Advice requested: which smart home system?

[Peanudt]

I found a few interesting smart home products, but cannot figure out what system works well. Read some reviews, but those were more advertisements then reviews .
Can anybody on this forum advice or share there experience with these systems?

Want to start with some security components and maybe later on extend with other types of products.
The systems I came accross:

- Smartthings
- RWE Smart Home
- Revolv
- Qivicon
- Home Wizard

Thanks.

[raymonvdm]

Fibaro:

My advice would be the Fibaro Home Center Lite. It uses Z-WAVE devices and z-wave is based on a mash network topologie. So less change of signal reception issues.


Smartthings:

Also seems to be talking Z-Wave but looks cloud based.

The SmartThings Hub is the brain that turns your world into an internet of things. Your SmartThings Hub provides connectivity to other SmartThings, third party devices, and the SmartThings cloud via an Ethernet cable. This micro-USB powered station currently supports ZigBee, Z-Wave and IP-accessible devices. The SmartThings Hub is intended for indoor use only and should never be fed after midnight.

RWE Smart Home

Also seems to be cloud based

As soon as the RWE SmartHome central control unit has established an online connection to the RWE SmartHome data centre, a 10-digit PIN number appears on the display. Make a note of this PIN – you will need it to set up your home automation system. Then go to www.rwe-smarthome.de/ersteinrichtung. An installation wizard will guide you through the rest of the configuration, step by step.

Home Wizard

Uses 433Mhz which is only capable of sending command. It cannot poll a device for its status

[b_weijenberg]

It depends also on the products you need to control/receive, Fibaro for example is not able to control and receive 433.92Mhz equipment or Somfy.

complete systems with 433.92 and Z-Wave and Somfy:
VERA
Homeseer

Build it yourself with 433.92 and Z-Wave and Somfy:
DomotiGa
Domoticz
FHEM
OpenHAB
Open Source Automation

[Peanudt]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I am not up to the challenge to build a system myself, so I will stick to a commercial package. Will look into Vera, Honeseer and Fibaro.

- &Raymon: what is the downside of a cloud based system?

[raymonvdm]

The downside of the cloud based solution is the cloud. Als long as the cloud is available your system works but if your internet fails the cloud is gone.

Fibaro and HomeSeer are stand alone devices which do not need a cloud to work. Another issue with cloud based systems could be privacy related

http://www.cepis.org/index.jsp?p=641&n=825&a=4758

There seems to be no area of ICT that is not affected by Cloud Computing. Two main issues exist with
security and privacy aspects of Cloud Computing:
1. loss of control over data and
2. dependence on the Cloud Computing provider.

These two issues can lead to a number of legal and security concerns related to infrastructure, identity
management, access control, risk management, regulatory and legislative compliance, auditing and
logging, integrity control as well as Cloud Computing provider dependent risks. - See more at: http://www.cepis.org/index.jsp?p=641&n= ... GsDYz.dpuf