UPB Products
- Thread starter nov0798
- Start date
Steve
Senior Member
Well, that's kind of like asking are all cars essentially the same. At the core, yes, they all use the standard UPB protocol to control lights, etc. But you have all the difference like SAI/Gen I vs PCS/HAI Gen II, the look and feel of the switch, the LEDs colors, extra capabilities in UPStart, warranty, faceplates, etc. So, while essentially yes they do the same thing, there are still alot of difference to consider. I would search around from some of the threads that talk more specifically about the differences.
Neurorad
Senior Member
Lamps or hardwired switches?
If just a couple of lamps while you're on vacation, or holiday lights, you may want to consider a Z-wave product:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?...;ci_sku=8400110
Depends on how much you want to spend.
Start with a kit or 2, play with them. See what you like.
Here's a starter UPB kit:
http://www.smarthome.com/22900A3/UPB-Advan...er-Panel/p.aspx
drozwood90
Senior Member
Think about your upgrade path as well...you may not NOW want a total automation system that rules them all...but I think most if not all of us started at that point (Does anyone remember the Firecracker deal from X10 years ago??).
I originally started out with ONLY a Firecracker and one remote. I wanted to control things in my house easily from one remote. How far I have strayed!
I now am working on automating lights ON and OFF, taking care of most of the day to day things in the house. I think the only thing that I'd like to really get the house to do it take the garbage out to the curb for me!!
Try to lay out more specifically what you are looking to do, how much your budget is, and what you are trying to get out of this (different then what you want the system to do). Essentially, these are different (in my mind) as you may want a light to go on / off at certain times due to certain conditions, but someone else has already tackled that in a "more better" kind of way. I know I've generally changed the way I've done specific things do to feedback from other automation users.
Some questions:
You want the lights to go on off at certain times. Are they flashing? Are they "night time" lighting?
What kind of lights, are the CFLs? Do you want to use CFL?
Do you have access to neutrals in your switch box?
What kind of materials are your switch junction boxes made out of (plastic / metal?)?
Are these just lamps, or ceiling lights?
Are all the lights in the same room (same phase in the power distribution)?
Do you want a PC involved?
Do you want the lights to react to other conditions?
How MUCH do you want to spend?
What kinds of automation do you have now (if any...as I see you have 110 or so posts...I'd like to not "treat" you like someone who JUST started out, but I just don't know how much you know, so we (the community) can help you without (accidentally of course!!) talking down to you, but with giving you enough information)?
How much time do you want to spend maintaining the system (some protocols are more prone to power line noise, others are more prone to complex setup issues).
Etc...etc...etc...
The more clear your question, the better your answer will be.
--Dan
I originally started out with ONLY a Firecracker and one remote. I wanted to control things in my house easily from one remote. How far I have strayed!
I now am working on automating lights ON and OFF, taking care of most of the day to day things in the house. I think the only thing that I'd like to really get the house to do it take the garbage out to the curb for me!!
Try to lay out more specifically what you are looking to do, how much your budget is, and what you are trying to get out of this (different then what you want the system to do). Essentially, these are different (in my mind) as you may want a light to go on / off at certain times due to certain conditions, but someone else has already tackled that in a "more better" kind of way. I know I've generally changed the way I've done specific things do to feedback from other automation users.
Some questions:
You want the lights to go on off at certain times. Are they flashing? Are they "night time" lighting?
What kind of lights, are the CFLs? Do you want to use CFL?
Do you have access to neutrals in your switch box?
What kind of materials are your switch junction boxes made out of (plastic / metal?)?
Are these just lamps, or ceiling lights?
Are all the lights in the same room (same phase in the power distribution)?
Do you want a PC involved?
Do you want the lights to react to other conditions?
How MUCH do you want to spend?
What kinds of automation do you have now (if any...as I see you have 110 or so posts...I'd like to not "treat" you like someone who JUST started out, but I just don't know how much you know, so we (the community) can help you without (accidentally of course!!) talking down to you, but with giving you enough information)?
How much time do you want to spend maintaining the system (some protocols are more prone to power line noise, others are more prone to complex setup issues).
Etc...etc...etc...
The more clear your question, the better your answer will be.
--Dan
Ahh,
I have an Elk M1G, I would like to use that to turn lamps, on and off at certain times. Yes they are CFL's. I dont really want a ton of maintenance on the system, just want to be able to create the rules and go. My boxes are plastic in the house, and they have a neutral wire and ground. As for cost, if it works well Ill pay for it.
I have an Elk M1G, I would like to use that to turn lamps, on and off at certain times. Yes they are CFL's. I dont really want a ton of maintenance on the system, just want to be able to create the rules and go. My boxes are plastic in the house, and they have a neutral wire and ground. As for cost, if it works well Ill pay for it.
Steve
Senior Member
Ok, well the M1 you will need an XSP serial expander with the right firmware and the M1 will support most of the lighting and control systems. Based on what I see I would eliminate x10 right away (too unreliable and you have the budget it seems). Next I would probably eliminate ZWave as the M1 support for it is not that robust right now and you'll need other stuff. That leaves Insteon and UPB (or some hardwire system like ALC). Assuming you are not going to start running Cat5 to all your switch locations between those two I would recommend UPB. For one thing, they can be configured to dim or not. So while you now have CFL and will set the switch to dimming disabled, you may simply change a lightbulb one day and want it to dim. With UPB its all in the same switch instead of having to buy separate relay switches and dimmer switches.
So then, assuming UPB its then a choice between the mfgs. I currently have a mix of all of them and if I had to start over and standardize, assuming there is the budget, I would probably use PCS. If you absolutely need the changeable faceplates, consider SAI or Web Mountain (same but with Gen II). But, you can easily mix and match all brands, just the aesthetics will be inconsistent.
So then, assuming UPB its then a choice between the mfgs. I currently have a mix of all of them and if I had to start over and standardize, assuming there is the budget, I would probably use PCS. If you absolutely need the changeable faceplates, consider SAI or Web Mountain (same but with Gen II). But, you can easily mix and match all brands, just the aesthetics will be inconsistent.
kwilcox
Active Member
Slightly off-topic here but don't forget about dimmable CFLs. Best of both worlds. I've found that Philips Marathon Classic is the absolute best for recessed lighting in R-30/R-40 sizes. Otherwise I use TCP dimmable springlights. No noise based powerline impact on UPB either that I've been able to detect.
