Hubspace

This doesn’t get 5 stars (yet) because the app still needs a bit of work. Basic functionality is all there but the interface is clunky and full of notifications for things I don’t want. Plus, the ability to use groups needs work - for example if you have Xmas lights as a group you should be able to set schedules for all of them just once as a group instead of having to do each separately. The hardware is simple and does what you expect. No problems on setup with the app and setting schedules is reasonably intuitive once you figure out the pathway. Minor quibble on the switches… the installation instructions are in black-and-white but the wiring is in color, which the instructions don’t refer to. The switch itself has labels showing which is line, load, neutral but unless you’re familiar with what those terms mean for wiring you might struggle for a bit since older homes might have quirks. I guess Home Depot expects that if you’re buying a switch you know how to put it in! We bought a couple of smart plugs first and found the whole process so easy that we went back for more plugs and switches. We had some Intermec wall switches that were showing their age after 20 years and these are cheaper and simpler since they don’t need the battery backup to maintain the right time. Hopefully your router has an IoT separate network - you’ll end up adding a few of these by the time you’re done and you’ll want to keep this device traffic off your high-priority bands.

Great Product!! I purchased two sets of String lights from our local Home Depot. It was very easy to daisychain the two groups together, plug them in , and turn them on- worked first time. You download the Hubspace app, pair the lights and your WiFi network and now can control all he lights remotely. The app gives full control of all aspects of the lighting including: on/off, brightness, color, pattern, etc. You will find some preset light patterns to help you get started and then you can customize your own light show, timing, and set up a schedule to turn the lights on or off for periods of time. You can also set to party mode where the lights pick up surrounding sounds or music and change the pattern and color to the sound. This was a great purchase for me at a great value. Strongly recommend this product if you are looking for this specialized type of lighting.

I’m excited about this app since the UI of controlling my Alexa suite of smart home devices is a huge pain right now unless we talk to her continually. Also, since I’m the “IT person” for my family and their houses and being at my boyfriend’s home a lot, I like that I can easily switch between home locations. My IOT home goal would be reducing consumption and increasing security using smart devices, day timing, motion detection for lights, a wall mounted tablet “master remote”, echo & dots, and a central app, I could create a smart home environment that I know how to intuitively control, responds to the time of day and motion in the room, and that our non-tech-savvy nanny and even the kids can use. Right now, we have a lot of devices without a central UI (Alexa’s voice control being the only unifying system). I’ve used pretty much every hub and smart home platform on the market and have even tried to build what we need. I will let you know how it goes.