Recent content by icerabbit

PS: Fantastic post RAL +1. 

Thanks for the reply, DEL & RAL  - great tips RE: honeywell and no contract monitoring   I apologize for poorly explaining the remote on/off ability. I meant on/off via SmartPhone and Internet.    The existing system is "Morse". Age uncertain, two wired keypads, hard wire sensors to every door...

Our older alarm system needs a repair for which no parts exits and would be replaced / upgraded to a Honeywell system by the alarm co.    We've asked to have remote on/off ability. Which we were told is a $400 upgrade with a $10/mo fee.   I figured it would be some lesser expensive ethernet...

Thanks Work2Play. From my reading in the past week, it seems that insteon products have held up better in recent years. Smarthome policies and customer service sound average. Not uncommon to get slow & expensive RMAs. Compared to some other less flexible cheaper solutions, and downright...

I have two of the $100 wifi thermostats sold at the orange big box hardware store. Price and positive reviews that it works were a convincing factor. I looked at NEST, but don't want it to "learn" and find that whatever green energy star settings are not agressive enough. I basically wanted it...

Thanks guys. With your reassurances I put my order in today for an ISY and several outdoor appliancelincs to get my toes wet. I'll order the rest of the "indoor" parts later. I've got things sketched out on paper and got a pretty good idea what I want & need to start with, but I want a little...

This post came up while I was researching the cold tolerance of Insteon Linc parts. I am in northern New England, planning some home automation of our year-round outdoor lighting, joining several separate lines together as a scene and also gain remote control of some individual features; via a...