IF HS3 didn't exist...

[racerfern]

What software would you use to control your z-wave environment knowing what you know about HS and z-wave?

I am absolutely thrilled that I made the right decision and purchased HS3. I moved from X10 which is still in use, but barely nowadays.

I do have an Aeotec z-stick that is not in use right now. So I would like to try an experiment with the z-stick and some software other than HS (IOW a totally different independent system). I just want to see how some devices show under an entirely different system. I looked at homegenie.it and thought "this is painful" but maybe it was me.

I realize that for some devices I would have to exclude from my main system to test in another system, but such is life.

So... if you were to not use HS, what would be your second choice?

[Kerat]

I am pretty new to HA in general. Before I bought HS3 I was looking at Home Assistant.


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[rmasonjr]

Where I work, we sell a home automation package that uses a proprietary gateway that controls Z-Wave via the AeoTec Z-Sticks. Its cloud-based and works fine for the vast majority of our users. However, it is nowhere near as powerful as HS.

[concordseer]

There's quite a few choices out there. The ones I've set up successfully are Home Assistant, Domoticz, Vera and Homegenie. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. You've open and closed source to choose from. They range from simplistic to very difficult depending on your experience. It's purely a personal choice here. I tend to opt for solutions that run on SoC boards particularly the Raspberry Pi.

[waynehead99]

If HS didn't exist, I'd have a lot more time on my hands and a lot more money.

What drew me to HS was HSTouch and its ability to be customized. 3 years into this endeavor with HS, I am going to slowly start to get rid of my panels as I am finding they are getting used less and less as my automation gets smarter.

I have looked at other applications. I initially was considering open source models like Home Assistant and Open Hab, but though I like what open source allows for in the innovation arena, it lacks in the support and stability. CQC looked promising, but its version at the time seemed confusing at the interface.

I think HS is a great product, and overall haven't really thought to replace it. Though I have looked at the Elk M1 Gold and Omnipro (though its really old tech, but solid) to be the back bones for lighting and security, but I still think I would have HS in place for the smarts.

[happnatious1]

I would definitely go with something open source. Just so I can help make it better. I enjoy programming, I find it stimulating and satisfying, like a puzzle.

The API for homeseer is terrific, It allows me to interface just about anything I can think of. I just wish I had more time to spend writing plugins. That's one of the things that has kept me with homeseer, the creativity of the community when writing plugins.

Community... so many like minded geeks working together... I love you guys

[Pete]

I have played with a bunch of automation software over the years while concurrently using Homeseer (since late 1990's). I have not found a match to Homeseer.

While my OmniPro 2 stuff is old it cranks just fine for me.

As above it is the folks here / community that keeps me going these days. (old now).