Insteon it is!

[RandyKnight]

Some of you may have been following my UPB vs. Insteon thread(s). The 15% discount pushed me over the edge and I sprung for Insteon for everything I need for mu current home. This amounts to an additional 21 dimmers and 9 relays. Installed most of them yesterday so I'm up to 21 Insteon devices.

For the UPB proponents out there, my decision factors were as follows (not in any particular order)

1. HomeSeer integration stronger with Insteon. I didn't like having to program devices with UPStart, export the file, and import into HomeSeer. The Insteon plugin is beta but so far it has been pretty good. The only issue I've had is some spotty result with switches notifying HomeSeer when their status is changed manually.

2. Aesthetics. We (wife and I) both like the looks of the Icons better than anything UPB or even the SwitchLincs. She thinks they look more normal / less geeky than the others.

3. Price, although if all of the above had gone the UPB way I would've spent the extra $.

BTW, the issues I had previously with Insteon performance are GONE. So I suspect I reached the critical mass of devices necessary. Pretty cool technology where every device is a repeater.

11 more devices to install today and I'll be done with all switches. Then it's on to an Elk or cameras or motion or ? Stay tuned.

 

[upstatemike]

Did you end up needing the RF Lincs? Or did having enough switches eliminate that requirement? I don't use any although I have a half dozen or so ready to be installed the day they release the Insteon wireless motion detectors.

 

[Herdfan]

the day they release the Insteon wireless motion detectors.

Now that would be cool. RF based and battery powered would allow me to have lights come on when someone approached the front door. :angry:

Randy,

Let me know how the Elk install iprogresses when you get to it. I currently have a DSC system and want to upgrade it. Insteon support has me choosing it over HAI. Plus the Elk can control my HAI Thermostats.

 

[ginigma]

(upstatemike @ Mar 4 2006, 10:14 AM)
the day they release the Insteon wireless motion detectors.

Now that would be cool. RF based and battery powered would allow me to have lights come on when someone approached the front door.

Pretty much what I want to do also. I want to have a motion sensor in my garage so when I pull my car in, it automatically turns on the lights in my hallway so I'm not going into a dark house.

 

[bfisher]

another option ginigma is to monitor your garage door. When the door opens, it turns on the lights... garage door sensors are pretty cheap (~$20 if I remember right at Automated Outlet) and (I believe) will be more reliable than a motion sensor.

 

[electron]

In most cases, you can use a cheap magnetic reed switch to monitor the door, no need to invest in the $20 kind (that's what I am doing). If you have the Elk M1 and a W800RF32 hooked up, you could also use X10 RF motion sensors, which are extremely reliable, and could trigger Insteon devices through the Elk (I have this setup, but I use UPB).

 

[RandyKnight]

Did you end up needing the RF Lincs? Or did having enough switches eliminate that requirement? I don't use any although I have a half dozen or so ready to be installed the day they release the Insteon wireless motion detectors.

Mine are still installed. Though with this many devices I suspect I could probably pull them now. I may try that just to see. OTOH things are finally working so reliably ... why mess with it. :angry: