Happy Saturday everyone! Home Assistant for beginners! 😳 If you're interested in buying one then they're at the link below... BUY THE LINKNLINK ISG MAX HERE: I will earn commission at no cost to you if you buy through the below link 😊 Discount code: PAULISGMAX GLOBAL: shop.linknlink.com/products/linknlink-isg-display-max
4 місяці тому+6
Sorry this time, I bought the older LinknLink iSG three months ago, but it was never sent, so I won't fall for it again...
Congratulations, you are cured! You were able to say Philips hue in the beginning without gagging. I know it was a long and hard recovery but we are all proud of you!
Nooo! There’s been a transporter accident and the real or “good” Paul Hibbert is currently stranded in the pattern buffers or subspace or summink. This one is talking about girls when our Paul has the greatest wife and sprog imaginable. Get a hypospray stat! 8:32 it’s okay, they’re both there. 😂 13:52 can’t believe he used the transporter after the *incident* but the chair is empty and our Paul at least seems to be back to “normal” again (displaying some minor glitching). What a rollercoaster of an episode.
It is almost 6 months now since i have started my home automation journey and i have nailed it since the begining, my house is running great, wife factor is very high, i still watch these channels but i don;t need anything from any companies unless is 100% locally controlled, no subscription, no batteries.
@@inderveerjohal7218 Sure, just don't tell Paul. :) My smart home automation is Home Assistant based. I am running it on an old miniature PC, a Lenovo Tiny Desktop (can find these for 50 EURO or less). CPU will idle at 1%, never needed active cooling, 1GB RAM memory used of the total 8GB. You will have to replace the storage, buy yourself the best Samsung SSD, the smallest capacity PRO version is the way to go. Consider replacing the storage every 5 years, it will wear out (competition SSD... there is no competition). Myself bought 2 spare disks and one spare Tiny Desktop just to be sure I will have the hardware needed for the next 10 years. Initially I wasn't considering Home Assistant as a platform, but H.A. grew into a mature system and with every update I can see they are getting better and better. I am running H.A. with Dynamic DNS on my phones so I don'y have to pay for a subscription. Check with your ISP, in some cases they will offer free Dynamic DNS. For networking I am using Ubiquiti hardware, Unifi router Dream Machine PRO, Unifi PoE switch for cameras and stuff, Unifi cameras and Unifi wireless AP's. These do integrate well with H.A. For network storage I am using one Synology 220+ NAS, H.A. backup will be done on this unit. For smart plugs I am using Delock german MQTT plugs, they need to be updates right out of the box with Tasmota OS, but other than that they are excellent, stable and locally controlled. For lighting efects I am using Yeelight (thanks Paul) products. To keep compatibility with the old and non-smart house and lights, I am using Shelly switches so it will work even if the smart home goes down. Sliding gate is from an Italian company called NICE. NICE products can be integrated only with Apple integration via H.A. butt it just works. :) Heating is controlled with TADO ellements. Solar power inverter is Fronius. Broadlink remote RM4 PRO, learning it atm. Got a Google ChromeCast HS for my old TV, perfect fit, can stream music, movies and pictures to it from devices and Synology storage, one Yamaha music Network Player completely controlled over H.A., what else... I can wake computers via WOL, can set automations with Android Phone App integration, let's say when I enter a zone such as a Shopping mall, I can flash my lights at home so mrs. will know that... Built muself a simple garden watering system with smart plugs and electric valves, cheap and working well, no expensive programming units. If i continue writing, i will start my own channel hahaha. You got the idea.
What I trully am waiting to see is a hub that is truly everything. Modem, router, smart home hub, IR RF control, voice assistant, and all of the protocols!
Perhaps with your manly ways since you make women swoon, you can suggest they allow adding open-apurce AI to it...since that can be added to the raspberry !
Awesome review, I watched it last week pondered a little, and set up HA on virtual box, then lost hours of my life to a Zigbee dongle I climbed out of Rabit hole, temporarily, and went ahead and purchased using your code, yes I know, should have listened to you 😂
I have one (previous version offcourse) Maybe good thing to add is that it is not the supervisor version of HA, so no addon's. I can't get my google nest bell and thermostat to work because the cloud can't find the ISG. Connecting with visual code is not possible to change yaml files because SSHs not enabled on the intern HA of ISG. And changing yaml files on the intern HA editor is really oldschool 😄 (Yes Paul, I still talk to girls 😜) It looks indeed good for beginners, but if you have HA on a nuc/rasberry, I suggest to wait a bit before changing it...
The custom background and the auto close on the menu were things I suggested and they went forward with which is super awesome, it has been a bit of a journey to get things going well but LinknLink have been fabulous about answering questions and taking on feedback throughout ❤
Just bought an A9+ galaxy tab in ‘deals’ on the yacht shop. 3d printed a white wall mount. I’ve ‘literally’ unboxed it and put on charge. For a wall mounted HA to my existing real basic HA I’ll follow that ‘very Scottish bloke’ guide and hammer through it. The screen in this video looks like a 90’s swan cctv monitor lol. Fantastic vid thanks for another belter. This would be so attractive, if the screen was also attractive!
Love my LinknLink kit, ever since the first motion sensors, (looking forward to the new presence sensors that should be arriving in the mail shortly too!) - thanks Paul for first putting me onto them! The ISG is a really neat bit of kit - although I've yet to fully move over due to the lack of Add-Ons in Home Assistant (something they've just started to address in their latest release) - but not sure how I feel now they have released this... the ISG tablet is a bit on the slow side at times, so this is definitely something I need to upgrade now!! LinknLink are a great company, like you say, they listen and react, unlike many other companies!! Hoping you'll review the new presence sensors in the coming weeks!? Thanks!
As you have one, a couple of question if you don't mind: 1. Can you add Aqara kit without having an Aqara hub? 2. Does this device still produce a webpage that you can access from other machines on the network, or remotely? I have a couple of friends that keep considering HA but it's getting them to actually do it, this looks much simpler.
@@gordon861 ive just got this as a christmas gift.... I wouldnt recommend it based upon my experience. I've spent all of my boxing day faffing around trying to get it to do something useful, and failed. It gets into boot loops for hours on end, there is no physical reset either. Definitely NOT plug-n-play as implied, a very disappointing and stressful experience so far, I wouldnt recommend it.
Do we know if LinknLink are contributing back to Nabu Casa or the Open Home Foundation? Not that they have to, Home Assistant is open after all, it just seems the responsible thing to do. Especially since this product couldn't exist without Home Assistant.
Two notes. It seems it’s matter over wifi not matter over thread so this will limit significantly devices you could connect. Unless it’s via thread but couldn’t find confirmation. Now more important, their service instead of Nabu Casa. Although it’s allowed, this is exactly what is killing open source, check what happened to Terraform and moving from OS to BSL license. Dear linknlink, if you are doing this, contribute back to home assistant. If not, in a few years, HA will disappear
I’ve had no luck with my linknlink. I have home assistant green and pairing to devices that are already on my Apple HomeKit was a breeze. But linknlink doesn’t seem to try to pair. So if there’s. New one that does what I need …. Great but I’m not buying another one 😒
the ha service with ports is so you can access the system outside of your network, maybe even bin to a domain. and its also so you can view things on your smart tv
Due to your review I purchased this kit. I went to setup HA several times and my last one corrupted as usual. So having to start fresh I took the plunge and got this and the fast it has Alexa skills makes it worth while also.
Wow. What an awesome product hey. Sounds like it still needs some work but it’s about time there was a product with Home Assistant in it out of the box. Yet another great video Mr. Thanks 🙏.
hi there I bought the isg max but I can't connect ha with my aqara M2 hub and all the devices they are connected to.i tried with Xiaomi aqara integration and also via matter in beta version.is there another way?
I actually have this from the Kickstarter they ran a while back. I don't have it set up because the instructions for someone new to all of this were just terrible when I got it, and I just never got around to trying again. I loved the Johnny 5 cameo. He's still one of my favorite robot designs.
Well I have just received onr of the nrw modeld as a christmas gift and can report thar is has not got any more intuitive....it is a nightmare. Certainly NOT plug-n-play as implied. Its looking lkke being another expensive cheap piece of plastic loitering around my home.
I don't understand what I showed on camera that has turned out to not be true for you. 🤔 I am so confused by this comment. Loads of stuff can be added via their main interface using the most basic wizard imaginable, and for everything else Home Assistant is about 3 clicks away, as demonstrated in the video 🤷
I feel like one of those guys who can be smug about not jumping on the KickStarter for the original model! It sounds like this new one is far superior and would give me the option of doing smart home stuff without the hassle of constantly faffing with HA. I’d like Matter to be improved more, especially since Flic have FINALLY sorted theirs out, and I can live without Z-Wave for the time being, but on the whole this sounds much better. And to think I was on the verge of giving up on it altogether as I’ll be moving house soon and I wasn’t sure if I could be bothered to do it all again
The Kickstarter one got all the software upgrades. He also missed that they updated to OTA updates months ago. Only thing it doesn't have is the internal zigbee. CPU is also slower. This video didn't make me regret my Kickstarter buy.
This couldnt come more better.. i just got my new house and im going to smartify it.. I have the linknlink e hub in my 2nd house (thats a smaller house on the property) and thats one of the mvp there.. So im going to order this one right away 😍
Paul, I have to say, I purchased the ISG following your review earlier this year. Took months to arrive and within 5 minutes I had outgrown it and just wanted to get rid of the ISG software and only use the Home Assistant backend. And this was my first forray out of just using Alexa.
I mean, it's a pretty good jumping off point then right? Anyone who is capable of doing the raspberry Pi thing could probably skip this device, but considering the cost of the components to achieve what the ISG does it's never going to be a decision anyone should regret. It has Home Assistant built in so I don't know how you can really "grow out of it", what are you growing into?
A UI/Dashboard I don't have to spend hours, or weeks making and maintaining, is the only thing that's been holding me back from deploying Home Assistant FOR OTHER PEOPLE. The hardware/server and radios are easy, but I don't know anyone that can handle maintaining Home Assistant themselves - and I'm not going to tie myself to being the daily support person.
WiFi devices such as shelly work in home assistant. Tuya smartlife devices can be added direct to the linknlink dashboard. Govee have a home assistant integration too so that would work, though the Govee integration isn't without it's issues for some devices (in any version of home assistant on any device) No Bluetooth sadly
Help!! I guess it’s probably because I still talk to girls… But I cannot get Home Assistant to work on this. When I attempt to login to HA, it does not give me an option to create a Home Assistant account (which I do not have yet). When I go to the Home Assistant website, it looks like you can only create an account when you build a new HA device. What am I missing?? 😭😭 Thanks.
If you install Samba share add on on the built in HA, access Config directory, do the same on your existing HA and simply copy paste. or.. backup and restore from your original HA?
i dont understand how this works locally when the linknlink presence sensors I bought off your recommendation dont function at all without constant access to the internet?
Were they advertised as working locally? It's been a while but I thought they were local 🤔 Either way this is a different product and is definitely local for a y device that is connected to it locally. It is of course possible to connect cloud devices to the home assistant portion of the OS
I keep hoping that Aqara will bring out something similar to this. Not sure you really need a fixed screen when everyone has a mobile phone with them all the time, and a tablet/computer at home. And the whole point of 'smart' is that you don't have to keep pressing buttons, or all you get is a remote control.
Nice video as usual Paul. I think having the two system setup is a little clunky, definitely think Home Assistant has become more user friendly to the point that Home Assistant Green is a great option for new folks.
Hi Paul. Love your videos, great work. Look forward to them every week. Over the years I have ended up with bulbs, lights, blinds, pretty much anything with the switch, but from different companies. For example Tabo, Tuya, Eufy plus some I can't even remember. Would this allow me to control all of those from Alexa using home assistant, and how easy are things to install? Do you have to do this stupid download the app, connect to the network malarkey which drives me up the wall?
Quick question, can I customize my dashboard (for example use the virtual version of my home I actually use) as with my current tablets? Or is it just as it looks?
I think once Homey launches Dashboards before the end of this year, these kinds of really ugly third party devices are going to get tired pretty fast for people more interested in convenience. Being able to run tons of devices totally locally though is very cool.
@@paulhibbert The price difference between this, home assistant and a zwave dongle vs Homey Pro is pretty negligible to be honest. That second comment is just a meaningless whataboutery statement. You don't trust the company that's fine, but it's not an argument that stacks up. Do you trust your gas and electric supplier, water supplier, ISP, TV manufacturer, supermarket you shop at, the airline you fly most frequently with? I could go on and on and on. Meta just got outed recently for listening to conversations. Will you stop using Instagram now to promote your channel? Meta can't be trusted, right?
LinknLink do a subscription based companion app to have their dashboard on more than one device, but if you're comfortable with home assistant you would just access home assistants dashboard from another tablet
Paul, old chum, I have a challenge for you…. From be a wireless wall switch (UK), which can turn on and off Novostella wifi garden lights which are added to the Smart Life app. Sounds easy, right?! Well, I have switches from Aqara, Moes and more and can’t even do this simple thing through paid IFTTT due to IFTTT only showing my second (work) location of Smart Things. This should be the simplest thing in smart home tech but it seems impossible!
Is anyone else finding the ISG Max to be as useful as a brick? I received this the other day and 50% of the Addons require ISG Software to be minimum 20128 but you can only get 20127. Version 20131 is greyed out. Feel really let down Paul, sorry.
Yep, I received this as a christmas....utter junk. Its NIT plug n play, major headache trying to get it configured, zero linknlink support. Even the linknlink app has been removed from play store....uts not looking good for this company.
I wonder how many of your Zigbee lights could pair to your philips hue bridge? I just moved the last of all my zigbee to either Hue, or Ikea's Dirigibilityboo hub. Now with Matter I can connect to Home Assistant, Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa all at the same time, FREE, LOCAL and No cloud.
it's good that you can remote control an existing install of Home Assistant. If you've got your super-deluxe server with Home Assisstant fully decked out, with plugins like Frigate, Music Assitant, NodeRed, etc... it might not be able to run smoothly anymore. With the remote control option however...
Depends how far you go with the home assistant portion of the OS. If you setup very complicated things in home assistant then you might run into the same issues as if you setup complicated thing in home assistant on a raspberry pi
@@paulhibbert yeah it's pretty cool. It sounds like it functions the same as that device in your video. I can actually use Google voice commands to control my various zigbee devices. it talks to my NUC to issue the command
I don’t suppose you do smart home consultancy?? I am fully renovating a house and like the idea of some smart elements - the problem is I have no idea where to start. I’m not a tech geek, but have very much enjoyed your videos having discovered them a few days ago and now have an idea of the sort of things that would work for us as a family.
Only if you have already set up a Home Assistant account. iSG doesn't have a Home Assistant out of the box without linking your Home Assistant account.
Question. Are tuya devices local then in linknlink or is it still through tuya cloud. If its local is it possible to be an easier option for HA only to add tuya local than the way HA tuya local works ?
Bang on bud, that's what I was trying to explain in the video, you can connect tuya devices locally to the ISG part of the OS and they appear in home assistant 😁
Can the ISG dashboard software be run on a Raspberry Pi? I;ve got the USB LinknLink thing you told me to get but it has been of no use to me at all yet.
@@paulhibbertI've got HA on my RPi already - it was incredibly hard to get HA to run with HACS and also raun a GUI so my python code would work. So, I gave up and now use two Pis. The USB thing is the eHub. I've got a mad desire to make it all work with Alexa. I have written code that sends MQTT messages between my control apps, I want alexa to slot in to that. Also, the movement sensor - radar - is better than the PIR I have on the RPis. That's why.
Unfortunately I ordered the original ISG and it was non functional. The OS worked but HA and the other companion software never worked, couldn't do firmware updates, etc. Nice to see the changes/upgrades though.
Hi, all Just a couple of quick questions: Running HA on this device through the apk compared to a Pi or HA yellow. Is a HA reboot noticably faster? When linking devices from HA to linkninlink isg dashboard will it recognise, control and expose to smart assistants more niche devices for examlpe tuyalocal lawn mowers, roborock vacuums, locks e.tc. or is it just the standard lights, switches, blinds etc.?
Good questions, I don't note any obvious difference in the speed of a reboot, but then my pi is reasonably quick at rebooting my particular instance, your instance may vary I suppose. You're right to question which devices will transfer across as it is the primary stuff, LinknLink are making efforts to expand this list all the time though
Another Saturday, more Hibbert! ❤ Looks like a solid product....but it definitely raises the question on whether this is actually good for Home Assistant's development and is it just taking advantage of their free nature. Bypassing a revenue stream of Nabu Casa's isn't a good look.
Regarding importing from an existing HA instance, couldn't you backup on the original HA and restore in the Linknlink? In theory this should work, right?
zigbee devices may be problematic. I think it's possible to backup ieee address and network id so devices will basically reconnect automatically. Worked here going from one device to another doing a Home Assistant backup (including ZHA) and everything started working again after a few minutes basically once the sensors became activated by motion or open/close etc.
really good product for begginers, I think it was a bit rushed, sounds like most problems will be solved by october, so maybe would have kept this review till then!
Are you saying that the one I have (from 3 months ago) that's I've done nothing with yet can't have the software upgraded to do all this? Surely all these software changes are applicable to the original one and the only real difference is CPU size, built in ZigBee and 5G wifi, none of which are absolutely necessary
I would like to think so. I had a lot going on that week so never got round to getting the original back out to see what software updates there had been but the Facebook group is REALLY active for people that own the existing one with plenty of interaction from LinknLink engineers so I'd like to think they will be continuing to provide the software updates to both
@@paulhibbert the versions on yours are higher than what I can download. Mine are currently 20098, 100009. There is a slight later iSG version but on beta. Yours is showing 20115
They have updated it. From the original, you will need to put your updates on USB to start. They added OTA a few months ago. Firmware & HA have changed a bunch since launch.
The problem as I see it is they have to continuously update this thing to work with new devices. They also have the ongoing costs of running a server for their remote access solution and a software update server. That means continual software engineering and server costs with only upfront revenue on sales. Eventally costs will exceed revenue... then what? Either a subscription fee or...?
It doesn't need to be continuously updated. It's local and it's ZigBee and matter enabled. Unless the industry releases yet another protocol, but of course every hub in the market has that possible pit fall. As for revenue being eventually exceeded by cost, this is also true of every company out there offering free cloud support with one key difference, it won't be bricked. It would still function for local automations AND there is Home Assistants Nabu Casa as a backup for cloud support and Alexa/Google/home kit integration. Of all the devices on the market that offer free cloud this one is the safest bet as it has a backup solution in Nabu Casa
@@paulhibbert As I see it their Matter and Tuya support relies on supporting individual devices which is why I said they need to continually update it. If it's just "Matter" and "Tuya" then all devices would already be supported. They're not, are they?
@@mondotv4216 I see what you're saying. Yeah that makes sense but at the rate they've been updating I have faith their Matter drivers will support the vast majority of device types long before they run out of money. It's not individual devices, it's individual device types.
Unless they changed, using the app was a subscription, with one year free. They can also use the Android approach of only providing updates for a certain period of time.
Bit of a noob question: will this work with all my random wifi bulbs and pugs I currently use via Alexa? Can I also use it for my Hive heating, Ring door bell, Blink cameras etc. Thanks
There’s no hope for me, there’s still so much I was confused about and while it connects or has HA pre installed I still don’t get how to play around with HA. Just gonna stay in my corner and hope HomeKit makes it simple for me I guess, until I can find an in person course to teach me HA I don’t think I’m capable.
Maybe I'm the Lone Ranger on this but I just don't like the idea of a sizable dashboard that resides in a particular place in your home. It seems like I'm always the farthest possible distance away when I want to make a change in the temperature or lighting or whatever. Admittedly that isn't very often once it is set up but I'm old and fussy. If it could be installed on a larger cell phone or small tablet I'd be first in line. Do you know if that is on the horizon?
Hi Paul, First the hook. Amazing video as usual. That good in fact I’ve bought one. Can you provide any links to set the thing up. For example home assistant, how the hell do you login, do you need MQTT broker and Zigbee 2MQTT or any other addons? How are they configured
Happy Saturday everyone! Home Assistant for beginners! 😳 If you're interested in buying one then they're at the link below...
BUY THE LINKNLINK ISG MAX HERE:
I will earn commission at no cost to you if you buy through the below link 😊
Discount code: PAULISGMAX
GLOBAL: shop.linknlink.com/products/linknlink-isg-display-max
Sorry this time, I bought the older LinknLink iSG three months ago, but it was never sent, so I won't fall for it again...
Paul
Do you know if I will need to pay you UK import tax if I purchase one?
I REALLY want one !!!!!
@@paulhibbert have a mint weekend 👊
Not sure about import tax, you could ask LinknLink. I didn't have to pay any when they shipped it to me
Hey Paul. Do you know if they explain somewhere what all the slightly different product options are? i.e. eRemote, eMotion, eRemote TV kit. Cheers!
Congratulations, you are cured! You were able to say Philips hue in the beginning without gagging. I know it was a long and hard recovery but we are all proud of you!
Nooo! There’s been a transporter accident and the real or “good” Paul Hibbert is currently stranded in the pattern buffers or subspace or summink. This one is talking about girls when our Paul has the greatest wife and sprog imaginable. Get a hypospray stat!
8:32 it’s okay, they’re both there. 😂
13:52 can’t believe he used the transporter after the *incident* but the chair is empty and our Paul at least seems to be back to “normal” again (displaying some minor glitching). What a rollercoaster of an episode.
Wasn't him it was his evil twin mister Binkie😉
@@magnus33john plot twist, both versions are evil 😬
@@paulhibbert Mirror universe all over again🤔
Hi Paul. Great video as always. One thing I didn't like was the wide bezel on the display.
Its the thick bezels that put me off. Also a wall-mount would be nice
It is almost 6 months now since i have started my home automation journey and i have nailed it since the begining, my house is running great, wife factor is very high, i still watch these channels but i don;t need anything from any companies unless is 100% locally controlled, no subscription, no batteries.
Good work dude
Can you give an overview of your setup please? Would be really useful!
@@inderveerjohal7218 Sure, just don't tell Paul. :) My smart home automation is Home Assistant based. I am running it on an old miniature PC, a Lenovo Tiny Desktop (can find these for 50 EURO or less). CPU will idle at 1%, never needed active cooling, 1GB RAM memory used of the total 8GB. You will have to replace the storage, buy yourself the best Samsung SSD, the smallest capacity PRO version is the way to go. Consider replacing the storage every 5 years, it will wear out (competition SSD... there is no competition). Myself bought 2 spare disks and one spare Tiny Desktop just to be sure I will have the hardware needed for the next 10 years. Initially I wasn't considering Home Assistant as a platform, but H.A. grew into a mature system and with every update I can see they are getting better and better. I am running H.A. with Dynamic DNS on my phones so I don'y have to pay for a subscription. Check with your ISP, in some cases they will offer free Dynamic DNS. For networking I am using Ubiquiti hardware, Unifi router Dream Machine PRO, Unifi PoE switch for cameras and stuff, Unifi cameras and Unifi wireless AP's. These do integrate well with H.A. For network storage I am using one Synology 220+ NAS, H.A. backup will be done on this unit. For smart plugs I am using Delock german MQTT plugs, they need to be updates right out of the box with Tasmota OS, but other than that they are excellent, stable and locally controlled. For lighting efects I am using Yeelight (thanks Paul) products. To keep compatibility with the old and non-smart house and lights, I am using Shelly switches so it will work even if the smart home goes down. Sliding gate is from an Italian company called NICE. NICE products can be integrated only with Apple integration via H.A. butt it just works. :) Heating is controlled with TADO ellements. Solar power inverter is Fronius. Broadlink remote RM4 PRO, learning it atm. Got a Google ChromeCast HS for my old TV, perfect fit, can stream music, movies and pictures to it from devices and Synology storage, one Yamaha music Network Player completely controlled over H.A., what else... I can wake computers via WOL, can set automations with Android Phone App integration, let's say when I enter a zone such as a Shopping mall, I can flash my lights at home so mrs. will know that... Built muself a simple garden watering system with smart plugs and electric valves, cheap and working well, no expensive programming units. If i continue writing, i will start my own channel hahaha. You got the idea.
@@paulhibbert Will you stop loving me if I tell you my system is H.A. based? :) don't read the comments bellow :)
What I trully am waiting to see is a hub that is truly everything. Modem, router, smart home hub, IR RF control, voice assistant, and all of the protocols!
It's a nice thought though I do wonder how good it would be at each thing, Jack of all trades master of none and all that
Plus everything in one device is worrying from a redundancy standpoint. One device breaks and you are in the stone ages.
Thanks!
Thanks so much dude!
Love your transporter effect Paul and also the comedy.
The item was good as well! 👍🏻
Seeing your nice LCARS dashboard run on that hideous browser with the tabs and address bar always visible almost broke my heart.
navigation bar on bottom has to go, too :D
Perhaps with your manly ways since you make women swoon, you can suggest they allow adding open-apurce AI to it...since that can be added to the raspberry !
I should have made it clear it was only there because I was browsing about setting stuff up! That can all be hidden!
Awesome review, I watched it last week pondered a little, and set up HA on virtual box, then lost hours of my life to a Zigbee dongle I climbed out of Rabit hole, temporarily, and went ahead and purchased using your code, yes I know, should have listened to you 😂
I have one (previous version offcourse) Maybe good thing to add is that it is not the supervisor version of HA, so no addon's. I can't get my google nest bell and thermostat to work because the cloud can't find the ISG. Connecting with visual code is not possible to change yaml files because SSHs not enabled on the intern HA of ISG. And changing yaml files on the intern HA editor is really oldschool 😄 (Yes Paul, I still talk to girls 😜) It looks indeed good for beginners, but if you have HA on a nuc/rasberry, I suggest to wait a bit before changing it...
Sadly, not good for beginners at all as far as my experience goes... I'm No novice but this thing is a PITA
The custom background and the auto close on the menu were things I suggested and they went forward with which is super awesome, it has been a bit of a journey to get things going well but LinknLink have been fabulous about answering questions and taking on feedback throughout ❤
Really reassuring to hear that 😊 they've always been good to me but it's nice to hear they're good to the customers too
Just bought an A9+ galaxy tab in ‘deals’ on the yacht shop. 3d printed a white wall mount. I’ve ‘literally’ unboxed it and put on charge. For a wall mounted HA to my existing real basic HA I’ll follow that ‘very Scottish bloke’ guide and hammer through it. The screen in this video looks like a 90’s swan cctv monitor lol.
Fantastic vid thanks for another belter. This would be so attractive, if the screen was also attractive!
What will your screen look like after you've popped it into a 3d printed frame? I'm dead curious.
@@Ceoillooks great! As it’s white same as the wall.
Love my LinknLink kit, ever since the first motion sensors, (looking forward to the new presence sensors that should be arriving in the mail shortly too!) - thanks Paul for first putting me onto them! The ISG is a really neat bit of kit - although I've yet to fully move over due to the lack of Add-Ons in Home Assistant (something they've just started to address in their latest release) - but not sure how I feel now they have released this... the ISG tablet is a bit on the slow side at times, so this is definitely something I need to upgrade now!! LinknLink are a great company, like you say, they listen and react, unlike many other companies!! Hoping you'll review the new presence sensors in the coming weeks!? Thanks!
As you have one, a couple of question if you don't mind:
1. Can you add Aqara kit without having an Aqara hub?
2. Does this device still produce a webpage that you can access from other machines on the network, or remotely?
I have a couple of friends that keep considering HA but it's getting them to actually do it, this looks much simpler.
@@gordon861 ive just got this as a christmas gift.... I wouldnt recommend it based upon my experience.
I've spent all of my boxing day faffing around trying to get it to do something useful, and failed.
It gets into boot loops for hours on end, there is no physical reset either.
Definitely NOT plug-n-play as implied, a very disappointing and stressful experience so far, I wouldnt recommend it.
Do we know if LinknLink are contributing back to Nabu Casa or the Open Home Foundation?
Not that they have to, Home Assistant is open after all, it just seems the responsible thing to do. Especially since this product couldn't exist without Home Assistant.
Not sure on this one, they haven't said so to me, but I agree with you
@@paulhibbert If HA loses income from this because not needing Nabu Casa i think that will be a issue.
Please, is there an option to select Czech language in the settings menu?
interesting device. can i still use my smartphone-app or my browser to connect to the HA running on the Device?
Two notes. It seems it’s matter over wifi not matter over thread so this will limit significantly devices you could connect. Unless it’s via thread but couldn’t find confirmation. Now more important, their service instead of Nabu Casa. Although it’s allowed, this is exactly what is killing open source, check what happened to Terraform and moving from OS to BSL license.
Dear linknlink, if you are doing this, contribute back to home assistant. If not, in a few years, HA will disappear
I’ve had no luck with my linknlink. I have home assistant green and pairing to devices that are already on my Apple HomeKit was a breeze. But linknlink doesn’t seem to try to pair. So if there’s. New one that does what I need …. Great but I’m not buying another one 😒
lol... did you do that terminator short-circuit mashup 😆 you really made me double take haha
Yes sir! I spent way too long getting the colours right and then adding Sarah Connors voice back in. In the original movie the words are silent!
the ha service with ports is so you can access the system outside of your network, maybe even bin to a domain. and its also so you can view things on your smart tv
Due to your review I purchased this kit. I went to setup HA several times and my last one corrupted as usual. So having to start fresh I took the plunge and got this and the fast it has Alexa skills makes it worth while also.
Wow. What an awesome product hey. Sounds like it still needs some work but it’s about time there was a product with Home Assistant in it out of the box. Yet another great video Mr. Thanks 🙏.
Legend. It will mean i can learn home assistant without the dramas. Just ordered.
Hows your experience with it going?
I think it is a pile of c**p. Certainly not a plug-n-play device for a novice by any stretch of the imagination.
hi there I bought the isg max but I can't connect ha with my aqara M2 hub and all the devices they are connected to.i tried with Xiaomi aqara integration and also via matter in beta version.is there another way?
Is there a wall mount for it? And could it connect to my SunSynk Solar Inverter? 🤔
I actually have this from the Kickstarter they ran a while back. I don't have it set up because the instructions for someone new to all of this were just terrible when I got it, and I just never got around to trying again.
I loved the Johnny 5 cameo. He's still one of my favorite robot designs.
There's a Facebook group that is worth joining. The LinknLink guys are in there too. They will help you get going 😊
Well I have just received onr of the nrw modeld as a christmas gift and can report thar is has not got any more intuitive....it is a nightmare.
Certainly NOT plug-n-play as implied. Its looking lkke being another expensive cheap piece of plastic loitering around my home.
I don't understand what I showed on camera that has turned out to not be true for you. 🤔
I am so confused by this comment. Loads of stuff can be added via their main interface using the most basic wizard imaginable, and for everything else Home Assistant is about 3 clicks away, as demonstrated in the video 🤷
Wait it can setup tuya local?!
Yes that got my attention
I feel like one of those guys who can be smug about not jumping on the KickStarter for the original model! It sounds like this new one is far superior and would give me the option of doing smart home stuff without the hassle of constantly faffing with HA. I’d like Matter to be improved more, especially since Flic have FINALLY sorted theirs out, and I can live without Z-Wave for the time being, but on the whole this sounds much better. And to think I was on the verge of giving up on it altogether as I’ll be moving house soon and I wasn’t sure if I could be bothered to do it all again
The Kickstarter one got all the software upgrades. He also missed that they updated to OTA updates months ago.
Only thing it doesn't have is the internal zigbee. CPU is also slower. This video didn't make me regret my Kickstarter buy.
looks like a wonderful Christmas present if you are planning ahead for purchases ......
This couldnt come more better.. i just got my new house and im going to smartify it..
I have the linknlink e hub in my 2nd house (thats a smaller house on the property) and thats one of the mvp there..
So im going to order this one right away 😍
Paul, I have to say, I purchased the ISG following your review earlier this year. Took months to arrive and within 5 minutes I had outgrown it and just wanted to get rid of the ISG software and only use the Home Assistant backend.
And this was my first forray out of just using Alexa.
Same here maybe co-owned by apple
I mean, it's a pretty good jumping off point then right? Anyone who is capable of doing the raspberry Pi thing could probably skip this device, but considering the cost of the components to achieve what the ISG does it's never going to be a decision anyone should regret. It has Home Assistant built in so I don't know how you can really "grow out of it", what are you growing into?
@@paulhibbert when is the max pro version coming out? 🤣🤣
Just 6 months before the ISG max pro super ultra elite falcon 2
They have updated it along the way. I have the tablet on isg, but automations run from HA.
A UI/Dashboard I don't have to spend hours, or weeks making and maintaining, is the only thing that's been holding me back from deploying Home Assistant FOR OTHER PEOPLE. The hardware/server and radios are easy, but I don't know anyone that can handle maintaining Home Assistant themselves - and I'm not going to tie myself to being the daily support person.
Hi Paul, I don't know why? But I feel I saw this episode before. The matrix is falling apart
So if you could choose the latest hubitat or this one. Where would you put your money?
Many thanks Paul. I might get this in the future. It's pretty exciting.
Thanks Paul. Happy Saturday dude!
Great vid Paul
I see in Facebook youve got a new phone, will you give us a review in a while to see how it works in your smart home?
Does it work with Govee Bluetooth and WiFi devices?
WiFi devices such as shelly work in home assistant. Tuya smartlife devices can be added direct to the linknlink dashboard. Govee have a home assistant integration too so that would work, though the Govee integration isn't without it's issues for some devices (in any version of home assistant on any device)
No Bluetooth sadly
Help!! I guess it’s probably because I still talk to girls… But I cannot get Home Assistant to work on this. When I attempt to login to HA, it does not give me an option to create a Home Assistant account (which I do not have yet). When I go to the Home Assistant website, it looks like you can only create an account when you build a new HA device. What am I missing?? 😭😭 Thanks.
You just login with admin and admin 😊
If you install Samba share add on on the built in HA, access Config directory, do the same on your existing HA and simply copy paste. or.. backup and restore from your original HA?
Jeebus they need a better name. The terminator Johnny 5 segment was magical.
i dont understand how this works locally when the linknlink presence sensors I bought off your recommendation dont function at all without constant access to the internet?
Were they advertised as working locally? It's been a while but I thought they were local 🤔
Either way this is a different product and is definitely local for a y device that is connected to it locally. It is of course possible to connect cloud devices to the home assistant portion of the OS
I keep hoping that Aqara will bring out something similar to this.
Not sure you really need a fixed screen when everyone has a mobile phone with them all the time, and a tablet/computer at home. And the whole point of 'smart' is that you don't have to keep pressing buttons, or all you get is a remote control.
Hi Paul.. I love your channel...💙💙💙viewing from Covington, Georgia..USA
Thanks Angela! 😁
Nice video as usual Paul. I think having the two system setup is a little clunky, definitely think Home Assistant has become more user friendly to the point that Home Assistant Green is a great option for new folks.
Hi Paul. Love your videos, great work. Look forward to them every week. Over the years I have ended up with bulbs, lights, blinds, pretty much anything with the switch, but from different companies. For example Tabo, Tuya, Eufy plus some I can't even remember. Would this allow me to control all of those from Alexa using home assistant, and how easy are things to install? Do you have to do this stupid download the app, connect to the network malarkey which drives me up the wall?
Quick question, can I customize my dashboard (for example use the virtual version of my home I actually use) as with my current tablets? Or is it just as it looks?
I think once Homey launches Dashboards before the end of this year, these kinds of really ugly third party devices are going to get tired pretty fast for people more interested in convenience.
Being able to run tons of devices totally locally though is very cool.
All good if you can afford homey (and trust them as an organisation)
@@paulhibbert the pricing is ridiculous and I have no idea how they can stay on the market with such competion shown here.
@@paulhibbert
The price difference between this, home assistant and a zwave dongle vs Homey Pro is pretty negligible to be honest.
That second comment is just a meaningless whataboutery statement.
You don't trust the company that's fine, but it's not an argument that stacks up.
Do you trust your gas and electric supplier, water supplier, ISP, TV manufacturer, supermarket you shop at, the airline you fly most frequently with? I could go on and on and on.
Meta just got outed recently for listening to conversations.
Will you stop using Instagram now to promote your channel?
Meta can't be trusted, right?
Can you backup the Raspberry Pi instance and restore it onto the Gateway? I've never moved HA instances.
If you connect to an existing ha and they add a device on the hub will it show up on your set-up of ha
Good question, but sadly not 😕
Do i still need a separate device for home assistant if i purchase this?
Can I have 2 of them working in the same home? For instance 1 in the living room and 1 upstairs?
LinknLink do a subscription based companion app to have their dashboard on more than one device, but if you're comfortable with home assistant you would just access home assistants dashboard from another tablet
@@paulhibbert Appreciate the reply! Never used HA but am curious to try this. Just bought 2, 1 for home and 1 for the office.
Hey Paul, as it doesn’t say on Linknlink website, what is eRemote, eMotion & eRemote TV Kit options?
Has the promo price ended? I don't see a discount code or discount field in the order form.; added to cart at full price.
Paul, old chum, I have a challenge for you…. From be a wireless wall switch (UK), which can turn on and off Novostella wifi garden lights which are added to the Smart Life app.
Sounds easy, right?! Well, I have switches from Aqara, Moes and more and can’t even do this simple thing through paid IFTTT due to IFTTT only showing my second (work) location of Smart Things.
This should be the simplest thing in smart home tech but it seems impossible!
Is anyone else finding the ISG Max to be as useful as a brick? I received this the other day and 50% of the Addons require ISG Software to be minimum 20128 but you can only get 20127. Version 20131 is greyed out. Feel really let down Paul, sorry.
Yep, I received this as a christmas....utter junk.
Its NIT plug n play, major headache trying to get it configured, zero linknlink support.
Even the linknlink app has been removed from play store....uts not looking good for this company.
I wonder how many of your Zigbee lights could pair to your philips hue bridge? I just moved the last of all my zigbee to either Hue, or Ikea's Dirigibilityboo hub. Now with Matter I can connect to Home Assistant, Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa all at the same time, FREE, LOCAL and No cloud.
it's good that you can remote control an existing install of Home Assistant. If you've got your super-deluxe server with Home Assisstant fully decked out, with plugins like Frigate, Music Assitant, NodeRed, etc... it might not be able to run smoothly anymore. With the remote control option however...
Ah yes, good point!
Looks like the iPad 1 with those bezels.
Hideous. Where have they got this old cctv monitor from??
I can't find any other reviews?
I'm the first to get hold of one 😁
Will it act as a photo screensaver built in?
Friend edit - On point 👌
Will this need constant looking after like home assistant, or once i have doing the things i want can i just leave it alone
Depends how far you go with the home assistant portion of the OS. If you setup very complicated things in home assistant then you might run into the same issues as if you setup complicated thing in home assistant on a raspberry pi
@@paulhibbert thanks for replying
No UK suppliers?
so if you have a dashboard on HA - can u display it on this thing?
Yup! 😁
@@paulhibbert wish I would have seen this thing before converting the nest hub into a home assistant dashboard lol .. that was a mission.
@@seaeyeare cool now you've done it though!
@@paulhibbert yeah it's pretty cool. It sounds like it functions the same as that device in your video. I can actually use Google voice commands to control my various zigbee devices. it talks to my NUC to issue the command
I don’t suppose you do smart home consultancy?? I am fully renovating a house and like the idea of some smart elements - the problem is I have no idea where to start. I’m not a tech geek, but have very much enjoyed your videos having discovered them a few days ago and now have an idea of the sort of things that would work for us as a family.
Only if you have already set up a Home Assistant account. iSG doesn't have a Home Assistant out of the box without linking your Home Assistant account.
@@koladioable huh?!
Question. Are tuya devices local then in linknlink or is it still through tuya cloud. If its local is it possible to be an easier option for HA only to add tuya local than the way HA tuya local works ?
Bang on bud, that's what I was trying to explain in the video, you can connect tuya devices locally to the ISG part of the OS and they appear in home assistant 😁
Is "Zed Wave" the British version of Z-Wave?
What happens if you’ve never used home assistant before when buying this?
I got rhe previous model and wanted to get rid of the ISG software and only use the HA within days.
You’ll still be able to talk to ladies until it arrives 😁
Can the ISG dashboard software be run on a Raspberry Pi? I;ve got the USB LinknLink thing you told me to get but it has been of no use to me at all yet.
If you have a Pi install Home Assistant on it.
As for the USB thing, which one and why?
@@paulhibbertI've got HA on my RPi already - it was incredibly hard to get HA to run with HACS and also raun a GUI so my python code would work. So, I gave up and now use two Pis.
The USB thing is the eHub.
I've got a mad desire to make it all work with Alexa. I have written code that sends MQTT messages between my control apps, I want alexa to slot in to that. Also, the movement sensor - radar - is better than the PIR I have on the RPis.
That's why.
Maybe a silly question, but can you restore a backup you made on your Ras Pie, on this device and have all your settings that way?
What are your thoughts on their paid app? What is the ability to access anything externally to home network?
Does it support shelly devices?
Via Home assistant yes 😊
Unfortunately I ordered the original ISG and it was non functional. The OS worked but HA and the other companion software never worked, couldn't do firmware updates, etc. Nice to see the changes/upgrades though.
If you still have it give it an update, there's a very active Facebook group that has LinknLink staff in it 😊
I’m glad you talked about the Zed wave. I would need to insert my zed wave dongle, and I needed to know if it fits, cause I have a big one.
Mines huge!
@@paulhibbert”Hello…. UA-cam? Yes he’s doing it again…”
Hi, all
Just a couple of quick questions:
Running HA on this device through the apk compared to a Pi or HA yellow. Is a HA reboot noticably faster?
When linking devices from HA to linkninlink isg dashboard will it recognise, control and expose to smart assistants more niche devices for examlpe tuyalocal lawn mowers, roborock vacuums, locks e.tc. or is it just the standard lights, switches, blinds etc.?
Good questions, I don't note any obvious difference in the speed of a reboot, but then my pi is reasonably quick at rebooting my particular instance, your instance may vary I suppose.
You're right to question which devices will transfer across as it is the primary stuff, LinknLink are making efforts to expand this list all the time though
Do you have the same automation for HA in this set up like blueprints? One of the best parts of HA is whta we are able to do with automation.
Another Saturday, more Hibbert! ❤
Looks like a solid product....but it definitely raises the question on whether this is actually good for Home Assistant's development and is it just taking advantage of their free nature. Bypassing a revenue stream of Nabu Casa's isn't a good look.
I can definitely see that perspective! I'm hoping they'll make some sort of contribution
Discount not working in Belgium….
Thank you for the great vídeo. Would you recommend this one or home assistant green? What are are the main differences?
Nope....it sucks
Paul, would you recommend the Linknlink over the Home Assistant Green for someone new to Home Assistant and who doesn't code?
Is it possible to access remotely to the linknlink gateway?
For the home assistant portion, yes. For the LinknLink portion yes but only with a subscription to their software
Tks Paul!
BTW Tks a lot for your great UA-cam content, I'm from Colombia and I'm a big fan.
Thanks so much my friend ☺️👍
Can you use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard?
I have the ISG and I cannot get switchbot to work with it, I learned that its a different version of Home Assistant
Does the switchbot integration not appear when you search for it? 🤔
Happy Saturday Paul
And to you brother!
Regarding importing from an existing HA instance, couldn't you backup on the original HA and restore in the Linknlink? In theory this should work, right?
zigbee devices may be problematic.
I think it's possible to backup ieee address and network id so devices will basically reconnect automatically. Worked here going from one device to another doing a Home Assistant backup (including ZHA) and everything started working again after a few minutes basically once the sensors became activated by motion or open/close etc.
Unfortunately because this is a bespoke android apk you can't use the typical home assistant backup and restore option
they should offer us that own the 1st edition paper weights a smash deal
really good product for begginers, I think it was a bit rushed, sounds like most problems will be solved by october, so maybe would have kept this review till then!
Are you saying that the one I have (from 3 months ago) that's I've done nothing with yet can't have the software upgraded to do all this?
Surely all these software changes are applicable to the original one and the only real difference is CPU size, built in ZigBee and 5G wifi, none of which are absolutely necessary
I would like to think so. I had a lot going on that week so never got round to getting the original back out to see what software updates there had been but the Facebook group is REALLY active for people that own the existing one with plenty of interaction from LinknLink engineers so I'd like to think they will be continuing to provide the software updates to both
@@paulhibbert the versions on yours are higher than what I can download. Mine are currently 20098, 100009. There is a slight later iSG version but on beta. Yours is showing 20115
@@cliffharker2600 aye, I have beta software as they were proving to me that they'd got various bits working
They have updated it.
From the original, you will need to put your updates on USB to start. They added OTA a few months ago.
Firmware & HA have changed a bunch since launch.
@@cliffharker2600I updated to 20115 this morning while watching.
Morning Sir, happy Saturday!
Does agara fp2 sencer work with this
The problem as I see it is they have to continuously update this thing to work with new devices. They also have the ongoing costs of running a server for their remote access solution and a software update server. That means continual software engineering and server costs with only upfront revenue on sales. Eventally costs will exceed revenue... then what? Either a subscription fee or...?
It doesn't need to be continuously updated. It's local and it's ZigBee and matter enabled. Unless the industry releases yet another protocol, but of course every hub in the market has that possible pit fall.
As for revenue being eventually exceeded by cost, this is also true of every company out there offering free cloud support with one key difference, it won't be bricked. It would still function for local automations AND there is Home Assistants Nabu Casa as a backup for cloud support and Alexa/Google/home kit integration.
Of all the devices on the market that offer free cloud this one is the safest bet as it has a backup solution in Nabu Casa
@@paulhibbert As I see it their Matter and Tuya support relies on supporting individual devices which is why I said they need to continually update it. If it's just "Matter" and "Tuya" then all devices would already be supported. They're not, are they?
@@mondotv4216 I see what you're saying. Yeah that makes sense but at the rate they've been updating I have faith their Matter drivers will support the vast majority of device types long before they run out of money. It's not individual devices, it's individual device types.
Unless they changed, using the app was a subscription, with one year free. They can also use the Android approach of only providing updates for a certain period of time.
Does the home Assistant installed in get regular monthly updates, or is it a custom version of it which gets updated from time to time?
It's definitely custom. They've been reasonably hot on producing the updates too, but yeah it's definitely behind
It's been updated often since I got mine from Kickstarter. It lags behind the regular one. I just updated this morning (OTA) to 2024.3.3.
@@eric_has_no_idea6 months behind? 😳
Does it work with ewelink?
Bit of a noob question: will this work with all my random wifi bulbs and pugs I currently use via Alexa? Can I also use it for my Hive heating, Ring door bell, Blink cameras etc. Thanks
There’s no hope for me, there’s still so much I was confused about and while it connects or has HA pre installed I still don’t get how to play around with HA. Just gonna stay in my corner and hope HomeKit makes it simple for me I guess, until I can find an in person course to teach me HA I don’t think I’m capable.
Maybe I'm the Lone Ranger on this but I just don't like the idea of a sizable dashboard that resides in a particular place in your home. It seems like I'm always the farthest possible distance away when I want to make a change in the temperature or lighting or whatever. Admittedly that isn't very often once it is set up but I'm old and fussy. If it could be installed on a larger cell phone or small tablet I'd be first in line. Do you know if that is on the horizon?
Johnny5 - you Sir are a legend! 😂
Hi Paul,
First the hook. Amazing video as usual. That good in fact I’ve bought one.
Can you provide any links to set the thing up. For example home assistant, how the hell do you login, do you need MQTT broker and Zigbee 2MQTT or any other addons? How are they configured
Yep, I got one as a Christmas gift, I am just as bewildered too...its crap.