Insteon LED Colors

[upstatemike]

It looks like I may have hit a show-stopper that could put an end to my Insteon conversion project. It was noticed that some of the LEDs on the newest switches I installed this morning do not exactly match some other switches that I have installed in weeks and months passed... and the decorator police are not pleased!

One of the original selling points that allowed me to move forward with Insteon was the unique aqua LEDs. These were actually just the green light pipes installed but the LEDs have a natural blue tint to them so the result is a very attractive aqua color.

I don't know if I got a bad batch of light pipes or if the LED color temperature has changed in the newer switches but the new LEDs are definitely a different color. They are less aqua and more green and when an old switch is close to a new one the difference is obvious.

In any large installation consistency is critical. You just can't have mismatched shades of color and this is just as true with LEDs as it is for rocker parts and switch plates.

It was suggested that if I don't find a way to get the aqua color back on the newer switches that I might feel more at home living in some double-wide trailer where my "green" LEDs will fit right in with the artificial woodgrain paneling and shag carpet. I don't want to do that so I am hoping somebody else has seen this and knows if it is a light pipe or color temperature problem and can tell me how to fix it fast!

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I installed this morning do not exactly match some other switches that I have installed in weeks and months passed... and the decorator police are not pleased!

Oh man, and on Valentines Day and all!!!!

 

[rocco]

I would bet that it is the LEDs.

Unlike most colored LEDs, where the color is inherent, the whites are made using a technological brew: a combination of LED and phosphor. I suspect that no two manufacturers use the same recipe for white.

Since the white LEDs in the SwitchLincs are probably the most expensive components, SmartLabs will likely change them as often as the market changes, in order to keep their margins up.

BTW: This is why Icons are cheaper: a single green LED costs pennies.

 

[Digger]

Which is easier to return the Switches or the ............ I better not finish that!

 

[jeffx]

It was suggested that if I don't find a way to get the aqua color back on the newer switches that I might feel more at home living in some double-wide trailer where my "green" LEDs will fit right in with the artificial woodgrain paneling and shag carpet.

And I thought my wife was tough about fitting HA into the decor. That would definitely be a step down from your current estate. Your smart room/server rooms alone would be too big to fit in a double-wide.

What is the version number on the newer greenish Switchlincs?

 

[Quixote]

Wouldn't it be easier to just change your wife instead?

 

[Guy Lavoie]

Hmm, nothing like the dreaded decoration police!

Could you at least group the switches with like-colored LEDs together in the same area of the house? It seems that this would make it less noticeable.

 

[kwilcox]

Sigh... thus we have a continuance of what IMO is Smarthome's biggest switchlinc issue: Poor quality control over colors. Here's another shot at a picture I posted earlier which demonstrates this:

This fault means game over for high end housing switchlinc installations I'm afraid.

 

[AutomatedOutlet]

From that picture, all three look like they are different colors.

 

[fitzpatri8]

Sigh... thus we have a continuance of what IMO is Smarthome's biggest switchlinc issue: Poor quality control over colors. Here's another shot at a picture I posted earlier which demonstrates this:

This fault means game over for high end housing switchlinc installations I'm afraid.

The topic title was Insteon LEDs. It should be noted that those switches are not Insteon switches!

(Note the status lights are the old style, and the set button is at the top instead of the bottom.)

In the ten years Smarthome has been around, there has certainly been some variability in product consistency. Some products were a hit right off, some took a little tweaking. For most of its life, I suspect Smarthome has been having different people building small lots of things, reflective of its niche in a high-end home automation marketplace.

That's where I think Smarthome is getting it right. By bringing costs down, production lot size up, and enlarging the target market from a niche to a mass-market (already selling through Home Depot, etc.), I expect to see greater consistency from lot to lot from producers who do considerable volume in Insteon products and are counting on future Insteon contracts.

 

[upstatemike]

Hmm, nothing like the dreaded decoration police!

Could you at least group the switches with like-colored LEDs together in the same area of the house? It seems that this would make it less noticeable.

This solution would only last until the next time a switch failed and I had to replace it.

People who convert to Insteon over time will be expecting things to match over the course of the transition.

People who install switches professionally expect things to match if they have to do warranty replacements weeks or months after the initital installation.

I don't think juggling switches around is going to solve this.

 

[SmartLabsMike]

Hi Mike,

I have pinged our production people about your issue. AFAIK nothing has changed and we are using the same LED factory which had a rigorous QC process. That being said lots of things can effect led colors. I will let you know what I can find out.

For my clarification are you are using the green led light pipes or leaving them white how they ship?

 

[upstatemike]

Sigh... thus we have a continuance of what IMO is Smarthome's biggest switchlinc issue: Poor quality control over colors. Here's another shot at a picture I posted earlier which demonstrates this:

This fault means game over for high end housing switchlinc installations I'm afraid.

I also had an issue with paddle colors. At some point towards the end of the year the Ivory Insteon paddle color changed significantly. Fortunately I had installed enough white switches by the time I needed the Ivory ones that I had a pool of spare paddles and could come up with a matched set.

I even got one paddle where the frame was one shade of Ivory and the rocker was the other shade!

I'm not as concerned about this since I can move existing paddles to replacement switches if I have to. I wonder how hard it would be to move an LED?

 

[upstatemike]

Hi Mike,

I have pinged our production people about your issue. AFAIK nothing has changed and we are using the same LED factory which had a rigorous QC process. That being said lots of things can effect led colors. I will let you know what I can find out.

For my clarification are you are using the green led light pipes or leaving them white how they ship?

I'm using green LED pipes which produce the nice aqua shade.

 

[kwilcox]

Let me just quickly point out something about switchlincs. I posted the picture to demonstrate qualilty control over time. In fact, the two switchlincs on the left were purchased within 6 months of each other and both are different, not only from each other, but also from the original switchlinc on the right which is about 4 years old.

High end homeowners will expect that when a switch goes bad that an exact color replacement will be available. I was quite disappointed by the two switchlincs on the left.

Yes, these aren't insteon switches but my point was this: The insteon switchlinc line is apparently experiencing the same disappointing quality control in visual appearance, this time in the LED pipes. My only reason for the post was to demonstrate that color problems (LED or otherwise) are not new to the switchlinc line.

Over the timespan of one year, I expect to be able to install an Exact Replacement from a LED perspective as well as an overall color perspective. I expect this because both elements are equally noticable in a multigang installation. This is why I will not install switchlincs in high end housing until I see clear evidence that this problem has been resolved. Unfortunately, this thread only adds conviction to my current mindset.

Don't get me wrong... I love switchlincs and have a bunch installed. The status LED bar really sets them apart and their built-in adjustment for both default light levels and ramp rates makes them very capable indeed. In fact, I installed a couple in my brother's house over the Christmas holidays. My wife isn't worried about the above picture. That's because she's a wonderful person and I'm lucky to have her.