Question

Hey guys looking to upgrade from v1. Should I go v2 or right to v3. Pros and cons? Also has SmartThings worked out automation with geo fence. I have seen a log of info that house will not automatically switch to away when phones leave. Can anyone provide info on this ?  

Answer 1

If you want an upgrade switch to Hubitat. That's my next move. SmartThings has gone downhill since Samsung took over and I don't see it improving. ever. Samsung will be the downfall of SmartThings.  

Comments

If I didn’t have so many devices I would have already made the switch. I’m one more early morning unable to disable our alarm away from making it as is. I’m currently tolerating random lights turning on at random times.  

Answer 2

As far as a geo fence, I think Life360 probably works best for SmartThings integration.  

Comments

@outroar thats what we use too, works and is reliable. Can only handle one location, but for most that's fine.  

Answer 3

I find the native presence awareness with the new hub and phone app (can only comment on the android version) to be a bit hit and miss, sometimes it works great, other times it doesn't process me leaving or arriving (I have WiFi and 4g coverage). There doesn't seem to be any pattern to it  

Comments

@sixpack Mart FWIW, presence is usually most affected by the phone's battery and app management. Make sure any battery saving options are disabled.  

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@outroar Gray Already done, along with background data services, high precise location, etc, etc. There are times when the system doesn't disarm when I return from a walk, obviously I have been within the geofence area for a while, I have wi-fi and 4G on and even had the App open while approaching my house, but it still doesn't always disarm, but sometimes it does. I have issues with it arming too, although a 5 minute delay has seemed to help a little.  

Answer 4

Go to V3. I moved from V2 to V3, and it seems the zigbee devices are much happier. The V3 has a higher zigbee child device limit of 64 vs V2 is only 32. V3 hub is also zigbee stack 3. 0 compliant, V2 is not. V3 is a bit more Xiaomi friendly also. I have far less zigbee device dropouts than I did with V2. Very rare Something needs reset or re-paired. Some may say it has less memory or slower processor. I’ve noticed absolutely no difference regarding. Only downside is no battery backup. I have APC so it didn’t really concern me. V3 hub is probably cheaper also. Only issue going to V3, is it has to be setup with new app only. However once set up, you can go back to classic app. I use classic app only without any issues.  

Comments

Agree with cliff. Always go to the latest version. My geofence works fine (most the time ).  

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@kemp97176 not at all. SHM works fine. Just don’t set it up in new app. Just use classic. They are separate entities. Shm that is.  

Answer 5

On v1 and not really sure why I need to change.  

Comments

Because you have no local processing capability on the V1 hub. You can't create locally executed automations that run directly on the hub; all commands on the V1 hub run in the ST cloud. Which means if your internet dies or the ST Cloud service has an issue, your lights won't be controllable (if you have smart light bulbs or smart wall plugs), and your motion sensors won't activate/deactivate lights. Combine that with having a wife who has a low threshold for technical issues, and you've got yourself an impending disaster. Save your marriage, and upgrade your hub.  

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Lol the wife (and kids) issue is real. I limit myself to mostly switches that work like normal switches. I have 3 bulbs in the front porch and resorted to disconnecting the switch to them. My automations are pretty trivial things so no real issues if they don’t run at this point. I found for lights on motion just use a Lurton motion switch no need for SmartThings to get involved. I think if I did upgrade it would be to hubitat

Answer 6

If you're getting a new hub anyway, get the most current (unless it's a disaster) as it'll be supported the longest. ST has been very good at supporting old hubs, but at some point they could stop supporting them. So I'd get a v3.