HAI OmniPro II Replacement

[leprint]

I know this has been asked; and after dealing with legacy issues for some time, I need to finally update my OmniPro II / OmniTouch system. What is the recommended replacement panel that supports similar features (expandable wired zones, serial for UPB, Somfy shades, and custom serial messages, outputs, programming, etc.)? I am currently using OpenHab for the advanced home automation but plan to switch to Control4 & touchscreens in the future.

Is the ELK M1 Gold the best candidate? Are there any limitations in terms of programming compared to the OmniPro II?

 

[grandelectricalservices]

Longtime Omni dealer that has replaced 2 OmniProII systems with Elk M1 Gold as a direct replacement and was very diosapointed. The M1 can not compare to the Omni, particularly programming - to many short comings to mention, but even the processor, in just reasonably sized automations, can not keep up. Retrospectively, I would have just kept the Omni in place and added a Home Seer on top to create a new user I/F and network interoperability. I suppose the M1 is OK if you deligate it to security only with a capable controller on top - Control4 perhaps.

 

[sjht]

I switched to Alarm.com (through a company called Surety who does the monitoring) and Control4. Pretty much DIY, but you need a dealer for certain aspects of the C4 system (eg they are the only ones who can add devices). Ours is integrated with many aspects of our home (lighting, media systems, etc). You have to pay a yearly fee for home programming tools, but it is very powerful. Not sure it would be worth it just for security or basic automation. Alarm.com (ADC) allows basic programming if integrated with other parts of your system, but I found the delay caused by being a cloud type service did not meet our requirements. Wanted local control which is why we added C4. ADC may have improved, but the automation capabilities were very limited. I would make sure that whatever you end up selecting has tight integration that meets your requirements.

 

[leprint]

Thanks for the advice. Do you guys have any experience with the IQ Pro? In my new setup, most of the home automation will be managed through Control4 (I'm already running some tests). My main challenge is that I have over 70 UPB dimmers working flawlessly, so I'm not particularly inclined to switch to RA3 and it seems there is no UPB driver for C4.

 

[PABrad]

I am --or was-- a decades long user of OnmiPro II. I recently upgraded to Control4 and IQPro. 10/10. Very happy

 

[leprint]

I am --or was-- a decades long user of OnmiPro II. I recently upgraded to Control4 and IQPro. 10/10. Very happy

Awesome, that’s my plan. I have a couple of questions, if you don’t mind:

Did you move all non-security-related devices (like thermostats, dimmers, etc.) to Control4, and the alarm system (such as wired zones, wired motion detectors, auxiliary keypad, etc.) to the IQ Pro?

What about auxiliary wireless zones—are they handled by Control4 or IQ?

Is the arm/disarm control reliable from the T4 touchscreens on the Control4 system?

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I always thought that Control4 systems do not allow DIY tinkering...you have to get any modifications (including initial installation) performed by a dealer. Am I incorrect in this thought?

 

[sjht]

I always thought that Control4 systems do not allow DIY tinkering...you have to get any modifications (including initial installation) performed by a dealer. Am I incorrect in this thought?

There are certain things which require a dealer and their software. These are things like adding devices and configuring HDMI. So, they do the specific base setup. Once devices are setup you can write all the logic you want to USE these devices. Examples… they have all of my lights and alarm sensors setup. I can write code to turn on outside lights when we open the door going outside. You can completely control schedules for lighting and any other device. You can tap into the alarm system and write automation for things happening when you set the alarm to stay/away/etc. Again, they setup devices and you can control them with some very powerful tools. You do have to pay a yearly fee for access to this capability and the associated software.

 

[PABrad]

@leprint in response to your questions:

Q1: Did you move all non-security-related devices (like thermostats, dimmers, etc.) to Control4, and the alarm system (such as wired zones, wired motion detectors, auxiliary keypad, etc.) to the IQ Pro?
A1: exactly, Control4 excels at coordinating mission-specific hardware. I think of Control4 as the "general contractor" and single point of interface for our household to almost every previously decentralized facet. For example, Control4 integrates with Hunter Irrigation control boxes for integration, IQPro for security and so on. Additionally, the centralized lighting is rock solid.

Q2: What about auxiliary wireless zones—are they handled by Control4 or IQ?
A2: All non-life safety items are either wired and run directly to Control4 (Expansion panel) or via WiFi (via a Shelly device). There is one exception: 6 zones of ZigBee thermostats.

Q3: Is the arm/disarm control reliable from the T4 touchscreens on the Control4 system?
A3: yes

I will quickly add, make certain that your network is robust and commercial grade. This includes wireless access points and network switching. I upgraded my router from the ISP-provided unit to a dedicated router.

 

[PABrad]

@BraveSirRobbin @sjht Control4 permits end users to purchase ComposerHE. This is a version of the full-featured Pro version with a few deletions. The deletions include the ability to add new hardware or make bindings. All facets of the programming can be accomplished via the ComposerHE. I hired a remote programmer who is fantastic in adding devices. All installation and set-up I did (with a little help from a local handyman). All programming I did on my own. I enjoy the programming and my kids got involved which was fun.

Overall, Control4 is professional grade. The 2N Doorstations are very high quality. The KCB keypads are conveinent and the custom backlight engraving is sharp; for high-end keypads, check out BlackNova. We added about 18 security cameras with AI detection for additional security. All-in-all, I am very happy. I have friends who installed Crestron. Control4 offers the same robustness and versitlity with the added advantage of being able to fully own and modify / write the programming script that operates your home.

I fully made the transition from HAI / OmniPro to Control4. Please reach out if I can be helpful to similar efforts.

 

[PABrad]

Thanks for the advice. Do you guys have any experience with the IQ Pro? In my new setup, most of the home automation will be managed through Control4 (I'm already running some tests). My main challenge is that I have over 70 UPB dimmers working flawlessly, so I'm not particularly inclined to switch to RA3 and it seems there is no UPB driver for C4.

By way of background, I replaced a similar number of UPB dimmers with Control4 panalized lighting, Kasa WiFi switches, or Shelly WiFi devices when I transitioned to Control4. I really didn't like UPB. That said if you wanted to upgrade to Control4 and phase in the lighting upgrade, consider keeping the OmniPro II only for lighting and integrating the OmniPro II to Control4 using the Domosapians Leviton / HAI driver. This is what I did for about 6 months as I replaced with switches when my wife was otherwise occupied.

 

[leprint]

I always thought that Control4 systems do not allow DIY tinkering...you have to get any modifications (including initial installation) performed by a dealer. Am I incorrect in this thought?

I also wanted to point out that it is possible to jailbreak Control4 for full control with Composer Pro, although you will still need a dealer to set up a C4 account if you want to use the mobile app or other cloud-related services.

 

[leprint]

By way of background, I replaced a similar number of UPB dimmers with Control4 panalized lighting, Kasa WiFi switches, or Shelly WiFi devices when I transitioned to Control4. I really didn't like UPB. That said if you wanted to upgrade to Control4 and phase in the lighting upgrade, consider keeping the OmniPro II only for lighting and integrating the OmniPro II to Control4 using the Domosapians Leviton / HAI driver. This is what I did for about 6 months as I replaced with switches when my wife was otherwise occupied.

Thanks for the details. Yes, I’m thinking of keeping the OPII with Domosapiens while I transition the devices. Have you tried any RA3 devices?