I’m a nerd. A professional nerd. Not a programmer, not a networking guru, but a nerd with a solid understanding of most computer shit. I’ve built airplanes, military airplane systems, guitar amps, worked with software devs to make incredible software… I’m not trying to do this on a tight budget, or hack goofy stuff together. Yet Homeseer conquers me.
My setup: -HS4Pro latest version, on old windows 7 pro laptop -Znet interface on Ethernet connected to -Netgear GS316EP switch -5xWX300 Switches/dimmers -3xZooz Zen34 battery powered switches -2xZooz Zen17 Universal Relays -3xTuya WIFI plugs can
It’ll work fine for a month or two, then stuff just stops working, and I have to spend literally an entire day dealing with it. It’s almost always the physical hardware. I lost three WX300 switches in one month, one after the other. They would die, then would lose programming, and wouldn’t come back after power loss. I called Tyler at HS customer service, who was awesome, and he’d remote in, do his diagnosis, and say “dude, I helped develop zwave standards, I’ve done this for ten years… And I’ve never seen anything like this- I have no idea”. So I returned those switches, or tried to, because it took HS 3 MONTHS to make the return process happen. (Admittedly I didn’t push super hard, but still)
The WX300 would diagnose as good, they’d communicate back and forth, but the load could not be controlled remotely. The whole system was convinced that it worked correctly, but the physical lights wouldn’t turn on and off. So I replaced the switches in June. Six months later, same shit.
But also, the HS4Pro software is GARBAGE. I am not an Apple fanboy- I don’t need restricted, proprietary software that only works in one way, but damn, this software is difficult to navigate. What’s the difference between settings, advanced functions, and device diagnostics? No clue, because the Homeseer documentation is GARBAGE. Ohhh, I didn’t click on the root device, I clicked on the thirty-seventh level function, which displays the same exact menus, but none of them actually load. Cool. Should have known that. /s
“Search the forums”… Riiight. When I do that I find a bunch of people like me, who ask a question, and get zero response beyond “hurrr, what software version are you using?” And then they sell their 50+ devices because it’s so ridiculously unreliable and difficult.
Their YouTube videos are also equally as useless as anything other than marketing. I really couldn’t imagine documenting a system like this so poorly.
I appreciate u/homeseermark for everything he does, and Tyler too, but it’s so stupid. It really doesn’t have to be this difficult, and shouldn’t.
I feel like Homeseer will fail, and fall into obscurity if something drastic isn’t done to correct this. It’s such a shame, because daaang, the possibilities are amazing, but fall flat.
Rant over.
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I have to tell you this seems like a lot of frustration. I don’t know what’s up with your setup but HomeSeer is the most rock solid part of my HA setup. It just runs. My biggest problem is that I only ever touch it every year or Two and forget how I have things set up.
The hardware has nothing to do with HS (unless maybe you bought through their online store? But that’s like blaming Amazon for the product you bought.). And why on earth would you complain about Z-wave to homeseer? Do you complain about WiFi standards to Apple?
The software interface is indeed dated and a little kludgy but it gets the job done. But once set up you never need to touch it. I’ll do very simple things in Alexa, but if I need any complex logic or integration with weird crap, I always go back to homeseer.
Why not just use Home Assistant?
Switched from Hubitat to HA earlier this year and have never looked back. I always thought people were overhyping it, but it’s legit the best out there.
Because the learning curve is too steep for somebody who doesn’t see HA as their full-time hobby. They only want a completed project.
I’m software developer fluent in Linux. I have given up on Home Assistant. I’m back to SmartThings and Alexa waiting for a proper Matter controller to hit the market.
Are you saying HA is too difficult even for a software developer? Because I have absolutely no programming experience and have been able to teach myself how to write automations, scripts, etc. from the documentation and forums. Studio Code Server also helps me a ton. I understand a layperson like me having difficulty, but I’m struggling to see how someone with experience writing code could say the learning curve is too steep.
home seer sucks, home-assistant is what you want
Homeseer was the first hub i dumped back in 2018, then moved on to Home Assistant, unfortunately HA is just a DIY play thing which works at times and every update something or the other breaks.
You should look at some professional solution not just a DIY project. I am still using HA but it is a pain in the neck. I have moved on to Loxone which is rock solid and just works.
Whoever is downvoting posts critical of Home Assistant, YOU are the problem. How DARE people not like what you like. The audacity! /s
I was a HomeSeer 3 user for years. HomeSeer 4 convinced me to look at Home Assistant and I’ve never looked back. Way more features, more stable, just better in every way.
I used Homeseer 3 for many years - I found it clunky and unreliable. Maybe HS4 is better these days but having moved onto Home Assistant it has been a revelation and the community support is second to none.
I’d love to see your review of your HomeAssistant experience.
But, I know I will never see it because it will be down voted to the depths of hell on this sub.
I’m still trying to figure out if the HA schilling in this sub is organic, based on single experience, Reddit echo chamber, price(free), or Nabu Casa funded “click” farming. Something is up and it’s not a matter of vast superiority.
Agreed. I would categorize myself as a similar profile to the OP: a nerd that has set up very complicated systems, formerly worked in IT as a desktop support and network administrator, and runs systems with multiple OSes in my home, but NOT a programmer and Home Assistant is one of the most difficult pieces of software I ever tried to use. The user interface is anything but easy. There is no useful documentation despite everyone claiming there is. The UI is pretty but the UX is garbage.
I’m running Hubitat and it works great. I have setup complicated automations with no issues whatsoever. Every few months I try to dabble with Home Assistant with the goal of moving over because everyone here preaches about it’s greatness, but every time I get frustrated, give up, and stick with Hubitat.
I switched to Hubitat after starting with and using Home Assistant for years.
The Hubitat dashboard is a bit of a basket case. Having to mess with widget spacing and scaling by hand, and not having it adapt to the size of a device display is really silly. The stability is the difference however. I have not had to remove and re-add a device since switching. My devices and automations have worked flawlessly, and the management UI is laid out better than Home Assistant. My impression is that Hubitat focuses the vast majority of their efforts on ensuring ZigBee and ZWave reliability. This very much improves spouse acceptance.
Lots of people who had HomeSeer have converted to Hubitat. Please don’t misunderstand me, HomeAssistant is great, but like everything it has its pros and cons. If you’re interested in a different approach, check out Hubitat. I personally found Hubitat to be less work than HA, greater control, but less all encompassing than HA. YMMV
Consider a Mac and indigo, a very powerful automation package.
I’ve been using HomeSeer for several years.
The only
Move it to Linux. Windows is terrible.
It’s fine for me now.
The switch problem isn’t because of the software. The switches have had their relays burned out. Look at the maximum power the switch can handle. Most will be around 150W for LED bulbs.
If not the wattage there could be a bulb cause super fast contact switching. This burns out the relay.
I’m running 6w worth of bulbs on one switch that died, and 24w worth of bulbs on another. It does seem likely it’s the relay, but I have no idea what else would be causing that.
I have used Homeseer since HS2. My rebuttal to your rant follows:
I prefer zwave over wifi. More reliable, less room for error.
I don’t like have a million apps for different devices, so I end up using my company’s system, bundles it all in one.
I got my lights, locks, garage door, thermostat all on one app. Works with Google, Alexa, etc.
Everything I have is zwave, except the tuya plugs. Oddly enough, those are the things that work flawlessly!