wink issues

[renegade600]

I have a wink hub and have been having problems with it for the past month when using with tcp connected bulbs.  For the third time I had to reconnect those bulbs to the wink hub so it will work with the echo.  The bad thing is it creates a second set of bulb icons in the android app so I have to manually delete each bulb that has lost its connection.  In addition, I have to get the echo to rediscover again.  This also leaves a second set of connected devices on the echo that I have to manually individually click to forget.   Though there are only 13 tcp connected bulbs, it gets to be a pain.

Is there an easier way to do all the above. 

[mike27oct]

Could it be a wireless signal issue (i.e. location)? 
Can the hub connect either way? Is it connected via wire?  If so, I am out of quick and easy ideas for now.  Good luck. Oh, one other idea: Could the hub be going bad in any way?

[renegade600]

the problems started after an update with tcp connected android app a few weeks ago.  in addition, I have been running the tcp connected bulbs without the wink hub once they were discovered by the echo.  The wink hub was setting in a closet since last June though that  changed yesterday when I started having problems again.  It could be something started calling home recently and needed to see the wink hub.   

I guess it is what happens when you connect to a third party hub to get things rolling through the echo.  Main thing I was wanting to know if there was an easier way to delete 13 unconnected bulbs that were replaced on both the wink hub and the echo.  It is slow rolling when you have to select a device and have to go through several screens to delete or forget when it happens.

Thanks

[lennyp]

There was just an update to the Wink hub where it now runs locally (no internet access required for controlling devices).  It should have loaded automatically, but maybe causing some issues?

[mike27oct]

OK, got it, no Internet needed, but it does need network access I would think, and that requires some sort of connection. wired or wireless, and that is the connection I was referring to.  Is that OK? Does it show on your router connections, etc?

[renegade600]

OK, got it, no Internet needed, but it does need network access I would think, and that requires some sort of connection. wired or wireless, and that is the connection I was referring to.  Is that OK? Does it show on your router connections, etc?

I don't think it is an network or router issue.  All connections seem fine - even with the wink.  The wink hub is about 20 feet across the same room from the router.  One of the first things I did was a power cycle on the modem, router, hub and echo to make sure it was not the issue.  Network strengh is normal.  I am not losing wifi connections on any of my other devices or computers. 

 I have been thinking about upgrading the router from an n600 to an ac1900 but it is hard to part with that 200 bucks.  Based on the current quality of my network - it is more of a want, not a need.   

[mike27oct]

Hey, ALL of this stuff is a want, not a need, but we often don't feel that way!   

I am not getting an AC router until I have enough important devices that can handle AC. Anyway, anything I can wire to network, I do.  Meanwhile, my ASUS dual band RT-N66U, only a few years old, does a great job (even has an app for accessing my entire home network from anywhere).  Since it was my first N router, I researched them well and decided on ASUS, because they were highly rated in PC Mag and elsewhere.  I bought a lesser model ASUS at first, but the range was marginal, so I returned it and bought the pricier model specifically rated by PC Mag as Editor's Choice.  One reason it was highly rated was because it was declared one of the longest-ranged routers around. 

[lennyp]

   The culprit might be the bulbs.  I have come across comments about the TCP connected bulbs losing connectivity and it seemed to be the bulbs after initial success.  I don't have them in my setup, so I am not speaking from experience.  I normally would not expect 13 bulbs to all have issues.  I also wish we did not need all these hubs, just adds more points of failure and over-complicates things.

   I also use the ASUS RT-N66U with my Wink over 20' away.  It works fine with my echo, Caseta switches, and Harmony hub.  It does have issues occassionally with my Hue hub V1 and I can get the duplication issue.  I actually had to manually enter the serial numbers for my Hue bulbs for my Hue hub to identify them (seems to be very weak connection there and forces everything to use G networking).

[renegade600]

   The culprit might be the bulbs.  I have come across comments about the TCP connected bulbs losing connectivity and it seemed to be the bulbs after initial success.  I don't have them in my setup, so I am not speaking from experience.  I normally would not expect 13 bulbs to all have issues.  I also wish we did not need all these hubs, just adds more points of failure and over-complicates things.
 

That could be true, I had the tcp connected bulbs long before getting the echo.  I also had the echo almost a month before tcp bulbs was compatible using the wink hub.  I believe most of the bulbs are first generation.   If I were not living in an apartment, and if the light switches had a neutral wire, I would be changing out the bulbs to wemo light switches.  This way I would not need the wink hub or the tcp connected gateway and would be connected direct.   I also would not have to worry about guests using the light switches to turn off the bulbs thus not being able to use the echo until manually flip the switch again. 

[mike27oct]

I don't want to clog up this thread with off-topic stuff, other than to tell other person using RT-N66U that even though it has a great signal, it doesn't reach all nooks and crannies of house, so I use a few range extenders to get the complete house covered; especially with 5G.  If you want to know more, send me a PM.