Experiences with Insteon 2-wire light kit?

[hagak]

So curious if anyone here has experience with this insteon product
http://www.smarthome.com/2474S/2-Wire-INSTEON-Switch-Kit-Non-Dimming-White/p.aspx

Particularly will it fit inside a standard octagon ceiling box with other wires and wire nuts?

My house is an older wired house so pretty much any light fixture I want to automate will require one of these devices and just not sure if it will really fit.
The specs say it is 3.75" H x 1.8" W x 1.2" D (2.75" H without screw tabs). Seems to me that would fit in the box but doesn't seem like it would leave a whole lot of room for wires and wire nuts.

 

[hagak]

Really no one has any experience with this device?

 

[electron]

Interesting device. Never heard of it before, so I am guessing it isn't a widely known product. Only one way to find out if it will work in your application

 

[firstone]

I've never used that particular device but it seems like it was designed to fit a regular wall j-box rather than ceiling box. It should fit in ceiling box but I think the best way is to try it. You can always return it if it doesn't fit.

One thing to keep in mind - despite the name, you will still need a 3rd neutral wire. The idea behind this kit is that you would install this in some wall box between your switch and light fixture and run neutral there. From there on, you would rewire load wire going to wall switch as neutral. So the wall switch will have phase and neutral, the fixture would have phase and load and the remote unit would have 3 wires - phase, neutral and load.

Note that functionally, this setup is no different from using any other Insteon switch and something like in-linelinc.

 

[firstone]

Sorry, the fixture would have neutral and load.

 

[hagak]

I've never used that particular device but it seems like it was designed to fit a regular wall j-box rather than ceiling box. It should fit in ceiling box but I think the best way is to try it. You can always return it if it doesn't fit.

One thing to keep in mind - despite the name, you will still need a 3rd neutral wire. The idea behind this kit is that you would install this in some wall box between your switch and light fixture and run neutral there. From there on, you would rewire load wire going to wall switch as neutral. So the wall switch will have phase and neutral, the fixture would have phase and load and the remote unit would have 3 wires - phase, neutral and load.

Note that functionally, this setup is no different from using any other Insteon switch and something like in-linelinc.

Well not sure why they would design it for a j box when it is meant to handle the issue of houses with neutral at the fixture but the tabs do make it seem fit for a j box. Seems most uses would be in the ceiling box.

Guess I will have to be the Guinea pig.

 

[BLH]

I never bought the kit, but tried to duplicate it with individual parts that are in the kit.

The theory is you use the original switch loop rewired to supply Line and Neutral to the switches position. The Switchlinc installed there has the load wire capped off and it is linked to an InlineLinc in the fixtures electrical box.

My only problem was the homes very small electrical box where the fixture was hanging. Even with the mounting tabs snapped off. It was almost impossible to get it inside the fixture. I was using the relay style so heat from a dimmer style was not a problem.

Now to be fair here.
My home looks like it was wired by an armature and the light in question had the box maybe 2"-3" above the ceiling and really LONG mounting screws.

 

[oberkc]

Guess I will have to be the Guinea pig.

You may get better responses over at the smarthome forum. I am sure you are not the first to use one of these.

This looks like a pretty standard insteon device and I see no reason it should not work (barring the physical installation issues already discussed).

 

[jhdale]

If it helps, I've installed the inlinelinc part in an outdoor octagon box with security lighting. The fit is tight and it may be necessary to trim the wires down to minimize how much room they take up. It took some time to get it to work. But it did work.