INSTEON just got VETOed

johnnynine

Active Member
Is anyone else having the "lack of response on a quick tap" issue with Insteon?

I originally posted my findings on techmall at the following url on 4/13/2006:

http://www.techmall.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=142

A smarthome representative had the following response:

The lack of response on a "very quick tap" was by design to prevent switches from falsing on or off. Since researching, I have read several requests for this in the past 2 weeks I have made an internal request to change the feature moving forward in the next revs to the product.
However I haven't had a final response from them yet.

I am wondering how many other people are having this problem?

Basically what happens is that my wife and I press and release the insteon switch paddles quick enough that they do no respond. It happens with ALL of my insteon Switchlinc switches - dimmers and timer switch. This happens very often and it drives us crazy when walking into a room after tapping the switch and hearing the underlying click of the microswitch but the light didn't come on and having walk back and do it again.

As for WAF I was told the insteon problem was unacceptable and there was concern that not only would the switches not work for us but we would have to train house guests to actually press and hold the switch instead of just tapping like we do. So the use of Insteon has been vetod... unless they correct this problem and I get approval.

I'm disappointed that I haven't had an answer and more importantly there hasn't been a product change as Insteon is fairly affordable compared to most other solutions.

It looks like I will be looking into ZWave after all.
 
In my family nobody else turns lights off so I only have half the problem ;)

But I hear you. I have grown used to it. Of all of the issues with Insteon I can live with this one the most. I hate it when lights are told to turn off and they dont go off because the swith did not get the signal.
 
My insteon switches recognize all but the quickest pushes. In fact, the only touches that they don't respond to are more like finger slaps than pushes. And if thats the way she treats the switches I can only wonder how she treats you. ;)
 
johnnynine said:
As for WAF I was told the insteon problem was unacceptable and there was concern that not only would the switches not work for us but we would have to train house guests to actually press and hold the switch instead of just tapping like we do. So the use of Insteon has been vetod...
If this bugs her you better not try any UPB. She would really hate the "double tap" delay.

Hope you weren't using any keypads... Z-Wave doesn't have those. Likewise level indicators and LED color change options.
 
It's quite disappointing after buying about 15 modules (which is a small set compared to what I will have) and all the effort I put towards writing little custom insteon applications, trying out a linux app and powerhome, group commander, inhomefre, etc.

I'm not looking forward to all that again with ZWave, but in the end if I have a switch that actually turns on when we press it... that's what is important.
 
Johnny,

IIRC, you are building a new house, so you have the option of a hardwired system. Spend whatever it takes to put a Litetouch, Lutron or any other hardwired system into your new house.

I don't think your wife will be happy with anything less.

For the record, I only have 1 relay that has this issue.
 
Of course hard wiring will require you to wire your house in a very non-standard way. Then in a few years when lightning destroys 8 of your 77 installed switches you will find that the company has gone out of business or changed to a different system that is not compatible. You try to move switches from less critical areas but you are still stuck with 8 locations with only low voltage wire so you can't even stick a manual switch there. So you decide to rplace the whole system with something newer but nothing on the market uses the wiring schem that is pulled to the switch locations so you start trying to find ways to fish new wire to all your electrical boxes but it is not going well and the drill just nicked a water pipe and you don't know where the shutoff is and it is pouring down on your home theater system but you don't dare try to move anything because sparks are jumping all over the place and you don't want to get electrocuted and one of them just caught the curtains on fire and you think to yourself: "Was hard wired lighting really the best choice for my house?"
 
The we just turn to you for some of your genius ;)
Thank you. Most of my ideas border on genius but that is rarely appreciated here.

I would also go hardwired in a second if I could.
 
upstatemike said:
Of course hard wiring will require you to wire your house in a very non-standard way. . .
Well, that really depends on the system. Home-run wiring has been around for over sixty years.

My neighbor had a Touch-Plate low voltage system that was installed in the early 1950s. hen it needed to be replaced, CentaLite's LiteJet system dropped right in. No rewiring at all. There were other systems that could have worked as well.

I believe most hardwired systems use the concept of a wiring closet that all the lights home-run to, and a pair of wires to each button (the touch-plate system used cat3). If you stick with that architecture, you will not hurt for choices.
 
In addition to Centralite central control lighting, there is also the OnQ or EDT hardwired lighting systems in which you run CAT5 to the wall switches. Their switches can replace an existing wall switch.

I was asked recently which lighting system I prefer. If you can run the wire, one of the hardwired systems. They all work very good. Pick the one with the feature set you want.

...new technology wireless or PLC lighting, they all have their good and bad points. I will have found the one I like when the user interface allows my wife to add a Christmas Tree switch without me. X10 with two rotary switches wins this test so far! ;)
 
Spanky said:
I will have found the one I like when the user interface allows my wife to add a Christmas Tree switch without me. X10 wins this test so far! ;)


Bingo! I don't need all this complexity. I want lights on/off/dim. I want reliability. I want cheap.

Everything else is fluff IMHO. Let's get the techies out and our wives into the design meetings.....
 
Spanky said:
...new technology wireless or PLC lighting, they all have their good and bad points. I will have found the one I like when the user interface allows my wife to add a Christmas Tree switch without me. X10 wins this test so far! :)
Spanky;

Couldn't agree with you (and Chakara) more! :)

My requirements seem to be similar to Chakara's. I would be scared to death if I had to pick one of the newer technologies right now. ;)
 
An easy solution to your problem is to use motion sensors and door sensors to turn on and off lights. No one in my home uses the switches. ;)
 
BraveSirRobbin said:
I would be scared to death if I had to pick one of the newer technologies right now. :unsure:
I also feel the same way. X10 works well for me and as the saying goes: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
 
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