Am I expecting too much from Fibaro or are they lagging behind?

[Sonzy 5]

Hi everyone,

I am a long-time user of Fibaro devices and I have been satisfied with their performance and functionality. However, I am also concerned about the future of Fibaro and whether they are fast enough with keeping up with the latest trends and technologies in the smart home market. I don’t want to end up like a BlackBerry user who lost all their investment in a once-dominant brand.

I have noticed that Fibaro has been very slow in developing new products and features, and their software updates are often delayed or buggy. For example, the HC3 firmware is still in the beta version for months, Zigbee integration is far from being good for more than two years and still in the beta phase, and Thread technology is not even mentioned!. Moreover, they have not fully integrated their devices with popular voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, which limits their usability and convenience.

I wonder if Fibaro is losing its competitive edge and innovation, and whether they are still committed to providing the best smart home solutions for their customers. I am worried that investing now in Fibaro devices might be a risky decision, as they might become obsolete or unsupported in the near future. I would like to hear your opinions and experiences with Fibaro, and whether you think they are on the right path or I am the one who is rushing things and having high expectations -I hope I'm wrong-. Thank you for your time and feedback.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Sonzy

[Neo Andersson 230]

I am adding a comment to the part regarding voice assistant controls. Fibaro devices are controllable from Google assistant and Siri either. So you probably has missed something. I am using almost exclusivly voice commands more than 3 years. There are some limitations when it comes to thermostats but switches are perfectly controllable from Fibaro.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Neo Andersson

[Sonzy 5]

Yes you are right, sorry about not making my self clear

4 hours ago, Neo Andersson said:

I am adding a comment to the part regarding voice assistant controls. Fibaro devices are controllable from Google assistant and Siri either. So you probably has missed something. I am using almost exclusivly voice commands more than 3 years. There are some limitations when it comes to thermostats but switches are perfectly controllable from Fibaro.

 

[Sjakie 156]

@Neo Andersson perhaps you can post an example?

[Neo Andersson 230]

20 hours ago, Sjakie said:

@Neo Andersson perhaps you can post an example?

What do you mean? Example for what? Voice control?

We use everywhere Google. There is nothing else to do, just install Google Home, link with Fibaro and you are good. Thats it. 

You can rename your devices in Google for your liking, so you can call them in voice command as you want.

[Sjakie 156]

@Neo Andersson sorry I don't need it, my house operates automatically without voice commands. 

I thought perhaps it was a good idea for the person with the remark

[Neo Andersson 230]

3 hours ago, Sjakie said:

@Neo Andersson sorry I don't need it, my house operates automatically without voice commands. 

I thought perhaps it was a good idea for the person with the remark

Ofcourse, everything is working automatically, but the voice control  is just an additional plus feature.

[Sonzy 5]

Ive mentioned above that I didn't express my self well and I've strickedthough the part of the voice command full control. I'm taking about the main idea of this Topic is Fibaro lagging behind or not? with the examples of being in firmware beta for months, Zigbee beta for years and mentioning nothing about Thread integration.

[MacinZ 18]

Here is an interesting summary of the current smarthome market situation:

 

Please login or register to see this link.

 

"... Why Homey, FIBARO, Aeotec, and SmartThings are Falling Behind

While these brands have enjoyed success in the past, several factors are contributing to their decline in the face of competition from HomeAssistant Green, Shelly Z-wave, and Zigbee:

• High Costs: Brands like FIBARO and Aeotec tend to be on the pricier side, making them less appealing to budget-conscious consumers.
• Limited Flexibility: Proprietary systems often come with restrictions, limiting users' ability to customize or expand their setups.
• Compatibility Issues: As the smart home market grows, users are looking for platforms that can integrate with a wide range of devices. Brands that fail to offer this flexibility risk becoming obsolete."

Edited November 21, 2023 by MacinZ

[JDF 0]

Fibaro died in 2017 imo. Their support has little to no understanding how setpoint and schedules work - if they are presented with facts they just ignore them. The new yubii app is trash and has limited functionality compared to fibaro for tablet - and "fibaro for tablet" is not working with newer android models... I dont see it getting any better as fibaro hasn't fixed any old problems in about 5 years now. The modules itself aren't bad but he whole fibaro ecosystem is dead for years.

[patrickvh 4]

Back in 2005 I started with opensource (Homeseer), in 2015 I switched to Fibaro and now I'm moving back to opensource (Home Assistant). Mainly because of Fibaro's slow and unclear software roadmap. They can't keep up with the speed of the home automation industry development. As soon as more users discover open source vendors, Fibaro will most probably be pushed out of the market very soon, unless they adapt their actual business model to new market and industry conditions. For me it's bye bye proprietary software. Nevertheless, I've been a satisfied Fibaro customer until now.

Edited December 2, 2023 by patrickvh

[galileo634 0]

On 12/2/2023 at 3:07 PM, patrickvh said:

Back in 2005 I started with opensource (Homeseer), in 2015 I switched to Fibaro and now I'm moving back to opensource (Home Assistant). Mainly because of Fibaro's slow and unclear software roadmap. They can't keep up with the speed of the home automation industry development. As soon as more users discover open source vendors, Fibaro will most probably be pushed out of the market very soon, unless they adapt their actual business model to new market and industry conditions. For me it's bye bye proprietary software. Nevertheless, I've been a satisfied Fibaro customer until now.

Hello. I'm also migrating to Home Assistant. I always found it difficult to configure Fibaro scenes and devices, as well as being too expensive compared to other brands. I currently have devices for lights and blinds from Fibaro. What brands of accessories do you recommend to add to my Home Assistant system? Can you edit or create Fibaro scenes from Home Assistant? Thank you!

[henry9 0]

expectations from Fibaro may be high, but it's essential to consider industry standards and technological advancements. Assess their progress, customer feedback, and competition to determine if they're lagging behind. Providing constructive feedback can also prompt improvements.

[Wookiee 0]

I have supported Fibaro since i Got HC2 a long time ago. Danfoss valves, Fibaro dimmers, Fibaro switches, Fibaro movement detectors, Fibaro smoke detectors and so on…

 

And later HC3 - I could really see the potential in getting my Hue, Ikea and Fibaro all working together. Fibaro marketing Was Great!

 

But now its the end….. last week I installed Home Assistant…. And after integrating Hue and Ikea, i moved my Z-wave devices to HA.

Goodbye HC3 and Fibaro.

 

Everything is now working just like Fibaro marketing promised.

 

I Was a happy and paying customer, but the slow developmemt, and missing features moved me over the edge - Sorry and goodbye…

 

The best wishes for Fibaro in the future😊

 

 

 

 

 

[Ahmad9876 0]

As technology evolves rapidly, consumer expectations rise, and it’s crucial for companies to innovate consistently. Fibaro has a solid reputation, but some users feel their updates and features aren’t keeping pace with competitors. This raises questions about their commitment to customer needs and market trends. Perhaps it’s time for them to reassess their strategy to regain a competitive edge.

[Sankotronic 2,370]

It seems then that my expectations are low since Fibaro is great solution for me.

My HC2 is controlling my house for long time. Fibaro HC2 successfully control my Philips HUE lighting since I have them. Of course, I made my own solution for that even for the new HUE API.

Now I'm playing and preparing my HC3 to take over. Until now, everything I developed is working as expected. Of course there are some things that Fibaro on this system can do better and they will, at least I still believe in them.  

 

I definitely try Home Assistant and even it did found all my devices I didn't find it appealing and have doubts about starting all over again, learning how to automate with it. It is probably not that complicated, maybe even easier than learning LUA, but freedom that LUA programming on Fibaro gateways provide is I believe still unmatched by others (I might be wrong since I didn't really check other solutions thoroughly  ).

 

BTW - Maybe my Fibaro is working fine since I never first buy devices and then start looking for the integration solution. Compatibility or possibility to write integration has always priority over the device price  

 

 

[JanRemco 7]

I loved the HC2 when I got it. But its firmware was so long stuck on beta, that I did not believe the HC3 would do any better, so I stayed with the HC2.
Learned a bit of LUA and got a lot working, like nanoleaf etc.

But support for the HC2 stopped a few years ago, and I have z-wave devices that it does not support completely. 
Enter Homey.
All of a sudden I have a good support for Nanoleaf, Roomba, my TV, my Locked locks. And Qubino, Fibaro, etc. All from day one!

 

Goodbye fibaro, and thanks for the people on this forum who helped me stay longer.