Which system for me? Lighting for today, with the potential for further HA.

[Digger]

But they are also the icon switches which are also a cheaper version. Digger, find me some more forums where there is such a problem with their main switches. I just can't find any.

Well there were previously problems with the switchlincs to but the techmall moderator was deleting the posts back then (less censorship lately). I beleive if you search there are plenty of places on the net and even a few things on YouTube where people made videos of switchlincs not working.

The problem is QC at SH (or the lack of it). There are hardware and firmware issues that outnumber other systems. No system is perfect and if you want to buy Insteon go right ahead and good luck. I just hate to see you waste time and money.

 

[ingeborgdot]

Digger, I do see that there is no love between you and insteon. I don't know for sure what path I will take but from all the people I have talked to and all the info I have read there were problems with the switchlinc switches but they have since been cleared up and have no more problems than many of the other brands do.

 

[Digger]

Digger, I do see that there is no love between you and insteon. I don't know for sure what path I will take but from all the people I have talked to and all the info I have read there were problems with the switchlinc switches but they have since been cleared up and have no more problems than many of the other brands do.

I hope I never have to say I told you so. Good Luck with Insteon if you do buy it. You may want to keep an eye on the Techmall forums though as it looks like more than a few people are seeing issues with the same types of products.

 

[Deephaven]

I think another big difference is signal strength. Insteon uses the same signal voltage (4 volts) as X-10, where UPB uses 40volts pulses.

Dave

Does this 40v ever cause issues on non-UPB items? In particular I am wondering about my stereo & tv, I'd hate to pick up noise everytime there is a communication between a device and the controller.

I've found I favor SA switches because the green/blue LEDs are a bit more subtle than the blue/red of PCS. Definitely test them in a dark bedroom. However SA has a protruding LED tab that can be felt if you hit the upper rocker with a glancing blow.

PCS 6 button keypads have an IR target that is missing on others but HAI buttons are staggered and easier to hit. I chose PCS.

Can you kill the LED's completely? The WAF would be low if you can't, as she HATES lights in the bedroom.

PCS 6 button keypads have an IR target that is missing on others but HAI buttons are staggered and easier to hit. I chose PCS.

So does the HAI 6 button. It's located behind the Off button (IIRC).

Does the Simply Automated have an IR receiver as well? And if so, can this broadcast other control information to non-upb devices in some way?

I am going to give UPB a shot which brings up a last little mini-question. First step is to get a serial controller and Upstart and sniff for noise. Do I need anything other than the controller itself? Also, is one brand of controller better and do they have to each be matched with their own companies switches?

 

[Steve]

Does this 40v ever cause issues on non-UPB items? In particular I am wondering about my stereo & tv, I'd hate to pick up noise everytime there is a communication between a device and the controller.

While anything is 'possible' it is not likely and I have never heard anyone complain about UPB causing a problem. It's always the other way around, something causing noise which interferes with UPB signal.

Can you kill the LED's completely? The WAF would be low if you can't, as she HATES lights in the bedroom.

Yes, and you'll see that when you play with UpStart. Each state (On/Off) can be set to any of the 3 colors, or off.

Does the Simply Automated have an IR receiver as well? And if so, can this broadcast other control information to non-upb devices in some way?

No IR on SAI/Web Mountain.

I am going to give UPB a shot which brings up a last little mini-question. First step is to get a serial controller and Upstart and sniff for noise. Do I need anything other than the controller itself? Also, is one brand of controller better and do they have to each be matched with their own companies switches?

UPB is UPB, its all interoperable. With that said, there is a difference between Gen I (Only SAI still uses this) and Gen II. To get the 'possible' advantages of Gen II, like noise/sensitivity settings, then all of your devices need to be Gen II. That means you can mix PCS/HAI and Web Mountain (SAI hardware with Gen II firmware). Based on my experience so far, I would recommend Gen II. However, you can have both Gen I and Gen II devices on the network and they will work, but the Gen I devices obviously will not have the Gen II settings. Also, if you have any Gen II and want to use Gen II features you need to have a Gen II controller/PIM/CIM.

You also may want to get a lighting or appliance module for your testing so you can test end to end - like signal at controller and signal at module.

Good luck.

 

[Deephaven]

I have no need for an appliance module, considering this could I just buy a light switch and put it in an electrical box with an extension cord running to it to plug into different outlets to test?

 

[Steve]

Sure, that will work. Was just trying to make it easy . But I bet you find use for appliance modules - holiday lights, etc.

 

[Deephaven]

Sure, that will work. Was just trying to make it easy . But I bet you find use for appliance modules - holiday lights, etc.

If I didn't have switched outlets in every room it would be a heck of a useful item.

Unless it can work for my espresso machine. It requires a 15amp circuit though as it has a 1400w heater element.

These say 15A, but can they do 1400w (HAI 60A00 1 Appliance Module)?
http://www.automatedoutlet.com/Home/HAI-UPB/HAI-60A00-1

The Web Mountain/SAI don't seem to be able to supply what I'll need.
AM-01/SA-UMA-20-W Appliance module states 12A
LM-01/SA-UML20W says 15a, but "Max Load Power Delivered: 400w"
http://webmtn.com/products/dataSheets/LM-0..._(11-10-04).pdf

 

[Ed Nelson]

Hello DeepHaven;

Welcome to Cocoontech; Many of the points I would have raised have been addressed by this very informative thread. I have a similar setup that I started over a year ago and have completed in my home. A couple of observations based on my experiences:

1. You may be surprised to discover that controlling a ceiling fan is no small chore. Most if any are NOT IR. I am looking to address this with an Appliance Link interface but this will not give me the ability to control fan speeds and lights

2. I control nearly all aspects of the home with the Philips Pronto programmable remote

3. I settled on Insteon and have been very happy with it. The ELK device controls the lighting and I have themes and tasks defined in the ELK which I can access via the Pronto or TS07

I believe most everything else I was going to mention has been covered.

Good luck.

- Ed

 

[Deephaven]

Thank you for all the input so far.

I just ordered a mini-batch of gen 2 upb switches & PIM. Going to check and make sure everything will work in my house and go from there. In the end my only two choices were Zigbee and UPB, the 'wired' part of UPB makes me feel better about it. Being able to utilize different brands all together also seems like a bonus and for that reason I wanted to stick with all gen 2. Hopefully they should be here in the next week so I can finally start my HA project.

While in the ordering mode I bought a USB-UIRT so I can have dumb remotes control things...not that I've picked out the dumb remotes yet though.