Prota S - Smart Hub for Smart Home Automation, Compatible with Alexa via IFTTT

This does not come with a USB power supply. You're going to need to pick up a 2amp USB charger to run this hub. From what it says in the manual it'll accept a charger that supplies 1.8 up to 3 amps of current.Using my Microbot Push with IFTTT was my real goal here, and the reason I got the Prota hub at all. I wanted to be able to trigger a brew on my coffeemaker with a voice command via Alexa using my Amazon Echo Dot. It works great now but setting it all up took a little while and a bit of frustration.Overall before I start, the menu layout and functionality overall is a bit confusing and inconsistent. I was still able to figure out how to do what I needed but it took a bit longer and a bit more annoyance than say.....a Google or Apple product.Waiting for it to boot up and become pairable (flashing blue and red LED on top) took about 10-15 minutes. After that, using the Prota Space app on iOS I was able to set up the hub and connect it to my wifi (flashing blue and green LED on top). I waited for it to say it was connected, but the screen never changed. I closed the Prota Space app (swiping up) and reopened it. That did the trick. First thing you have to do, as with just about any electronic product these days, is install updates. I updated the Prota hub first, then once that was done I went in and installed the IFTTT app and updated the Microbot Push app.To pair the Microbot I had to reset it (by turning it off then on, and then holding the top button down for 10 seconds). To pair on the Prota I opened the Microbot Push app and let it scan and find the Microbot. After a successful pair, I then had to update (the firmware?) on the Microbot.The IFTTT app on the Prota doesn't open or really do much of anything other than running in the background. It has no menu or configuration to interact with. Every time I tapped on the app it didn't do anything.Linking my IFTTT account to the Prota was tricky as there was no guide or documentation provided with the device, and I couldn't find a guide from anyone on the internet. Here's how I got it to work.In the Prota Space app there's a little chain-link icon in the top right corner. Tapping that will present you with the ability to send an "access link" to your email (provided during setup) or a friend's email. Opening this link in a web browser on a computer gives you access and the same functionality as the Prota Space app on your smartphone. Once you have Prota Space running in a tab on your web browser, you can then open the IFTTT website in another tab. This now allows you to connect the services "MicroBot Push for Prota" and "Prota" in IFTTT. Clicking the "connect" service button in IFTTT opens a separate pop-up window where you should be able to see your Prota listed in a little box. Click the green "Go" or "Connect" button and it should link your IFTTT account to your Prota. If you do not open the link you emailed to yourself to open Prota Space in your web browser, when you go to connect your services in IFTTT, you will be presented with a pop-up window with nothing in it for you to select.I tried using the stories app on the Prota hub but it's quite confusing to use and the options for automation are a bit limited. I really needed some options for configuring timers and delays (say, to trigger a double button push) but those are absent.In the end I got everything to work that I wanted, but it took a bit of work to figure out how to update, pair, and connect things. Now that I've set it I can thankfully forget it.

UPDATED REVIEW: 4/7/18TLDR, new packages comes with adapter, and after buying a second unit (and lots of trial and error) I got it to work reliably. Basic overview of what to expect is below.First off, ignore the reviews mentioning that there’s no power adapter. It does come with one and it works fine. I have yet to experience any power supply issues with it cutting off randomly.Second, this is my second unit. First one absolutely did not work (read original review). Second one set up relatively smoothly, and I did not receive the repeated and random “setup failed” errors that I did before. That being said, setup is neither intuitive nor quick. It requires lots of time and patience (assuming you have a functional unit).There’s really no instruction for this hub. The app doesn’t quite tell you what’s happening and the only status indicator on the hub itself is a single blinking LED (with very little explanation as to what the light colors and patterns actually mean), so here’s what to expect when you start it up for the first time. FAIR WARNING: set aside about an hour to do this. Before you do anything, go to your phone settings and turn off the automatic screen lock. If your screen turns off at all throughout the setup process, it will result in a failed attempt. Plug in the unit and it will slowly blink blue for about 10mins. I can only assume it’s going through some kind of first-time software initialization. When it’s done, it’ll slowly blink red. That’s when you know it’s ready for setup and you can open the app. From the left edge of the screen, swipe right. There will be a “+” icon at the top. That adds a new hub and connects it to your WiFi network of choice. During this stage, you will see the light slowly alternate red and blue, which will speed up when you connect your phone to the hub. After this, setup is pretty much automatic and hopefully, you can make it through this without the “your Prota hub was disconnected” error. If that happens, try a couple more times and it should work. If not, send it back and get a new one. That was the step I couldn’t get past on my first unit. The rest of setup is pretty smooth. You end up registering your device, installing some updates, and pairing your MicroBot. I have to say, the app is pretty subpar. It feels very much like an unfinished beta that was cobbled together from premade assets. Throughout the setup process, there are many blank screens that just pop up and never load anything. I found myself tapping the red x to close them out, hoping they weren’t anything important. And every time you start the app afterwards, each new screen has to load, which takes ~45sec (ex. Open app, main menu has to load. Tap to go to MicroBot page, MicroBot page has to load). The whole UI is unnatural and clunky, and although it lacks polish, it does work. Hopefully, they clean it up in the days to come.The whole reason I got this hub and the MicroBot was so that I could push the door button on the intercom in my apartment from outside. That way, I can buzz myself in if I forget my keys. For that purpose, and after this adruous setup process, I’ve tested it multiple times and it seems to work fine. Hopefully, it holds up in the event of an emergency when I actually NEED to get back into my apt, but i’ll cross that bridge later. *while we’re on the subject, not the best idea to rely on something like this for emergencies, but I’m taking the risk.*Anyway, as long as your unit works, this product is decent, if not a huge pain to set up. Changing from 1 star to 4 stars.——————————————————ORIGINAL REVIEW:Tried countless times and different approaches (numerous WiFi networks, power adapters, and cables) to setting up this hub and all failed. Every step of the way, I get “setup failed” error messages. At this point, I can’t even tell if it is the product that is faulty, or the subpar app that accompanies it. The MicroBot itself works fine, although that was a moderate pain to set up as well. Only issue is, the MicroBot is useless unless you are 10ft away from it. Currently returning the first and reordering a second. It really would be a great solution, if I could get the darn thing to actually work. Will update if second hub works. Until then, I stand disappointed at 1 star.