upstatemike
Senior Member
As much as I would like to play with some touch screens in my system I have to acknowledge that it is outside my budget to place them all through the house as the primary user interface. I need to have something where I can deploy a dozen or more units throughout the house so $1,000+ touch screens are not going to do it for me.
I currently use the sub $300 LCD keypad with my stargate and am looking for something along these lines for use with Homeseer, Elk, etc. The nice thing about the LCD keypad is that it is like a programmable remote control for you Home Theater... you just have a bunch of buttons and a bunch of LCD labels and you can program it to control anything (using up to 96 pages of menus). But similiar to a touch screen, it can also display information and provide feedback to actions.
Cheap interfaces like this are perfect for controlling heating from remote locations, arming/disarming the security system, viewing daily reminders, controlling the playback of voicemail messages, and of course controlling all the lights in the house. Because they are cheap, I can put one down in the basement or in a guest bedroom and not feel bad that they are only rarely used since it is extemely handy to have them there when you do need them.
I was hoping that ELK security keypads might become the new workhorse in this area since they already have the buttons and display and the price point is right. Unfortunately the firmware is geared to the idea of using them near exits to manage the alarm system with other functions being very limited (can't adjust themostat set points, etc.)
You can go very low end and use X-10 or Insteon keypads as remote interfaces but all you get is a status light for feedback, no text. I also thought the RAD-I/O from TouchTronix might do the job, but it looks like it would take a lot of development to get these going. (Unless HSTouch is going to provide out of the box support or something).
So I am looking for input on what the best option would be for a low cost interface that could be installed in a dozen or more locations without breaking the bank but still provide the kind of flexible control and feedback that I currently get from the Stargate LCD keypad (Just not tied to that platform).
I currently use the sub $300 LCD keypad with my stargate and am looking for something along these lines for use with Homeseer, Elk, etc. The nice thing about the LCD keypad is that it is like a programmable remote control for you Home Theater... you just have a bunch of buttons and a bunch of LCD labels and you can program it to control anything (using up to 96 pages of menus). But similiar to a touch screen, it can also display information and provide feedback to actions.
Cheap interfaces like this are perfect for controlling heating from remote locations, arming/disarming the security system, viewing daily reminders, controlling the playback of voicemail messages, and of course controlling all the lights in the house. Because they are cheap, I can put one down in the basement or in a guest bedroom and not feel bad that they are only rarely used since it is extemely handy to have them there when you do need them.
I was hoping that ELK security keypads might become the new workhorse in this area since they already have the buttons and display and the price point is right. Unfortunately the firmware is geared to the idea of using them near exits to manage the alarm system with other functions being very limited (can't adjust themostat set points, etc.)
You can go very low end and use X-10 or Insteon keypads as remote interfaces but all you get is a status light for feedback, no text. I also thought the RAD-I/O from TouchTronix might do the job, but it looks like it would take a lot of development to get these going. (Unless HSTouch is going to provide out of the box support or something).
So I am looking for input on what the best option would be for a low cost interface that could be installed in a dozen or more locations without breaking the bank but still provide the kind of flexible control and feedback that I currently get from the Stargate LCD keypad (Just not tied to that platform).
