vs NEURIO

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Mainly back doors(I have 2)? I'd like something smart(So everything will lock at night automatically) but don't need more Schlage's.

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why not? you can sometimes find the schlage as cheap as $50 and you'll regret that one time you're locked out and can't key in a code and have to walk all the way around the house.