+19 votes
by (610 points)
Not sure if this has been discussed. 1) What IS the best alternative to Wink (other than SmartThings), 2) If smartthings is the best alternative, is it easy to migrate to it or will I have to set it all up manually?  
Not sure if this has been discussed.

15 Answers

+2 votes
by (300 points)
IMO HomeAssistant running in a Pi with a z-wave stick is the BEST. It does have a bit of a learning curve though.  
by (1.9k points)
@unruh40349 it's my plan. just got my stick and I have a pi standing by. Weekend project.  
+9 votes
by (4.2k points)
Nothing will just migrate over. You will have to pair them all again. And some devices you might have to make sure you impair from Wink first
+6 votes
by (3.2k points)
For ease of use SmartThings is probably the best. For the best options I would say HomeAssistant.  
+10 votes
by (680 points)
A lot of people are moving to Hubitat.  
+7 votes
by (4.9k points)
Home assistant
+4 votes
by (2.5k points)
I like hubitat
by (2.1k points)
You pay for this interface, or is it free?  
by (2.5k points)
@elwira, free
+3 votes
by (17.1k points)
What does “set it all up manually/“ mean to you? With ANY hub, you will need to reset zigbee devices and exclude then re-include zwave devices. SmartThings is easiest.  
+5 votes
by (2.1k points)
I switched from wink to Homeseer. It works, plain and simple.  
+2 votes
by (240 points)
I’ve been using HomeSeer as well and love it. The amount of customization is endless and with all the available plugins you’re guaranteed to integrate almost anything you can think of. With that said, my second choice would be Hubitat.  
+8 votes
by (1.3k points)
I thought it was easy. We made the switch 6-8 months ago when Wink seemed to go MIA and I needed another hub.  
+1 vote
by (2.5k points)
I will never ever ever buy a stupid Samsung product ever again. What else is there that: A - Isn’t a pain in the ass to deal with B - is substantially better than Alexa when it comes to everything I can do with it. I admit I struggle with taking the next step with a huge system.  
by (1.2k points)
ST is Samsung. I converted over to smartthings. It was a bit quirky setting up, but has worked flawlessly for me. Much faster response from lights, et.  
by (2.5k points)
Understand. Been burned big by Samsung multiple times (washer, dryer, dish washer) that I will simply never give them another cent of my money. I know they have a decent product but I’m not playing. Now if they develop the beer fetching bot, I reserve the right to change my mind.  
+12 votes
by (570 points)
I bought a smartthings hub about a year ago to migrate away from wink. Abandoned that move about two days in because there were some devices that didn't work or needed coding through WebCore to work like they did in wink. About 3 months ago I switched to Hubitat and everything works. Is it as off the shelf consumer-ready as wink? No. Is the interface as pretty as wink? No. But it is infinitely more flexible and powerful and doesn't require hacks or special coding like smartthings. I know some like tinkering and therefore like ST but I just want to set it up and be done, so I am finding Hubitat a perfect replacement for wink.  
+13 votes
by (610 points)
40 light switches to repair. Wish me luck! Leaning towards Hubitat! I have Lutron switches across the house, Schlege lock, 2nd gen smoke alarms, ring cameras, and Chamberlin garage door opener. without me looking it up (haven't checked yet), would they work with Hubitat?  
+1 vote
by (1.1k points)
When I was starting out, I went with SmartThings because I didn't even know of these other platforms. I'm learning some good stuff from this thread, but also getting analysis paralysis with all of the different opinions on the different options. There does not seem to be one clear winner here. hmmm.  
+3 votes
by (610 points)
If you want the flexibility then I’ve replaced ST with Hubitat. Works as better although needs a bit more tech savvy
The Smart Home Group is where you can always find questions, answers, advice, reviews & recommendations from other community members about smart home automation with zwave, bluetooth, and zigbee IOT devices.
...