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expired Posted by bonkman • May 21, 2024
expired Posted by bonkman • May 21, 2024

The Smartest House Home Automation Sale: Hubitat C7

& More + Free Shipping $59+

$70

$120

41% off
The Smartest House
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The Smartest House is hosting their Smartest House Home Automation Memorial Day Sale listed below. Shipping is free on orders $59+

Thanks to Community Member bonkman for finding this deal.

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Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Promo prices can't be applied retroactively to previous orders or future purchases outside of the promotional period
    • Quick returns and replacement within the first 30-days of purchase/friendly tech support
    • Offer/sale valid through May 28, 2024 or while pricing/supplies last
  • Additional Notes
    • Please see original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion

Original Post

Written by bonkman
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
The Smartest House is hosting their Smartest House Home Automation Memorial Day Sale listed below. Shipping is free on orders $59+

Thanks to Community Member bonkman for finding this deal.

Example Deals:

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Promo prices can't be applied retroactively to previous orders or future purchases outside of the promotional period
    • Quick returns and replacement within the first 30-days of purchase/friendly tech support
    • Offer/sale valid through May 28, 2024 or while pricing/supplies last
  • Additional Notes
    • Please see original post for additional details & give the WIKI and additional forum comments a read for helpful discussion

Original Post

Written by bonkman

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Top Comments

For those interested in the Hubitat C-7, there is a seller on ebay that has them for $20 (OBO) plus $10 shipping for new (Other). I don't think SD allows ebay links, but it is the first result when I searched showing 900+ sold so far.

I have a c7 that works well for me and was going to post this same deal from the smartest house, but saw the better deal on ebay.
If you're considering home assistant, I would just go home assistant. You don't need one of these hubs to do that you just need a Z-Wave dongle, which they also sell. I would not install it on a pi though unless you already have it. Buy used a micro PC off eBay like a Lenovo tiny.
The 800 series z-wave range extender which also reports power outages for $22.95 is an awesome deal! I bought several products from the smartest home and have always been happy with them. I will say that one time I wrote a review critical of a device and instead of posting it they sent me an email saying that they would have their tech support work with me but it wasn't a technical issue, it was just a poorly designed product. I still trust them for buying stuff though.

111 Comments

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May 26, 2024
738 Posts
Joined Jun 2009
May 26, 2024
kiaop
May 26, 2024
738 Posts
Quote from DavidR4413 :
I've been using Hubitat a few years now.

It might have gotten better but as of a few months ago the C8 was a buggy mess, C7 is hands down the way to go if you don't need Z-Wave long range (you probably don't)

I bought the C8 last year and kept my C7 hooked up so I could migrate my devices and automations over to the C8 incrementally and I eventually just stopped because the C7 was more reliable.

This is a great deal
people always complain initially every generation, it will be stable eventually if not already.

But to anyone who cares the only real difference between the two is Zigbee 1.2 to 3.0 update, and external antenna which does improve signal. Nothing really important in the z-wave 700 to 800 update. Maybe Z-Wave LR with LR devices, but I dont think Hubitat supports it yet. Oh and C8 also supports WiFi and has a USB-C port which is probably less likely to physically break.
May 26, 2024
83 Posts
Joined Feb 2009
May 26, 2024
heskemo
May 26, 2024
83 Posts
Quote from mrtramplefoot :
We have lots of zooz stuff, but I absolutely love the remote switches. Our new house has some weird lighting things that they've quickly allowed us to work around
Hi wdym weird? Like 3 way switches that dont work right or?
May 26, 2024
592 Posts
Joined Aug 2011
May 26, 2024
mrtramplefoot
May 26, 2024
592 Posts
Quote from heskemo :
Hi wdym weird? Like 3 way switches that dont work right or?
The whole 1400sq unfinished basement was on one switch so I added a couple of their relays and a remote switch to separate it into 4 sections. The dining room doesn't have a ceiling light, so until we get that installed, we have string lights plugged into a smart plug controlled by remote switches.
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Joined Jan 2005
May 26, 2024
ravd
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Quote from sirksel :
Thanks to everyone for the great answers! Will probably use HA on an extra Beelink mini laying around rather than Pi based on everyone's advice, but maybe no on the Habitat. I guess it could be a low config alternative until I have the time to set HA up. One commenter said I could leave the Hubitat config in parallel. I might try that or just give it to family when/if I ever set up the HA. Thanks again. You all are the best.
For me it does not make sense to run HA on a dedicated box - I run it as a VM with other things like Plex on my server. The location of the server highly likely will be sub optimal for positioning of Z-Wave and Zigbee radios though even if you have available USB ports for that on your server. Hubitat just works and does not require too much efforts or skills to configure most of the basic stuff. It has a huge community driver library which supports pretty much everything you might want - just install Hubitat package manager if you are not into coding :-)

I needed something to replace Wink Hub back in the day of it's fiasco, and I didn't have time to invest in HA which is very time consuming and pretty technical approach. Hubitat might be a great way to start quickly and you can pair it with HA and move some devices to HA one by one when and if you will need it later. Eventually you might end with HA running everything and using Hubitat just for Z-Wave and Zigbee radios, if you have enough time and need to waste on that exercise :-) Even in that case - with Hubitat hub you pay less than you will for two separate radio USB sticks (and most likely you will want both Z-wave and Zigbee at some point) and you are able to position it anywhere in the house where radios will have the best coverage (you can run C7 Hub on POE line without the need for outlet power).

Meanwhile you will also be able to enjoy local home automation benefits without waiting for a bright new future of HA running everything :-)
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Joined Jan 2005
May 26, 2024
ravd
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Quote from mitsured :
Looks like the range of the C7 is 2600 ft while the USB dongle is 1000 ft line of site 250 ft indoors. I think that could make a difference depending on your situation I already have issues with some of my smart devices in my sheds, pool pump room, and RV. I'm also thinking the power requirements of this would be lower than running another pc.
My C7 runs off POE line and my switch shows it's usually less than 2W power consumption. You can put cheap power bank in front of it which allows charging while providing power and it will enable this hub to run for more than 24H in power outage situations.
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Joined Jan 2005
May 26, 2024
ravd
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Quote from mitsured :
O ya I wasn't expecting 2600 ft, 300 ft through a couple walls/windows would be the max I would need.
So something like this? https://www.thesmartesthouse.com/...tick-zst39 [thesmartesthouse.com]

Is the move away from this device based on the software? or limitation of the hardware seeing it's a "one show pony?" asking because for $69 it would be the cheapest route if you don't need it to do anything else.
You will need C8 or C8 Pro or a later hub to support LR. The thing is - there is no reasonable LR support as of now even with HA. Besides capable chipset you also need software to support LR capability. And my guess it will take another year or two to mature enough to be useful. No reason to wait for this and pay more for 800 series based device now, especially if you can have this hub for $25 - less than price of just one Z-wave USB stick.
May 26, 2024
265 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
May 26, 2024
cowprince
May 26, 2024
265 Posts
Quote from mrtramplefoot :
We have lots of zooz stuff, but I absolutely love the remote switches. Our new house has some weird lighting things that they've quickly allowed us to work around
Zooz support is great, the products are hit and miss. Their switches always feel flimsy when compared to Innovelli or Homeseer.

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May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Joined Jan 2005
May 26, 2024
ravd
May 26, 2024
18 Posts
Quote from Deadpoole :
Be sure to check your devices against the hubitats supported device list. Quite a few common devices aren't supported, like Schlage. I assumed if the device used zwave or zigbee that it'd work, and that's not so.

You may be able to tweak it or put custom drivers in to make them work, but that's not a 5 minute process.

I'd managed to snag one of these from ebay that had been previously packaged with a security system, open box, for $35. I'm still trying to make it work with my locks.
If you are not into coding - just install Hubitat Package Manager on your hub. There is huge amount of community supported drivers for a lot of devices and this HPM simplifies those drivers installation and management. Schlage Z-Wave locks work fine with a generic driver as far as I can tell, but pairing it is another story.
May 27, 2024
1,216 Posts
Joined Oct 2013
May 27, 2024
AdamA8790
May 27, 2024
1,216 Posts
Got the ebay $25 one in the mail, besides not being in a box and not having instructions, it has everything: box, Ethernet cable (which looks new by the folds in the cable), power cord, and power adapter. I see absolutely no reason to get anything more expensive whatsoever. The $25 is an ACTUAL Slick deal which I haven't been seeing a lot of anymore on this site lately much to the chagrin of many.
Pro
May 27, 2024
824 Posts
Joined Nov 2018
May 27, 2024
SeriousLlama437
Pro
May 27, 2024
824 Posts
Quote from cscamp20 :
He specifically said not wanting to figure out in WOL. Meaning he does not want to go into BIOS.
Ma'am, WOL is more than just bios, sorry to inform you.
May 27, 2024
114 Posts
Joined Jan 2009
May 27, 2024
rlin78
May 27, 2024
114 Posts
I have a SmartThings V3 hub and heard all the horrible things about ST so I gave Hubitat C7 try. I am so disappointed at Hubitat.

It runs locally but it is way underpowered so it runs very slow. It also doesn't support Meross garage openers natively. It doesn't even have WiFi, doesn't work well with multiple VLANs like an IOT network and home network due to local processing, doesn't have Apple Watch support. After testing it, I migrated everything back to ST.
Last edited by rlin78 May 27, 2024 at 11:51 AM.
May 27, 2024
509 Posts
Joined Oct 2022
May 27, 2024
Deadpoole
May 27, 2024
509 Posts
Quote from ravd :
If you are not into coding - just install Hubitat Package Manager on your hub. There is huge amount of community supported drivers for a lot of devices and this HPM simplifies those drivers installation and management. Schlage Z-Wave locks work fine with a generic driver as far as I can tell, but pairing it is another story.
The last time I wrote code, I was pretty fond of the new language PL/1, it was way better than fortran and cobol.shake head

That's exactly the problem that I'm having. I understand the hub and how it works. I haven't tried loading any 3rd party drivers or other options yet, just a stock config. The hub never sees the lock to pair with it. Apparently I have one of the specific models that has a lot of problems with the hubitat hub. Worked great with a wink hub, but they died a few years ago. I've reset and put the lock into pairing mode with the hub within 5' of the lock. The hub never sees anything at all, let alone pairing with it.

I'd try another lock but I don't think I could make any of them fit. The schlage I have was identical to the deadbolt/lever setup that was original to the door. The two holes are WAY too close together, so I need something that has nothing below the deadbolt knob. I had to nibble some metal from the bottom of the schlage to make it fit.

The last thing that I'm going to try is I have an extra mesh router and I'm going to get the hub within 6" of the lock to see if it'll pair, and I may try a stronger set of batteries in the lock. Up until now I thought that zwave and zigbee stuff was pretty interoperable and that was the entire point of the standards, but I've found that isn't really the case. At least I only paid <$40 for the hub.
May 27, 2024
9 Posts
Joined Aug 2009
May 27, 2024
davmoha
May 27, 2024
9 Posts
Quote from whiddles :
I have been looking for a reason to leave smartthings but do not want to start over and I have had zero issues with smartthings thus far.
I moved from Smartthings to Hubitat C8. It's not as simple as Smartthings used to be. I don't know why Samsung abandoned it. But so far I am not impressed with the C8. I had all my Z-Wave bulbs working and then an update broke them for a month. They are working great now. Integrating with Alexa and Google Home isn't working as well. At the moment it's linked but not showing all my devices. I have gone through the Hubitat menu and ensured I have all the bulbs shared to the linked Google Home setting but it is still not showing. Creating schedules for when the bulbs come on and at what strength it extremely difficult in the Hubitat menu which is why I wanted to link to one of the Smart Devices. There are apps to run on Hubitat to make things easier but a lot of them are spotty based on bulb type and drivers. Overall, it's not easy but once the steep learning curve has been met, it should be more versatile. I was just spoiled by Smartthings by setting it up once and it running for years.
May 28, 2024
9 Posts
Joined Aug 2019
May 28, 2024
AGrabski
May 28, 2024
9 Posts
Quote from PorterRanchDB :
For a 4,000 square foot house, how many C7 hubs would you need?
Just one. All other zwave devices will act as repeaters.

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Original Poster
May 28, 2024
38,353 Posts
Joined Nov 2006
May 28, 2024
bonkman
Original Poster
May 28, 2024
38,353 Posts
FYI, sale ends tonight.

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