Which Hub to get with Amazon Echo?

[Ellusionz]

I haven't purchased the echo yet, I'm researching still and plan to make it a Christmas gift for my parents. I was going to do the Phillips hue set but now I'm seeing so many hub options that may be better due to possible expansion capabilities in the future. Could anyone recommend one or two that would be easy to use for seniors (with my help) and has the biggest variety of capabilities at not an outrageous price? Thanks!

[Ultramanv]

I have just about every hub out ... Insteon, Staples Dlink, Wink, Smarttings, Homeseer, Hue,  ... Out of all of them i like the Smarthings unit the best. It has the ability to connect to most units and being that it will work with the main stream of products (IE ZWAVE,Aerotec, Nest etc... ) . the main factor for me it the fact that the Smarthings group pay attention and keep updating the unit and software . with the others not so much in my opinion.  I have the Echo and use it with the Smarthings and i can tell you the commands are fast responding.

[Deane Johnson]

Ultramanv, can I assume that with the SmartThings hub I can tell Alexa to turn Leviton ZWave dimmers on and off?  I see my model of the dimmers are on the list of supported devices.  I also have the Philips Hue hub operating with Echo.

[chuque]

I already had both a Philips hue and a vera zwave controller.

the hue integrated effortlessly, but I might have to go back and find a better naming scheme as voice control wasn't something I considered when naming my 30+ lights. (Living room side table left  is a mouth full)

I am using the Echo Bridge to interface with my vera to control my non-hue lights, curtains, etc  It takes a bit more setup but nothing too complex.

If you have a echo first I would look at what you are wanting to accomplish with connected devices, and what your cost of entry (Hue is easy, pretty, and expensive at $60 a bulb it adds up fast) 

[renegade600]

I already had both a Philips hue and a vera zwave controller.

the hue integrated effortlessly, but I might have to go back and find a better naming scheme as voice control wasn't something I considered when naming my 30+ lights. (Living room side table left  is a mouth full)

I am using the Echo Bridge to interface with my vera to control my non-hue lights, curtains, etc  It takes a bit more setup but nothing too complex.

If you have a echo first I would look at what you are wanting to accomplish with connected devices, and what your cost of entry (Hue is easy, pretty, and expensive at $60 a bulb it adds up fast)

in my case I already had tcp connected bulbs.  there were not compatible at first then they were if using wink.  so my costs was low even though I had to get a few wemo switches.   Once I got the tcp connected bulbs working with the echo, I was able to unplug the wink.  Kind of waste of 50 bucks since I only used it once.  Thought about returning it.

As far as 60 dollar bulbs.  I believe philips hue now has cheaper bulbs that is priced about the same as tcp connected.  Just don't have all the fancy colors. 

you are right about names.  they can be a mouth full and sometimes even hard to remember.  I keep turning on the wrong lights at times because I forget  :-)  but then it could be I am getting old.

[Ellusionz]

Thanks for all the great replies! I've finally ordered the echo, BBB for $120 after 20% off on sale 
I plan to order the SmartThings Hub and a Cree Connected bulb or two by Cyber Monday incase there's any special deals then.

Now another question if someone has time... I understand you have to log in online to your Amazon account to set the system up. Is it possible to set it up on one account then swap it over to another account? Or does all the home automation settings stay with the original account? Thanks again for your help!

[bukzin]

Would you post a link or tell us where you bought an Echo for $120?

What is BBB?

Thx

[bukzin]

What is an Echo Bridge?

Is my Wink Hub the same thing?

[Ellusionz]

Bed bath and beyond.

[bukzin]

Looks like the 20% off deal may be gone...

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/s/amazon-echo?isRedirect=true

[Ellusionz]

No you order it online and then go into the store with a paper 20% off. They will credit it back to your card.

I found this coupon online, http://www.dealcatcher.com/images/printable/print_1448735637.png
You can also sign up at bbb's site and get a coupon that way too if that one doesn't work.

[WJPetersen]

All,

This is my first post....so please bear with me if I ask a stupid question....

I just purchased the Echo AND Smartthings hub.  I also purchased an Ecobee Thermostat and 32 Cree connected bulbs.  My hope was to talk to the Echo to control the stuff through the hub.  After playing around a little, this seems to be much more confusing than I thought.  Before I buy dimmers, cameras, door locks, etc - is there a place online that someone can recommend that has step by step instructions on setting all this up (echo through hub)? 

Thank you in advance for your time.

[Blurmeter]

All,

This is my first post....so please bear with me if I ask a stupid question....

I just purchased the Echo AND Smartthings hub.  I also purchased an Ecobee Thermostat and 32 Cree connected bulbs.  My hope was to talk to the Echo to control the stuff through the hub.  After playing around a little, this seems to be much more confusing than I thought.  Before I buy dimmers, cameras, door locks, etc - is there a place online that someone can recommend that has step by step instructions on setting all this up (echo through hub)? 

Thank you in advance for your time.

We (wife and I) have the Echo, Hue Hub, 5 Hue A19s, 10 Crees (Guest Bath, Laundry Room, Garage), and the Ecobee 3. It was fairly easy to set up the bulbs and the Ecobee with the Hue Hub, but for the Crees I had to manually add some of them (through the app) as the Hub/Wifi didn't recognize some immediately (distance from router/hub). Maybe it's similar in your situation? I would look into how to manually add Crees to the Smartthings hub.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Does anyone know if the 'Harmony Hub and IFTTT' is the only current way of integrating Echo with our Smart TV (Samsung Smart TV)?

[whuz]

I use the Echo with Smartthings. I have a few Hue lights (2 bulbs and 2 blooms) that Alexa never gets wrong which is very nice. My other Z-wave bulbs are the GE Link bulbs. These are great at only 14.99 each and you can get them at Home Depot or Lowes.  I was able to buy a bunch with a 15% off coupon.   

[fstbusa]

All,

This is my first post....so please bear with me if I ask a stupid question....

I just purchased the Echo AND Smartthings hub.  I also purchased an Ecobee Thermostat and 32 Cree connected bulbs.  My hope was to talk to the Echo to control the stuff through the hub.  After playing around a little, this seems to be much more confusing than I thought.  Before I buy dimmers, cameras, door locks, etc - is there a place online that someone can recommend that has step by step instructions on setting all this up (echo through hub)? 

Thank you in advance for your time.

My recommendation is to get on the smartthings community forum and search around.... there are alot of threads on getting the echo to work with lights, thermostats, and others.... alot of it may require a smart app or two in addition to custom virtual devices... I am giving an echo to my wife for xmas so I can't quite help you out yet.  I have a smartthings setup and will be able to offer more in a couple weeks.