Jetstream

[blmxm]

Paging Dan,

I saw the anouncement you wrote about zigbee pro, and cringed when at the end I saw:
"or quality problems, such as the Centralite JetStream paddle issue".
After getting red eyed reading about insteon, UPB and the like, I was headed towards jetstream. When I spoke with them by phone they were very helpful and seemed to be on top of things. However there doesn't seem to be much info online about them, and this is the first I have seen any mention of problems beyond a complaint that the switches are hard to activate. Could you elaborate on the troubles you mentioned or post a link please.
Thanks!

 

[Steve]

Yes, Centralite is having some trouble with paddles/buttons. I have been in contact with them and they have several 'patches' for the immediate problem, but they have a complete paddle/bezel design in the works that should be ready in a few months. Referring to the attached picture, you can see the plunger is part of the bezel, attached in the center of the plastic 'spring'. My feeling is that the plunger does not sit close enough so the microswitch so you have to press on the button too hard to get the plunger to engage the microswitch and the feel is very poor. I think they are also having trouble with people therefore pressing too hard and breaking the microswitch. A much better design, kind of what SAI and others use is to have the plunger on the button, not the bezel and simply have a small regular spring that essentially just keep the button 'raised'. then just requiring a soft touch to depress and let the microswitch click itself be felt. I think this is what Centralite is re-engineering toward.

Besides that, Jetstream itself is very solid and their software is great. If the switch paddle were better quality/feel it would be a much easier sell imho. I know there are many that have it and don't mind the current feel. The 3 button switches also are not as bad as the 1 button switches. The good news is that they are redesigning the paddles and they are replaceable, so it should be a relatively easy retrofit/fix when they have new paddles.

UPB is also a very solid system if you don't have alot of noise on your powerline.

 

[blmxm]

Thanks for the detailed explanation Steve. I had read about complaints on the “feel†and your insight explains much of it. I was originally looking at UPB after seeing all the insteon trouble, but I think the integration with the elk and the software on the Jetstream setup is much cleaner. Also I have well pumps, pool pump, and a house from the 70’s that I think would make any power line technology an adventure…lol
So if a redesign that will be backwards compatible is in the works, then I don’t see this issue as a deal breaker.

 

[electron]

I think the most frustrating part is that these switches have been out for a long time, and they still haven't implemented a good fix.

 

[Kevin L]

Thanks for this thread. I bought a Jetstream system a couple of months ago to supplement my LiteJet system and was going to install it this weekend (since my wife is away). Looks like I'll wait for a fix.

Kevin

 

[blmxm]

Has anyone here had recent personal experience with the jetstream system? Anything to add to the discussion pro or con? Any input is appreciated!
Mark

 

[Steve]

Thanks for this thread. I bought a Jetstream system a couple of months ago to supplement my LiteJet system and was going to install it this weekend (since my wife is away). Looks like I'll wait for a fix.

Kevin

Kevin - I would just go ahead with the install. The switches do work well technically and I'm sure you can live with the feel for a while (if you even touch your switches at all). You will be able to replace the bezel/paddle later just by removing the switchplate, so no big deal. It's still going to be a few months probably.

 

[Zanthic]

Has anyone here had recent personal experience with the jetstream system? Anything to add to the discussion pro or con? Any input is appreciated!
Mark

I've just completed a 50 switch install in my brothers new house and everything has gone really well. I agree that the 3 button switch is a little stiff when pressing but it isn't so bad as to be a deal breaker. So far they work great, software works good and the interface to CQC is working good. I still have a bunch of scene setups to do and CQC design to finish and I can post a complete description of the entire setup when I'm done (CQC, ELK, Jetstream, Nuvo GC)
One thing that I do want to comment on, is that I had a setup question and I phoned the Centralite/Jetstream technical support number and, get this, a real person answered the phone! Not only that, she transfered me immediately to another real person (sorry, I didn't catch his name) He answered all my questions and solved a couple of minor issues. In this day and age of large companies and automated phone system issues, I was blown away with this immediate and great phone support!

 

[blmxm]

Has anyone here had recent personal experience with the jetstream system? Anything to add to the discussion pro or con? Any input is appreciated!
Mark

I've just completed a 50 switch install in my brothers new house and everything has gone really well. I agree that the 3 button switch is a little stiff when pressing but it isn't so bad as to be a deal breaker. So far they work great, software works good and the interface to CQC is working good. I still have a bunch of scene setups to do and CQC design to finish and I can post a complete description of the entire setup when I'm done (CQC, ELK, Jetstream, Nuvo GC)
One thing that I do want to comment on, is that I had a setup question and I phoned the Centralite/Jetstream technical support number and, get this, a real person answered the phone! Not only that, she transfered me immediately to another real person (sorry, I didn't catch his name) He answered all my questions and solved a couple of minor issues. In this day and age of large companies and automated phone system issues, I was blown away with this immediate and great phone support!

While it has been rare to run across anyone with direct interaction with this product online, to date all that I have, indicate experiences similar to yours. I initially was looking at the ISY (which seems to have great support) and insteon, but the issues with smarthome seem never ending, and this is not the only board indicating that. Perhaps the inverse of the squeaky wheel is true with Jetstream. Not much online as there is not much to complain about? It seems much easier to get fired up enough to post about troubles, or getting help with them, than success stories.
Thank you for the reply Zanthic.

 

[Zanthic]

While it has been rare to run across anyone with direct interaction with this product online, to date all that I have, indicate experiences similar to yours. I initially was looking at the ISY (which seems to have great support) and insteon, but the issues with smarthome seem never ending, and this is not the only board indicating that. Perhaps the inverse of the squeaky wheel is true with Jetstream. Not much online as there is not much to complain about? It seems much easier to get fired up enough to post about troubles, or getting help with them, than success stories.
Thank you for the reply Zanthic.

I have (had) a dealer account with SH and I recently placed an order and they informed me that because I haven't kept up the minimum orders placed, my order, and my account, have been canceled. The reason I haven't been buying from them is because their pricing has been much higher then places like Automated Outlet. I wrote them back and wished them luck with their business strategy. :angry2:

As far as Jetstream goes, I have also noticed that there is not much mention of them and have wondered why not. One other note I'll add is that I was pleasantly surprised at how quick the response is when controlling the lights through CQC. I was concerned that there would be so many layers of communications in between that the lag would be noticeable but it really isn't.

 

[electron]

I am also wondering if the JetStream hardware will become ZigBee Pro compatible. It's the next big thing, and manufacturers are starting to adopt it now. I have yet to see anyone get a confirmation from Centralite that they are (or aren't) going to migrate to ZigBee Pro.

 

[Kevin L]

Thanks for this thread. I bought a Jetstream system a couple of months ago to supplement my LiteJet system and was going to install it this weekend (since my wife is away). Looks like I'll wait for a fix.

Kevin

Kevin - I would just go ahead with the install. The switches do work well technically and I'm sure you can live with the feel for a while (if you even touch your switches at all). You will be able to replace the bezel/paddle later just by removing the switchplate, so no big deal. It's still going to be a few months probably.

Thanks, Steve. That's a certainty this is going to just a bezel/paddle swap? If so, no reason not to do it.

Kevin

 

[phenix]

What sort of distances do people have in between switches. I have someone who wants me to install about 6 switches in there home but off course they what 3 on one end of the house and 3 on the other. The bad news is that its about 180 ft from one end to the other. I'm sure I will have to put a lamp mod or an rs232 bridge somewhere in between to bridge the network but I was trying to get an idea of how far I can stretch it?

Thanks

 

[sic0048]

I think I read in the Jetstream literature that you want a device every 30-35ft or so.

 

[phenix]

I think I read in the Jetstream literature that you want a device every 30-35ft or so.

Sounds like I'm going to have to get more switches to bridge the gap.