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Author Topic: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?  (Read 81890 times)

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Offline Ashok

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #165 on: March 24, 2016, 08:42:40 am »
@ hashish,

Zigbee works on 2.4 GHz, but Z-wave works completely on a different frequency, which keeps changing from region to region.

Offline rldreams

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #166 on: April 03, 2016, 12:50:01 pm »
Shouldn't be an issue, in the office at Securifi (at least when I worked there), there was a 24-port Gigabit switch that was fully populated and another switch hanging off of that, a NAS, a bunch of computers, a security system, various home automation gateways, about 40-50 wireless devices, and a bunch of other things, plus sensors and it didn't miss a beat.


I think you just hit on the magic number there Mr Lars. I've been doing more upgrades and adding more toys to the house. Added 3 Echo Dots on 3/31.  As of April 1 we're up to 67 active IP leases on A+. Ever since I topped 50 it has gone back to dropping WiFi signal and traffic slowing to a crawl . If streaming music on one of the Echoes or Video to a TV, every other device is for all intensive purposes offline. They might as well be on old 28.8 dial up or late 90s cellular data.
 5G channel is useless, it drops off for from 5-30 second ( just long enough to reset the tablets monitoring IP cameras ) every 10-15 minutes until I reboot A+. Then it will be stable for a day or two, and then go back to cycling on/off again until I reboot it again.  Let me clarify the Tablet 5' from the A+ monitoring IP cams almost never loses connection. The tablet 15' from the router monitoring IP cams constantly loses connection just long enough to drop signal from cameras.  Using WiFi analyzer on tablet, I can watch the 5G signal cycle on/off . It looks like a heart rate monitor that flatlines every few minutes
It has gotten so bad that we have disabled wifi on our phones and tablets that have mobile data, because wifi in the house is so unstable. To control Harmony, Hue or TCP lights in their native apps I have to connect over 4G through the cloud. Which disables 1/2 of the functionality ,because a lot of functions require you to be on same LAN. Sometimes if device is on 5g I can connect to the hubs that are all on 2.4 or Cat6. If device is on 2.4 it will never connect, just spins until it times out.

 Surprisingly I can use the ST app over LAN without any issues. Hub is on Cat6 and  it doesn't matter whether control device is on 2.4g or 5g.
 Network printer on static IP Cat6 has to be rebooted before it can be connected to by hardwired computers, but laptop on 2.4g finds it fine every time.

Offline cmccallu

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #167 on: April 24, 2016, 02:42:46 am »
For me the product is not much much dead but as time moves on many of it's functions are getting replaced with our devices. For example I recently install a UniFi AP-AC-Pro and the wifi performance leaves the Almond+ in it's dust. Basically mine is only now a nice switch and limited sensors.

 

Offline rldreams

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #168 on: April 24, 2016, 11:55:10 am »
For me the product is not much much dead but as time moves on many of it's functions are getting replaced with our devices. For example I recently install a UniFi AP-AC-Pro and the wifi performance leaves the Almond+ in it's dust. Basically mine is only now a nice switch and limited sensors.

I've said that before, they make a nice ( if overly expensive) clock ( with a built in network switch)  to sit on the desk.  They just need to add an alarm or timer function.

Offline cmccallu

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #169 on: April 28, 2016, 06:46:21 am »
I've said that before, they make a nice ( if overly expensive) clock ( with a built in network switch)  to sit on the desk.  They just need to add an alarm or timer function.

Yep mine could end up like that in time! I have it hanging off one of the network ports in the house and have a slower network devices e.g. sonos bridge, pi & ATV3 sharing the 1 GB. 

Offline obmd1

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #170 on: April 28, 2016, 04:10:46 pm »
That's what I had done with mine until a short time ago. It was feeding my Ring video doorbell exclusively. The constantly dropped connection/slow speed made this no longer feasible.


Offline SecureComp

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Re: Is this product dead? Should I write off my investment and move on?
« Reply #171 on: April 28, 2016, 05:26:55 pm »
I think these kinds of characterizations are really overstating the problems folks have had.

Understanding that folks with loaded up, 150+ sensor environments, have migrated to another automation hub is one thing, calling the Almond+ an alarm clock is another.

As an example, I'm  a Kickstarter Backer and have been using my A+ since day 1 as a full time WiFi Router and Home Automation Hub. Utilizing both bands on a daily, full time basis for video streaming and data use. I work at home for the most part and it is a critical piece of infrastructure that has not failed me as WiFi Router, not once. Perhaps that day will come but it hasn't yet.

Using several dozen sensors has been enough for me to generate dozens of rules and scenes that have complimented my home automation goals nicely. Not as complex as some installations to be sure but far more than the average home at this point in time.

What I'm really looking forward to is expanding my WiFi range and meshing a second controller to increase range in my setup and that of a few family members.

Automated lighting systems that respond to my departure or arrival and respond differently when various family members arrive or depart are just some of the features I have enjoyed implementing. Security systems and the ability to monitor and control sensor remotely via my smartphone or tablet have been useful on many occasions, especially when on vacation.

Would I like integrated video monitoring, yes. Is it a show stopper? No. My phone has a couple hundred apps on it already, 1 more doesn't make a difference and isn't exactly a hardship to use.

WiFi coverage issues are easily worked with various solutions that are and have been common place for years and years. A compact form factor without an external antennae shouldn't be expected to blow the industry out of the water with super amazing coverage. I have found it no worse and in cases, better than the well known WiFi router it replaced.

And for the folks complaining about WiFi drop outs based on smartphone WiFi analyzers, those observations are nearly irrelevant. If you have  device lose connectivity, I get it and that stinks but smartphone WiFi analyzers are notoriously poor tools in the world of professional heat mapping of WiFi networks.

Here's an example of a rock solid WiFi network that you average smartphone user would think has major issues.

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Securifi Wiki Editor and Beta Tester, Not a Securifi employee
Almond+, many sensors, IOS App, Android Apps and Widgets

 

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