LinknLink ISG - I don't understand who it is for

[@l0gic23]

Cant believe that people watched other vids that didnt mention the update process and didnt unsubscribe from those channels. Even if only a temp unsub to send a signal.... Thanks foryour integrity. Dont compromise it. It will continue to serve you well

[@LarsKlintTech]

Really appreciate the feedback mate. The other channels were likely paid for their reviews, so kept all the roadblocks out. I was initially offered a sponsorship too, but turned it down eventually. Integrity in my content is everything.

[@Stephen-Jones]

The update firmware by looking for a random Facebook group post and sideloading an APK just feels so 🤮, that's asking for someone to abuse that and pwn their home network. Hard "nope" from me. Thanks for another great review

[@LarsKlintTech]

Yeah, I was equally speechless and flabbergasted. They are apparently updating the process, but the fact it was even put into production like this 😬

[@ITSupport-q1y]

Another nice review, thanks again.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks for watching. I hope this informed you what this device is and what it isn't.

[@kenger]

A bit hacky.. that's a understatement :)

[@LarsKlintTech]

Quite. The over the air update should have been there from the beginning in a product that tried to compete in this space.

[@darias71]

Hello Lars! Your video helped me a lot to enter the world of homeassistant and in particular I did everything you say in your video and it worked 100%. Thank you very much for such a detailed tutorial. I send you many thanks from Sancris, Mexico

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks for watching. What did you end up setting up? Considering my video shows numerous shortcomings of the ISG, I am keen to know what you got working.

[@holohane]

Hi Lars, good honest review. Have to be honest I lost interest in the device around about the Facebook group for updating the firmware. Left the video to play out for the sake of the algorithm but the device looks like junk. Thanks again for the review and keep up the good work. Eddie.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Hahahaha, I'll take it Eddie. Keep doing you. Love it 💖 Also, yes.

[@grayzbildz]

Have you reviewed the new Linknlink ISG MAX? Does it address any of the concerns you have?

[@LarsKlintTech]

I haven't tried it, and reading through the specs I still don't see the point. Why add an extra layer of abstraction and complexity that makes you rely on a third party to something you can just use plain Home Assistant for?

[@grayzbildz]

@LarsKlintTech my other concern is the proprietary software, what if the company goes bust? I think I'll start my home automation journey with a Raspberry pi and home assistant. Cheers.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@grayzbildz absolutely. It's unnecessary imo. Consider using a HA Green for your first setup too.

[@drgeorgemarinos]

Thanks Lars - very informative review. I was wondering if the LinknLink ISG requires a Zigbee controller like the Sonoff dongle; if it does can I use the ethernet connected SMLight SLZB-06P7?

[@LarsKlintTech]

If you need Zigbee in your network, then yes it requires a Zigbee dongle. It is provided with the device, but they don't tell you what it is. There is no ethernet port on the ISG though, so I don't think your proposed device would work. As I say in the video, why not just use HA directly then? You probably don't want this layer of abstraction you can't control and which isn't updated in a timely manner.

[@wapphigh5250]

Just put HA on an Intel Nuc. And yes we really just need a HA dashboard (only) out of the box....

[@LarsKlintTech]

That, or a NUC, or docker on a NAS, or RP4, or HA Green. There are so many better options than this device imo.

[@SpotOnTechNL]

I bought this device, thinking I'd have a touchscreen interface for HA, with HA already installed and ready to go. I tried to add 4 devices, Tuya door sensor and motion sensor and smart water controller. None worked. Tried a bluetooth bridge - no idea how to add that as a device and in general I am just puzzled. What you actually missed @Lars is that this screen does not turn off. It does not dim. So 1) risk of burn in over time and 2) unnecessarily uses power all night long at full brightness and actually I went downstairs to check if I left the light on in the living room by mistake. Yes this device is still fully in development - but at this moment I find it a very disappointing device.

[@LarsKlintTech]

I had that similar experience. There are just so many things it can't do that vanilla HA does. Good point about the screen, I did notice that as well, but didn't mention it. I am not sure they can "develop" their way out of it tbh. Get a HA Green and an old tablet, and you are miles ahead.

[@arson114]

Subscibed because you didn't sugarcoat it. That sketchy firmware process should have been mentioned in the other youtube reviews I've seen. Thanks!

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks mate, that means more than you know. I always give my opinion of the products as I find them. Welcome to the channel 😊

[@Obtuse94]

I was sad when some of the better home automation KZbinrs were espousing this thing. Obviously, they were ads, but still depressing because who is this thing really made for? It has some good ideas in it, but "hacky" is a good description of it overall. Thanks for your solid overview.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Absolutely, and I had the same thought "what am I missing, and why are you all ignoring the massive flaw?" The much larger channels seem to have been paid a fair bit to promote it and compromise their trust with their audience. I was offered payment to cover production costs at first but I have not accepted that. Thanks for your confirmation of my confusion 😊 Also, I learnt what espousing means.

[@Obtuse94]

The "why" you ask is almost like this was designed to just hoover up user/home assistant data without adding any value. I don't really believe this thing isn't phoning home and dropping some data logs off somewhere.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@Obtuse94 I haven't seen any evidence of that and not sure what the value would be? Also, it just adds a layer of complexity anyways so I doubt anyone would use it for very long.

[@Obtuse94]

No, that was just tinfoil hat conspiracy type comment. I don't have one and haven't run any real tests on it phoning home. It just is such a half thought out device in general.

[@annoyedlemon]

whats your thoughts on the new g5 ptz and will you be testing it as i am looking to upgrade my g4 bullet that i use a traffic camera near a very busy intersection in sydney

[@LarsKlintTech]

It looks really interesting and I have seen some good things from others. If I can get my hands on one, I will definitely install it and put it through its paces. A really brilliant camera at the moment is also the G5 Turret Ultra. My video on that comes out in 36 hours ☺

[@l0gic23]

what makes you want to upgrade?

[@buncho64]

Great review. Wish I had seen it before I bought one to play with. Yes, the device is poor and pretty pointless. I will stick with using my Raspberry Pi.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Sorry you had to find out for yourself. Have you considered a Home Assistant Green?

[@buncho64]

@@LarsKlintTech I don’t need home assistant green as the one I have is working fine and to be honest fully loaded with automations and data logging. I initially got HA to work with my Solar Assistant Rasp Pi to stop my home battery discharging when I charged my car, but I went down a rabbit hole and now the little device monitors and controls so much more. It’s addictive. I only got this device in the hope it would be interesting to play with and also be useful as a dashboard for my existing HA. It wasn’t.

[@LarsKlintTech]

​@@buncho64 Haha, I know that rabbit hole well 😁I add pretty everything to HA now. I am going to upgrade my RP4 to the HA Green, as it doesn't use an SD card, and the hardware is more reliable (apparently). I have found using a tablet as a display/dashboard for HA much better than this device too. Check out my video if interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6O9gaqNYq6Cmdk

[@rayanhunterike]

I totally agree with you obviously your not being paid by linknlink I bought one and it's crap I wiped it and just use ad a tablet to display my home assistant waste of money to get the isg

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@rayanhunterike they did offer payment for the video, bit I turned them down in the end. The device just doesn't make sense to me.

[@YaGr-ip3ub]

Yeah I think its trash... just use a normal Installation of HA. Nice Video thank you! Will you review the G5 PTZ?

[@LarsKlintTech]

Yes, HA is not difficult to set up. Yes, that is the plan, as soon as I get my hands on one. ☺

[@LarsKlintTech]

The G5 PTZ video is coming out this week (unless disaster strikes).

[@patrickllana1309]

@@LarsKlintTech yeah but for not much more than the HA green, you have HA with Zigbee and a Tablet you could use to control some of your smart home... Also it seems there is a new Max version which is an improved version. Genuinely asking because I'm considering HA Green or this device. Comments seems pretty harsh...

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@patrickllana1309 The issue for me is the third party layer, which makes the device slower, doesn't get updates until 1-2 months after, can't adopt a lot of devices, have limited capacity, and is just unnecessary. With a HA Green you get better hardware (eMMC storage), timely updates, support for a ton more devices and features, and you aren't tied to a screen that you can't replace. IMO it is the same learning curve to set up the HA Green as the ISG, and you don't get any benefits.

[@ImpulsiveFPS]

It is kinda funny. The hardware itself is a repurposed android photo frame that goes for everywhere about 55-90€ and is really laggy and slugish and not a smooth experience.

[@LarsKlintTech]

100% It isn't a quality device, and I still don't see a need for it.

[@ImpulsiveFPS]

@@LarsKlintTech A fire tablet or any cheap tablet with Fully kiosk is a way better alternative

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@ImpulsiveFPS Absolutely. It's what I mention in the video too.

[@dahmz]

Yeah I don't get it and it looks way more clunky then it needs to be. It may be under development still and will improve, but surely a newbie is better off getting a Home Assistant Green (which also supports the HA team), a zigbee dongle and bam off they go. Then if they want the dedicated display - set up an android tablet and bam there you go.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Absolutely. I agree. The Green is cheaper, just as easy to set up, updated directly from HA and supports both extensions and HACS. And I also prefer the loose coupling between HA brain and display.

[@ecotts]

Paul Hibbert had a bunch of stuff connect to his one.. 😅

[@LarsKlintTech]

Editing and paid advertisement/reviews are strong incentives.

[@vrtclhykr]

Bought this for new home purchase to move away from RPi. So far disappointing.

[@LarsKlintTech]

A Home Assistant Green is a much better option imo. It uses eMMC storage, which is very stable and reliable. I don't know what storage type the ISG has, as they won't share that information. With the Green, you get timely updates, no proprietary software that wakes things more confusing and more out of date. And the Green is cheaper.

[@ImpulsiveFPS]

@@LarsKlintTech They won´t share that information because its a repurposed android photoframe with probably some really cheap storage chips.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@ImpulsiveFPS It is definitely cheap, and definitely Android.

[@raymondbailey2142]

Well that tells me that this particular device is not for me either. As a newbie I want to have a simple and easy solution for a dashboard. Not something that is going to drive me bananas 😊

[@LarsKlintTech]

Yeah, I think there are much easier solutions for both newbies and experienced users. This device is an unnecessary complexity.

[@Polkster13]

Thanks for the review. This will be a hard pass for me.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Thanks for watching, and glad I could help. I really wanted to show some of the features that other reviews have ignored or missed.

[@cyclemadkiwi]

Its now got Ota updates. Its still very much being developed and adding functionality every month. Im new to HA but I've managed to add 50 + tuya devices, added a few automations and made my own esp32 devices and added them to HA. Its not a finished product, but its doing everything I need it to so far. Its only running HA core, so that's somewhat limiting without addons. But overall, Im enjoying it.

[@LarsKlintTech]

Great! I'm glad you are finding a use for it. I'm still wondering if you are into making your own esp32 devices, why won't you use HA directly without the extra layer that makes it slower and not up to date?

[@cyclemadkiwi]

@LarsKlintTech I'm making the smart devices to suit my needs, I'm using them directly in HA to create automations, is there another way? So far I have bought all of my smart devices, now I making my own custom ones. I've never used HA before this iSG so I'm learning how to work it all out. I've watched your videos and a host of others to learn HA.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@cyclemadkiwi The ISG is one way of using HA, but it adds a layer that you don't control, only to get a dashboard, which HA supports natively. Imo you lose a lot of control, and you can't use HA add-ons either, such as Node Red or Grafana, nor get updates to HA as they are released. Using HA directly on a Raspberry Pi or HA Green gives you the same super easy setup, but without this extra LinknLink layer that makes things slow and stale.

[@cyclemadkiwi]

@LarsKlintTech ok, understood 👌 node red is definitely something that I would like to try. As I said, this is the first time I've seen HA. It's a start, I'll assess iSG future a bit further down the track. Lots to learn, and in rhe back of my mind....a Pi 5 is looking good.

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@cyclemadkiwi Absolutely. Do what makes sense for your journey. ☺

[@Jebope]

Looks like a product that never should have seen the light of day. "over the creek to get water" :)

[@LarsKlintTech]

That's a good way of putting it. Maybe there is a tiny niche audience for it, but it's certainly not a starter kit for everyone.

[@TornadoBarrage]

Wish I got a regular home assistant instead of this

[@LarsKlintTech]

I hear that a fair bit, unfortunately. Have you looked at the Home Assistant Green?

[@TornadoBarrage]

@@LarsKlintTech I was considering one of those hardwares before seeing a video about the ISG assuming it was simpler, but so far homey pro so far is more compatible with the things I have, I think it's the ISG's fault

[@LarsKlintTech]

@@TornadoBarrage It is definitely not simpler as I found out. And I had problems with compatibility too, so I hear you.

[@ubeaut]

Can you wipe it and use something else on it?

[@LarsKlintTech]

I'm sure you can, but it has no battery and is quite average in specs. A $100 android tablet off Amazon would be a better option.

[@rajivshah9566]

It seems like a work in progress with a lot of hype and not much substance,a big letdown imho

[@LarsKlintTech]

That's pretty accurate. What did you hope it could do? Would you consider it in any scenario?

[@KeranMcKenzie]

Ha ha ha … wow 😮😂😂

[@LarsKlintTech]

You getting one then? 😂😂

[@raulruly]

It is a great product for someone that is not an Expert or has Used Home Assistant before. This Dashboard functions as its own thing in combination with HA for those instances that an Expert user wants to get into HA and get the extra feature you can't on the iSG. I already have HA and Android Tablets as Dashboard but my plan with this is to introduce HA to friends/family that have no coding experience or even knowledge of HA. I for when you reach limits on the iSG you get exposed to HA and then they can start their HA journey.

[@LarsKlintTech]

I am glad you can find a use for it. In my case, using something like a Home Assistant Green has many more benefits for a beginner: 1) It is much cheaper and better built 2) It also comes with HA built in and ready to go. 3) It is updated on time with Home Assistant updates, and you aren't relying on a third party to integrate their proprietary system with it 4) You can use any screen you want, whether that is a phone, tablet, desktop, or dedicated device 5) You can use add-ons and manage HA on its own without being tied into a questionable eco system that you have no control over 6) Your data isn't going through a layer you have no visibility into 7) You can adopt pretty much any device into HA. I am sure there are more. You mention "no coding experience", but you want to introduce them to HA? That means you aren't going to use HA on the ISG either, as it runs HA too, and it will be the same learning curve. If you are referring to the "dashboard", why not just use Google Home, Alexa, or something else proprietary that is much easier and simpler? In my opinion the ISG doesn't solve anything for first time users, that the HA Green can't. Using the ISG as a "start kit" adds more complexity than merely just using HA.

[@trajanparker]

just get an iPad.

[@LarsKlintTech]

You can't run Home Assistant on an iPad, or do you mean to access it via a browser?