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I've just learned this lesson. I'd like local control of lights (rather than going through slow vendor phone app which uses an internet API as common point with

by benrow 4y ago

I've just learned this lesson. I'd like local control of lights (rather than going through slow vendor phone app which uses an internet API as common point with the hub). Works well for remote control but slow and cumbersome for when at home. Trying to gain access to the ZigBee network or hub is probably not worth the effort, compared to using a more open stack in the first place.

Semaphor 4y ago
ZigBee is actually pretty open and easy to get access to. Just not if you use some vendor hub.
- benrow 4y ago
  Good to know, thanks. I didn't know much about ZigBee so did some reading - seemed it's used for things like smart locks so I was pessimistic about it being very accessible. Glad I mentioned it here, I now have a steer in the right direction - thanks.
Thlom 4y ago
Huh. I bought a cheap usb Zigbee device and it found all my hue lights and zigbee sensors no problem.
- benrow 4y ago
  Thank you, I'll give this a try!
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    Just as a tip: They are all affordable, but don’t get the cheapest stick. The more powerful the stick, the more devices it can support before it starts crapping out. There are recommendations online on which chips you want.
hotpotamus 4y ago
Back in the great AWS outage of last December, there were people who literally couldn't turn their lights on. Things like that make me want to tear every network cable out of my walls. I thought the point of all this technology was to put me in control, not sacrifice it to some computing proto-monopoly.
- knightofmars 4y ago
  Did these people run "always on" sockets in their houses? Any time I have an issue, I flip the physical switch off and then on and lo and behold the lights turn on.