Just purchased a HC2, my ideas and where to find a list of approved devices?

[MrConstruction 1]

Hi All,

After lots of research I've taken the plunge and purchased a HC2.

My plan is to integrate a new central heating system with Z-Wave radiator TRV's/ thermostats, room stats, a security system including an alarm and CCTV, my current Sonos multi room system, NAS with my stored multimedia and if possible, XBMC/Kodi integration.

My first job is going to be the central heating and wondered if anyone had and advice. My idea is to use Danfoss Living Connect TRV's but open to suggestions.

I have searched the forum and there are some good stories and a few horror ones!

I've also tried to find a complete list of approved devices to use with the Fibaro unit. Where could I find such a list?

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you and looking forward to becoming an active member of the community

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[fergalmccarthy 5]

Well without any offence intended, you didn't do enough research. There is no official list of supported devices, there are some posts about supported devices but nothing official, i asked Fibaro about 18 months ago and they still haven't managed it, probably the only vendor of smart hub in the world without a list of devices, and the reason is, it would be a very short list as very few devices function fully. 

 

Believe me, i learned the hard way and after a 3000 euro spend on all Fibaro hardware, i gave up on the PoS that is the Fibaro HC2, with probably the best graphical interface on the market and the worst back end which renders most of the GUI useless.

 

As for heating system, get an Evohome and do not link it to this very unreliable Z Wave system or you will regret it when your getting it in the ear from WAG. Evohome is rock solid.

[MrConstruction 1]

No offence taken. I looked on the fibaro site and can obviously only see Fibaro devices although when I've read the changelog on the new software updates, there is mention of hardware which is why I assumed there may be a list knocking around the forum.

I had noticed some people have issues. I have a lot of experience in tech and issues are part and parcel of day to day. It's learning how to overcome or get around the problems that helps.

Thank you for the advice on Evohome. It was one of my shortlists although I wanted a product to combine a complete smart home and not have to use several companies or solutions to do so.

Yes it might bite me in the derrière but I'm willing to give it a go.

Out of curiosity, what components did you try and how did it fail?

Thanks again for your open and honest feedback.

[fergalmccarthy 5]

I was going for the same approach, trying to have one system to control and manage everything. The simple answer is that there is no system on the market that can do it all. So I decided to use the best tool for the job, for heating, for me anyway it is evohome, after trying Nest and TRV's. I had Stella Z's and Danfoss TRV's and you don't get anything really other than simple scheduling. The evohome can maintain temperatures and adapt.

 

The V4 of Fibaro has been an unmitigated disaster from what I can see. After waiting so long, they rushed it out for CES 2015 and it bombed completely. And since then its been in Beta pretty much the whole time, i've never seen anything like it to be honest. I don't think anyone here could say there is actually a stable version of V4. The system is plague with Z-Wave engine issues and is now quite frankly redundant. I for one have a Z-Wave plus controller and any devices I purchase now are Z-Wave plus devices. 

 

Regardless of how bad the software is, i've very surprised that Fibaro didn't announce a Z-Wave Plus controller at CES 2016, they must be one of the few HA hub vendors without Z-Wave Plus at this stage.

[RobertL 21]

Hi All,

After lots of research I've taken the plunge and purchased a HC2.

My plan is to integrate a new central heating system with Z-Wave radiator TRV's/ thermostats, room stats, a security system including an alarm and CCTV, my current Sonos multi room system, NAS with my stored multimedia and if possible, XBMC/Kodi integration.

My first job is going to be the central heating and wondered if anyone had and advice. My idea is to use Danfoss Living Connect TRV's but open to suggestions.

I have searched the forum and there are some good stories and a few horror ones!

I've also tried to find a complete list of approved devices to use with the Fibaro unit. Where could I find such a list?

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you and looking forward to becoming an active member of the community

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Maybe this could help you:  

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[MrConstruction 1]

Hi Fergal,

Thank you for taking the time to post and feedback with detailed info. It's much appreciated.

I have to admit, in the time I've been a member on the forum I have seen quite a lot of discussion on issues with HC2 and v4.

I've not purchase anything other than the controller and an RGBW unit yet. I'll probably try a couple of bits and bobs and see how it goes before I go too deep. Originally I wanted to use some software on my NAS but ended up with the HC2.

Thanks also to Robert for the link. A bit of light reading for later

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[alandee 79]

Hi All,

After lots of research I've taken the plunge and purchased a HC2.

 

Excellent and welcome to the forum!

 

I'm not a fanboi, but there is very little you can't achieve ( one way or the other, sometimes with a lot of pain, and often with a crash course in nonsensical reasoning ) with an HC2, and without going through a long research list, there are no alternatives at this stage that compare with both ease of use, and broad compatibility IMHO.

 

I can't help with thermostat / temp control, I do use kodi, and am only just now at a point where I am integrating my NAS capability to achieve some results

Sonos integration is a breeze, you can use the plug in but it is limited, or check the links below, the forums are full of useful info on that, I use my sonos set up extensively, and love it as part of my slightly brighter than average home. Others on the forum have far more experience in the programming side of things, but this is a generally very useful forum for help and information.

 

Some links I would suggest are :

 

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and if they are a bit light, then check out

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for a bit of an overview on the specifics, and a good reference starting point.

 

Sonos :

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Join the french forum ( chrome or google translate ) and grab

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Krikroff is a guru and visits here too.

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KODI:

Massive long thread there that might be worth working through

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ALARM :

Most, i think, integrate an alarm, which, with the universal sensor doesn't appear too challenging for basic notifications, but I think if you search Satel on the forums ( which I haven't been able to find in Au ) it is the most integrated.

 

As much as I agree there have been issues, and don't get me wrong, many remain, I would like to think you have missed the 'worst of it' as the latest stable is for the most part, and the majority of users pretty stable, just try and resist temptation on jumping into the beta's for a while unless there is something specific in the changelog that you are waiting for as they can be ... problematic to say the very least  .. and once you are on that merry go round you are on it for a while.

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/emoticons/default_smile.png" alt=":)" srcset="https://forum.fibaro.com/uploads/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> I generally suggest waiting for a few of the merry go rounders to post back experiences before jumping into a Beta and letting someone else work out if it improves or breaks things.

 

( @ FIBARO : Note : It would be nice to refer to a WIKI with a user maintained list of devices .. I may have mentioned that once or twice before

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In the interim, I find a search for the item I'm considering on this or the French forum to be quite beneficial to filter out the more problematic items from those that work better, or have better user base for support.

 

You made a good choice in my opinion, it takes some work and frustration, it's not a closed apple type system where everything is integrated and approved prior to release, it's a BYO Hardware system, so inevitably there are things that don't work, but if you search the forums and choose items wisely there's no reason why you won't do just fine.

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Cheers,

al.

[MrConstruction 1]

Hey Al,

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read my post and reply with such extensive advice. It's much appreciated!!

I have spent the last few days reading posts on that forum and there is both negative and positive results.

I have to be honest and say after reading such posts I'm not sure if I made the right decision in the HC2 but only time will tell

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I've only got one sensor at the minute to play with but will add a few more and take it from there.

I understand things don't always work first time and teething issues occur but let's hope it's a more positive experience for me

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Thanks once again.

[fergalmccarthy 5]

How is it working out for you ?