SmartThings and Revolv programmability

[drarmstr]

I am considering moving to a new home automation system and have been considering SmartThings and Revolv. However, I am concerned about their programmability and haven't been able to find detailed information.
What I would like to do is to create rules such as "If lightswitch X is turned on AND light X is already on then do Y". I can do this with my current HAI OmniPro II and it's unclear if the new systems allow this.

 

[neillt]

I am curious as to why you want to leave the OmniPro behind... what is it not doing that you want?

 

[drarmstr]

Great question.  I do love the reliability of the system and that it can operate all programs without internet (Good follow-up question if both SmartThings and Revolv support this, I'm starting to suspect SmartThings breaks down if the internet does).
 
I had started automation with X10 back in the day and I swore off power-line communication due to unreliability.  When rewiring the house I moved to the OmniPro II and hard-wired ALC switches.  They work fast and great except they just break too often and are expensive and seem to be on the way out.  Now I'm looking at a home addition with lots more switches and perhaps it's time to consider a cheaper wireless solution for switches such as ZWave or Zigbee.  Other considerations are the SnapLink app is really clunky and it's very hard to get sensors such as motion or window sensors.  I guess it can be hard-wired, but that seems difficult, and just syncing a wireless zwave sensor sounds attractive.

 

[ano]

You might consider what I have done. HAI can handle all the switches you mention, like Zigbee, Zwave, ALC, you name it, so why not keep it as a backend?  Then you can connect the OMNI to another front-end program to allow you to program more and for better access. I use HAIku Helper and HAIku and they really allow great access and some programming without starting from scratch. CQC, Homeseer and a few other could allow you to go in other directions depending what you are looking for, but I'd definitely check HAIku Helper (although it does only run on a Mac, like a Mac Mini.) 
 
And by the way, the HAI can run multiple switch types at the same time so you can keep ALC and just replace switch by switch when you want to.

 

[jaymartin]

SmartThings definitely requires an internet connection to work - the hardware just passes all data up to the "cloud" where the actual logic processing takes place. The Revolv is less clear - it apparently does need a network connection but it seems that it should be able to do it's thing locally.

 

[drarmstr]

What is the best way to get the OmniPro II to control ZWave?  As it doesn't have any built-in radio it would need to connect to some sort of bridge I imagine?

 

[neillt]

You get the Leviton VRC0P which is a Z-Wave to Serial interface, and then plug it in to one of the free serial ports on the Omni.  Go into PC Access and set the serial port up as Z-Wave, and then start programming units as Z-Wave.  Profit.

 

[tmbrown97]

Z-Wave and Zigbee motion sensors are for automation only; don't use them for security unless you like false alarms and irritated authorities!