New to HS - General Plugin Question

[nordicnn]

Hello. I just downloaded HS and am trying to get a few of my current devices to work with it. I have some Lutron Casetta switches, some Phillips Hue bulbs, an Ecobee thermostat, and Rachio irrigation. From what I see on the plugin store, each of those things costs $39.95 to control. (Well, I didn't see the Hue on the directly and the Casetta only works with the Pro hub.)

Am I doing this right? I am definitely not trying to be cheap here but $40 each on top of a $600 controller software (before Black May) seems a bit steep.Is there another way into these devices -- Z-Wave?

Sorry for the basic questions.

[drhtmal]

Welcome to the wonderful world of home automation and the HomeSeer forums.

HomeSeer supports many types of devices out of the box, but it can't support every device. You may need to install drivers for various products if you with to integrate them with HomeSeer.

Ecobee and Casetta are not z-wave device. Ecobee and Casetta are 3rd party devices and the only way to access them is to use the manufacturer provided API. You will need the driver for EcoBee and Casetta if you wish to control them.

[Uncle Michael]

From what I see on the plugin store, each of those things costs $39.95 to control.

I am definitely not trying to be cheap here but $40 each on top of a $600 controller software (before Black May) seems a bit steep.Is there another way into these devices -- Z-Wave?

Nope. You've got it right.

You can, of course, stick to z-wave, but that would mean replacing your existing devices with z-wave compatible ones.

[Kevb]

I'm also relatively new to HomeSeer, and about to buy some plugins. I don't mind paying some $ to the devs. Yes, it is costly, but each switch I buy is at least $39.99, and I get a lot more function out of the plugin. Some are on sale this month as well.

[langenet]

The cost of HA adds up over time... Trust me, I've been doing this since 2003. But hey, what hobby - Prod Hobby in this case, doesn't add up?

[sparkman]

A bunch of plugins are on sale this week, so now is the time to get them.

[Thedude]

Take a look at Big5. It may be the only plug-in you'll ever need. It supports old legacy devices ( RS232 ) mid range ( MQTT, TCP, HTTP) and the modern (REST API, JSON API). I integrated stepper motors and temperature sensors that were JSON API driven. It was a breeze.

[Madcodger]

This is an expensive hobby, period. Many of us got into it because we grew tired of other expensive hobbies (golf, cycling, sailing, whatever) and/or needed another one for rainy days or winter months. And if you’re in a relationship, keep in mind the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) as you will be buying $40-100+ goodies fairly often if you stick with it, often only to find that those goodies are, well, less reliable than most other things in your house (albeit often cooler to our nerdy little minds). I have a number of friends who have started to dabble with HA, but none stuck with it once they started to spend a few bucks either because it wasn’t worth it to them or the WAF took its toll.

It’s also important to remember that HA is still largely the realm of people who don’t mind tinkering with things to keep it all running. In an age when people’s smartphones and computers and cars and such just work and everything gets updated automatically without a problem, HA frustrates many new users and their partners/families. You will not generally have a trouble-free, hands off experience if you get very far into this, as proven by the many posts each day on this forum. It’s a fun hobby, but neither cheap nor trouble-free.

[Uncle Michael]

This is an expensive hobby, period. . . .It’s also important to remember that HA is still largely the realm of people who don’t mind tinkering with things to keep it all running. In an age when people’s smartphones and computers and cars and such just work and everything gets updated automatically without a problem, HA frustrates many new users and their partners/families. You will not generally have a trouble-free, hands off experience if you get very far into this, as proven by the many posts each day on this forum. It’s a fun hobby, but neither cheap nor trouble-free.

Well said. Should probably be part of the HS Board masthead.