Look at recent posts from new Cocooners who are moving from Insteon to something else and why they say they are doing it. If you dont feel those issues will affect you then maybe Insteon is for you.
Which system for me? Lighting for today, with the potential for further HA.
- Thread starter Deephaven
- Start date
Look at recent posts from new Cocooners who are moving from Insteon to something else and why they say they are doing it. If you dont feel those issues will affect you then maybe Insteon is for you.
Check out Techmall today where there are still problems with Insteon devices (new ones).
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fasttimes
Junior Member
30 Posts
Posted - 05/11/2009 : 6:15:49 PM Show Profile Reply with Quote
Out of the 18 Icon swithes I replaced (new version I think is 4.2) 4 of them have died already.
They respond to linked commands but the not the local switch. The LED is out as well.
I'm not at all thrilled by this failure rate.
Techmall Thread
I wish you lived in the twin cities as I'd surely have something to trade worth a few hours of a loaned pocket programmer.
nightwalker
Active Member
If I lived anywhere near I would, the whole process takes about 5 minutes checking random outlets on different circuits.
ingeborgdot
Member
Can you tell me what is better and how you come with that rational?
If you look at the polls more people use Insteon (but not by much) but in another poll people said if they had to do it over again they would choose UPB.
Personally I wasted about $4k on Insteon and ripped it out because of constant device failures etc. and SH denying there were problems with the product (then I raised hell till they finally admitted it) I went to UPB and in 9 months now I have had zero device failures and everything just works. That is not saying UPB is miraculous or anything it just does what it is supposed to do. Zwave and other systems work fine as well.
There are a few (very few compared to Insteon) people who have had problems with UPB, Zwave, etc. No system is perfect but SH track record with INsteon is HORRIBLE even with newly shipped products. They just dont seem to learn and have lots of QC issues. Their moderators on Techmall try and cover it up as best they can by deleting posts from people who have problems or document that SH did not help them etc.
Good luck with whatever you decide to buy. Not trying to tell you what to do but I would hate for you to waste your hard earned money and your time on a product with so many issues. Others feel the same way as you see in some replies to you.
Actually SH responses to the problems have made it so that I have no interest in doing any business with them. It is one thing to have a flawed product, but not standing by it is a complete other problem. I shouldn't have even put them in the title of the thread, but considering how much cheaper their solution is I had hoped I could go that way. Not interested anymore though.
ingeborgdot
Member
What kinds of things does UPB offer that insteon does not? Where do you buy your UPB items? Does UPB have anything like the ISY that insteon has? I am more confused than ever now and it is all because of you. You should be ashamed of yourself for doing this to me. :blink:
I haven't had any issues at all with my fairly small Insteon install *crosses fingers*. I will definitely invest in an ISY before expanding on it as the linking method is painful to say the least. For me, it was a cheaper alternative and like I said, works as advertised. When I wasn't pleased with their economy switch (ICON) I sent it back and no problems.
I agree that Smarthome has had many issues in the past and has a lot of work to do to improve their image but I wouldn't let a few people sway judgment completely on the technology. Personally, I don't have the time or desire to continually applaud Insteon's success in my home but when people have bad experiences, they tend to have nothing but time and effort to do the opposite.
I would never claim that Insteon is the best, as there clearly is a reason why its not the most expensive (and generally easier to install than other techs). Smarthome seems to be continually releasing new Insteon products, often in response to customer demand. With a decent boost in QA and PR for that matter, they could really be formidable.
For me, Insteon is simple and that's what I wanted. If I had the know-how for more advanced techs I would venture there, but HA is just one of my many mini-hobbies at my house, so I can only spend so much time on it!
I agree that Smarthome has had many issues in the past and has a lot of work to do to improve their image but I wouldn't let a few people sway judgment completely on the technology. Personally, I don't have the time or desire to continually applaud Insteon's success in my home but when people have bad experiences, they tend to have nothing but time and effort to do the opposite.
I would never claim that Insteon is the best, as there clearly is a reason why its not the most expensive (and generally easier to install than other techs). Smarthome seems to be continually releasing new Insteon products, often in response to customer demand. With a decent boost in QA and PR for that matter, they could really be formidable.
For me, Insteon is simple and that's what I wanted. If I had the know-how for more advanced techs I would venture there, but HA is just one of my many mini-hobbies at my house, so I can only spend so much time on it!
UPB is really not much more expensive per device. Considering the devices tend to have a lot fewer problems it might be a wash or in some cases cheaper.
Actually I cant really think of a UPB device that Insteon does not (maybe someone else can). I can do everything with UPB that I could do with Insteon but I may not have as elaborate of a setup as you want (no way of knowing).
I am a distributor or dealer for many products so I cant really answer the question directly as I dont pay retail. There are many dealers selling UPB products (probably more than Insteon) and there are more manufacturers for basic UPB devices (switches, dimmers, etc) then Insteon. You can always check out Automated Outlet (a Cocoontech favorite amongst others) and other dealers/distributors who participate here and others out there.
If you are not in a tremendous hurry maybe you can do more research before you decide what to go with. its a big investment and several people on Cocoontech alone and others on SH forum, Homeseer Forum etc have dumped Insteon and lost thousands. Just hate to see that happen to anyone else.
There are other systems besides Insteon and UPB as well.
Good Luck!
mustangcoupe
Senior Member
NO, but I beleive they are working on one.... It's been a long time that I have not seen it mentioned but they were going to release one for each protocol, I think z-wave is in the end of the que now...
