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Perhaps I never put enough effort into it, but I've slowly coalesced on only having IKEA smart home products after years of acquiring piecemeal stuff and trying

Perhaps I never put enough effort into it, but I've slowly coalesced on only having IKEA smart home products after years of acquiring piecemeal stuff and trying to wire it together with Home Assistant. I've shut down HA, and with every non-IKEA "smart" thing I have nowadays I just use the manufacturer's app (though I've become pretty sour on most smart devices overall and avoid them when possible). I didn't really care for the way it became a sysadmin job where the stakes of a bad update or me not reading some release notes were that my light switches didn't work until I sat there and futzed around with it. I'm a programmer, enjoy Linux admin, run a whole bunch of servers....but having to dive into logs and YAML configs because the lights in my kitchen won't turn off is just not ideal. Similar issues with HomeKit, except when things mysteriously stop working there's even less ability to diagnose, given Apple's design principles that everything "just works", so apparently providing detailed error messages or diagnostics is gauche.

barbazoo 1y ago
What you’re describing hasn’t happened to me yet with Home Assistant luckily, even after 5+ years of running it. I can’t remember an update ever breaking any of my stuff. I’m running a docker container though so YMMV. Might be different with the other install types.
- rtkwe 1y ago
  Me neither, but I'm running the HA Yellow dedicated low power hardware instead so I can keep it running off my battery backup longer just so it lasts as long as it can along with my internet during outages.
arcbyte 1y ago
I use SmartThings and ive never missed with any configs at all. Only ever one single app - smartthings. Ive been extremely happy after dozens of devices.
- microtonal 1y ago
  Same. Their Hub (now sold by Aeotec) does Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Thread. There is also a pretty active plugin community.
JoshTriplett 1y ago
That's exactly the reason I'm hesitant to dive into Home Assistant myself. I want my smart-home devices to Just Work. I want them to be appliances.
- Cu3PO42 1y ago
  For what it's worth, mine do. Nothing in my HA has ever broken after an update or randomly for some other reason.
  - op00to 1y ago
    ZWaveJS used to break frequently for me, but I run an HA container on a Linux box, rather than the HAOS or whatever. I control the updates, and can rollback if things break, so it's not really a problem.
    - waste_monk 1y ago
      I installed Home Assistant recently and the docs suggest HAOS is the strongly preferred option these days. Something about HAOS uses docker to install and manage extensions, whereas if you run the HA docker container it can't as docker-inside-docker isn't supported (?), and thus some functionality is unavailable (at least at the surface level).
      - op00to 1y ago
        I'm sure the support burden is much easier on HAOS. I don't use any Home Assistant extensions, I don't even know what they are. I use a number of custom integrations, but I manage them all through github and github actions. I'm doing great with just running the containers with podman - just need to keep ZWaveJS and Home Assistant in sync and I don't run into problems.
  - distances 1y ago
    I just lived half a year without Philips Hue remote control because it stopped working during an update and I couldn't bother to check why. It was some name change somewhere, might have been an issue with how I set it up, can't even remember. Simple fix but I did have to dive back to the config files.
turtlebits 1y ago
Home Assistant "just works". Yes it has a ton of knobs, but in the 3 years I've been running it, it's had no issues. Certain manufacturer devices being flaky, yes, but as a platform, it's been rock solid. I've not touched its config in over a year and everything works as it should.
- delusional 1y ago
  > Certain manufacturer devices being flaky, yes, but as a platform This makes me a little weary of your comment. I don't think I'd really care if my lights not working was due to a "manufacturer being flaky" if they worked yesterday, but don't today. Are you talking about devices being flaky on first setup (which sucks, but is understandable), or are you talking about them being flaky after an update?
  - op00to 1y ago
    I think one solid way of handling the instability is to use high quality light automation (Lutron Caseta, for example) for the things you'll really notice, but for stuff you care less about (for me that's cameras, temperature sensors) you can use cheaper ZWave stuff w/ home assistant. The lights turn on and off when I expect, but temperature might update a little less frequently if HA is flaky.
    - ajolly 1y ago
      Long tail can be flaky, but in practice as long as you buy devices that are local first IE don't need to access the cloud you'll be fine. (For temp and humidity sensors the Bluetooth Xiaomi sensors are great and they're about $5 each)
      - rpcope1 1y ago
        Honestly, for any sensor that's basically just read only, the best thing I've seen is to just avoid all of the bluetooth/wifi/zigbee/zwave entirely, and just use basic tried and true accurite (or similar) sensors that never need updates and just pull the data with rtl_433. Way, way less fuss, they always just work, batteries last longer, by and large zero bullshit.
radicality 1y ago
Surprised at your issues with HA. Similarly to others that responded, my setup with HA / zigbee2mqtt and >30 zigbee devices (including some ikea buttons) has been pretty rock solid over many years, including easy migrations from an rpi3 -> rpi4 -> rpi5 (with ssd). Usually when I had some zigbee issue, it was because of a crappy product (eg some wired air sensor that would spam the zigbee network every 1 second with a lot of data), so then I just stop using such devices and before I buy I check compatibility with HA / zigbee2mqtt.
petre 1y ago
I just use Ikea's remote because I won't bother to link the light and the rmote through HA and set up scenes. It just works as a remote: on/off/dimmer. I can either pair the thing with the HA ecosystem or the remote, but the remote always works, regardlesif HA is on or not. I have just one set of lights.
sshine 1y ago
I also switched from Philips Hue to IKEA. I like how you can pair things by holding them close and pressing a button. Doesn’t need to get smarter than that for me.
wafflemaker 1y ago
I have about 20 Phillips Hue bulbs at home. My younger brother laughed at me for spending a small fortune on them. Approx 1 bulb per year dies and requires a replacement. Other than that everything just works after the initial setup - daylight like automation. I even once had my wife add a bulb and while it wasn't easy, she did it. When a year later I asked brother about the some random bulb he had - didn't work anymore. It's even better, because Norwegian law gives 5y guarantee on electronics - could just have this bulb replaced as faulty in the shop.
- dieortin 1y ago
  It’s not acceptable for any LED bulb, let alone one as expensive as Philips HUEs are, to die so soon.

barbazoo 1y ago

What you’re describing hasn’t happened to me yet with Home Assistant luckily, even after 5+ years of running it. I can’t remember an update ever breaking any of my stuff. I’m running a docker container though so YMMV. Might be different with the other install types.

rtkwe 1y ago
Me neither, but I'm running the HA Yellow dedicated low power hardware instead so I can keep it running off my battery backup longer just so it lasts as long as it can along with my internet during outages.

arcbyte 1y ago

I use SmartThings and ive never missed with any configs at all. Only ever one single app - smartthings. Ive been extremely happy after dozens of devices.

microtonal 1y ago
Same. Their Hub (now sold by Aeotec) does Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Thread. There is also a pretty active plugin community.

JoshTriplett 1y ago

That's exactly the reason I'm hesitant to dive into Home Assistant myself. I want my smart-home devices to Just Work. I want them to be appliances.

Cu3PO42 1y ago
For what it's worth, mine do. Nothing in my HA has ever broken after an update or randomly for some other reason.
- op00to 1y ago
  ZWaveJS used to break frequently for me, but I run an HA container on a Linux box, rather than the HAOS or whatever. I control the updates, and can rollback if things break, so it's not really a problem.
  - waste_monk 1y ago
    I installed Home Assistant recently and the docs suggest HAOS is the strongly preferred option these days. Something about HAOS uses docker to install and manage extensions, whereas if you run the HA docker container it can't as docker-inside-docker isn't supported (?), and thus some functionality is unavailable (at least at the surface level).
    - op00to 1y ago
      I'm sure the support burden is much easier on HAOS. I don't use any Home Assistant extensions, I don't even know what they are. I use a number of custom integrations, but I manage them all through github and github actions. I'm doing great with just running the containers with podman - just need to keep ZWaveJS and Home Assistant in sync and I don't run into problems.
- distances 1y ago
  I just lived half a year without Philips Hue remote control because it stopped working during an update and I couldn't bother to check why. It was some name change somewhere, might have been an issue with how I set it up, can't even remember. Simple fix but I did have to dive back to the config files.

turtlebits 1y ago

Home Assistant "just works". Yes it has a ton of knobs, but in the 3 years I've been running it, it's had no issues. Certain manufacturer devices being flaky, yes, but as a platform, it's been rock solid. I've not touched its config in over a year and everything works as it should.

delusional 1y ago
> Certain manufacturer devices being flaky, yes, but as a platform This makes me a little weary of your comment. I don't think I'd really care if my lights not working was due to a "manufacturer being flaky" if they worked yesterday, but don't today. Are you talking about devices being flaky on first setup (which sucks, but is understandable), or are you talking about them being flaky after an update?
- op00to 1y ago
  I think one solid way of handling the instability is to use high quality light automation (Lutron Caseta, for example) for the things you'll really notice, but for stuff you care less about (for me that's cameras, temperature sensors) you can use cheaper ZWave stuff w/ home assistant. The lights turn on and off when I expect, but temperature might update a little less frequently if HA is flaky.
  - ajolly 1y ago
    Long tail can be flaky, but in practice as long as you buy devices that are local first IE don't need to access the cloud you'll be fine. (For temp and humidity sensors the Bluetooth Xiaomi sensors are great and they're about $5 each)
    - rpcope1 1y ago
      Honestly, for any sensor that's basically just read only, the best thing I've seen is to just avoid all of the bluetooth/wifi/zigbee/zwave entirely, and just use basic tried and true accurite (or similar) sensors that never need updates and just pull the data with rtl_433. Way, way less fuss, they always just work, batteries last longer, by and large zero bullshit.

radicality 1y ago

Surprised at your issues with HA. Similarly to others that responded, my setup with HA / zigbee2mqtt and >30 zigbee devices (including some ikea buttons) has been pretty rock solid over many years, including easy migrations from an rpi3 -> rpi4 -> rpi5 (with ssd). Usually when I had some zigbee issue, it was because of a crappy product (eg some wired air sensor that would spam the zigbee network every 1 second with a lot of data), so then I just stop using such devices and before I buy I check compatibility with HA / zigbee2mqtt.

petre 1y ago

I just use Ikea's remote because I won't bother to link the light and the rmote through HA and set up scenes. It just works as a remote: on/off/dimmer. I can either pair the thing with the HA ecosystem or the remote, but the remote always works, regardlesif HA is on or not. I have just one set of lights.

sshine 1y ago

I also switched from Philips Hue to IKEA. I like how you can pair things by holding them close and pressing a button. Doesn’t need to get smarter than that for me.

wafflemaker 1y ago

I have about 20 Phillips Hue bulbs at home. My younger brother laughed at me for spending a small fortune on them. Approx 1 bulb per year dies and requires a replacement. Other than that everything just works after the initial setup - daylight like automation. I even once had my wife add a bulb and while it wasn't easy, she did it. When a year later I asked brother about the some random bulb he had - didn't work anymore. It's even better, because Norwegian law gives 5y guarantee on electronics - could just have this bulb replaced as faulty in the shop.

dieortin 1y ago
It’s not acceptable for any LED bulb, let alone one as expensive as Philips HUEs are, to die so soon.