Insteon or Zwave

[electron]

FWIW, RadioShack now sells a lot of Z-Wave gear (no more X10), including thermostats, door locks, and more. Being able to buy hardware locally when in a hurry is always a nice plus.

 

[BLH]

Interesting. Radio Shack now has Z-Wave stuff.

I know that Intermatic has discontinued their Z-Wave stuff and Wayne-Dalton was carrying on the Home Settings line.
That is most likely why my local surplus store [Ocean State Job Lot] has the some of the switches and starter kits dirt cheap.

 

[electron]

This was mostly Schlage and GE hardware, new stuff. Check their site for more info. I saw it on a display here a few days ago, it was fun being able to browse/look at home automation gear without having to buy it

 

[BLH]

Thanks for the link. It is nice to just window shop.

One thing I do like about Z-Wave is you are not tied to one vendors whims and quirks.

I am a mixed Insteon and X10 user, but am also a hardware type. So I did get a few Z-Wave items to mostly play with.

 

[nick_l]

with that said - i am curious about z-wave. I particularly like the idea of using the Schlage locks. that woudl be cool to be able to go to bed at night and press a button on a remote or a keypad or something and have it lock my doors.

One thing to note (unless something has changed, and someone please correct me if I am wrong) is that the Schlage locks cannot actually lock or unlock the door. A signal can be sent to the door so that someone standing at the door can open if it is currently locked. It can also tell you the status (locked, unlocked) and who has come and gone (if they use their pin #s). Black and Decker has a Z-wave line of locks coming out that can actually physically move the locking bolt, but they are not out yet.


Edit: Here's a link to the press release. Seems like the date has slipped a bit, but apparently you will be able to choose a zigbee or z-wave radio. press release