Wink - Smart Home Reviews

Not right product or technology

Dgurude

If you have purchased the hub, I will suggest you to return now and explore the other products in market instead of this hub. I purchased couple of years back and it never worked as expected. I tried contacting their support and they have very standard answers instead of helping to debug the issue. This is dead investment to purchase the hub and lights. On top of that, they have started the subscription for the same functionality, which was free earlier. After their subscription model, most of the time hub is down or it does not communicate with the app at all. So ended up operating the lights manually. I am throwing this product and exploring other options.

There is no free service.

Not-Mozart

I can’t setup hub without paying a subscription, can’t even initialize it for the very first test. The list of “select products” for free service requires a paid subscription. And then after this deceit, the subscription is $4.99/months, which will cost more then the thing I bought it for in a year. They should at least have a tiered plan, but this is completely absurd. Then beyond that, the software isn’t very robust. For instance, you can group lights but you can’t schedule the groups — you have to schedule each light individually. If you have color temperature lights you cannot independently schedule color temperature changes without scheduling on/off. So far I’m only out about $150 so not sure the pricy subscription with rudimentary automation options is going to work for me in the long run. I’m been using home automation tools for 6 years and I’m am consistently underwhelmed but products and this one is a better than average product in a sea of awful products and inconsistent UX experiences.

Scam product

jesterwingman

I received the link kit light bulbs as a gift from a cell phone provider. Got them home and followed the instructions and won’t let you use them with out a subscription... Sorry but I’m not paying $5 a month for light bulbs that I control with my phone. I will get up and do it myself for that.. Gimmick product.. Spend your money ells ware!

Steer clear - requires subscription

Jrogen

Have had the hub for a few years and now it won’t work with Alexa or off the WiFi. Schedules don’t work, etc. Don’t waste your money on a subscription based piece of hardware.

All I Can Muster

GymyXY

I had a wink hub after first discovering it and the potential it had. This graduated to the Wink Hub2 and I enjoyed seeing ways to automate my home. A huge selling point was the one time cost of the product without a maintenance subscription. I totally understand the need for the recent move to a monthly subscription, but ever since this change the reliability of the platform has evaporated. Automated items in my home now work less often than not. The hub is continuously offline or struggling to find devices. Whomever you hired to do whatever updates you’ve done recently should be kicked in the head and bounced. Whatever happened to the stability? Whatever happened to beta testing prior to roll out so you don’t alienate long time customers? Stop adding crap and fix what you have before it all goes up in smoke. Even though the cost to change out all my devices would be expensive, it’s become almost a necessity. Until Wink has ironed out the nonsensically undependable platform, you’d sadly be wasting your money and time. For the record I’m happy to reevaluate when/if they repair the stability but it’s currently 100% hooey.

Wink wink, buh bye

pgp

I got a wink kit that literally says no subscription required. After a year of not setting up this Christmas gift I’m ready except now there’s a subscription required. I’ll try to use the sensors directly with SmartThings... otherwise to the dump it goes. It was a really cheap kit that cost less than a year’s subscription rate. It’s too bad.

Bait and switch

dmc5007

Buy a light and find out you have to pay $5 a month to dim it.

Terrible

Cr81

Love that i am asked to pay to use a power strip. Thing sucked anyway and is getting thrown away. I hope wink goes away and out of business

Constant issues with app and customer service is slow

Jvatcdc

The app always has issues with upgrades. And customer service is so slow to respond. Do not get any devices with wink as a hub.

Unable to keep up

Dw9173

First it lost ability to evolve with Sensi thermostat. Now it can’t keep up with the new Schlage Connect locks. This is an absolute pain to deal with. Looking for new platform. UPDATE****** I just finished rental season and the latter half of it I was unable to remotely program individual lock codes to Schlage connect locks for short term rentals. Still no fix. I am giving them this off season to get it together, and if not, then trashing the whole thing. Total junk without ability to program lock codes. The apps have their own programmable status (Sensi and others). Don’t need to pay by the month for more junk that is incompatible. Home system is the same. I will find another system that works and post it all over the site, the ratings and posts that generate web feeds to other links. This is BS. UPDATE ****** Just left our short term rental, 7 hours away. Programmed a few lock codes in for upcoming stays. What do I do after that? 14 hour round trips?

Wink - Smart Home Reviews – Page 4