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    Belkin Wemo

    Did a search and didn't see this on the board...Belkin's wi-fi plug-in module. Also have one that is motion triggered. Looks nice.

    http://www.belkin.com/wemo/

    Seems to go with the growing trend of using standard wi-fi instead of things like z-wave, x-10, insteon, etc.

    And an easy way to interact with it.

    #2
    As these things get better, and especially smaller, I can see things moving this way. I like using standard wi-fi personally, but the downside is that with Z-wave or UPB you at the very least have some security through obscurity...

    Comment


      #3
      Expensive to build a full network and single vendor solution though
      ________________________

      Dell Zino HD - HSPRo 2.x
      HSTouch - iPhone 3GS, 4S, iPad2 and iPad 3, 3xKindle Fire (Wall mounted)
      2 x Brultech ECM1240 with UltraECM
      USB UIRT
      Cooper Aspire Z-Wave Switches
      WGL800 w ACRF2 and 3xDS10a (Sump Level/Activity sensing)
      HM ST812-2 Flood Sensor
      HSM100 - Motion Detector with Light and Temperature
      2GIG Thermostat
      BLDSC - Alarm Plug-in
      BLUPS
      UltraLog (SQL2008)
      Jon00 Plugins
      Host XR3 BT and Jon00 BT Proximity
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      Comment


        #4
        I'm trying to figure out what the arguments against wifi are. I mean let's face it...just take a look at the posts on this board with people trying to get z-wave working perfectly, especially the whole "the more you have the better it will work" mantra. If techies like us have to struggle to get it to work, how is that ever going to be mainstream? And to the person who doesn't really understand how z-wave works, doesn't it just sound like a sales pitch, "just buy more of our stuff and it will work better".

        If you could hit any device that uses wifi with web services, life would be so much easier.

        Is there a wifi equivalent of a ds10a or would the battery drain make that prohibitive?

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by GatorEye View Post
          I'm trying to figure out what the arguments against wifi are. I mean let's face it...just take a look at the posts on this board with people trying to get z-wave working perfectly, especially the whole "the more you have the better it will work" mantra. If techies like us have to struggle to get it to work, how is that ever going to be mainstream? And to the person who doesn't really understand how z-wave works, doesn't it just sound like a sales pitch, "just buy more of our stuff and it will work better".

          If you could hit any device that uses wifi with web services, life would be so much easier.

          Is there a wifi equivalent of a ds10a or would the battery drain make that prohibitive?
          I don't see wifi being any easier (very busy spectrums too). How much luck do people have troubleshooting why one client won't connect to a wifi hotspot (beyond wrong password/encryption) I don't know of any standard for interoperability. Long time since I looked at network protocols in any depth, but from memory, wifi cover layers 1-4 (up to transport), above that you need session, presentation and application. With z-wave, (from what I understand) you have all 7 layers; hence the interoperability. You buy a device and it supports a known set of commands. Some controllers and devices support a richer set of commands than others (e.g. high power inclusion, beaming, etc.).

          So Belkin have Wemo: unless I'm mistaken it's proprietory. So what if it's wifi? From what I can see, it's just like zigbee: you have the basic comms, but everything above that is propritory, so every vendor implements their own upper layers and you have buy Wemo compatible devices (choice of 3 right now). When Wemo fails (I'm sure it will: too limited, too expensive, too late to the game), what you gonna do with that $1,000+ worth of proprietory hardware.

          Unless there is a standard for device control using wifi, I wouldn't go near it. That said, if my mum just wanted one device or motion sensor, I might buy that (or insteon) for her. very low cost of entry and low risk if the END GOAL is a few devices

          my 2c (could be completely wrong)
          ________________________

          Dell Zino HD - HSPRo 2.x
          HSTouch - iPhone 3GS, 4S, iPad2 and iPad 3, 3xKindle Fire (Wall mounted)
          2 x Brultech ECM1240 with UltraECM
          USB UIRT
          Cooper Aspire Z-Wave Switches
          WGL800 w ACRF2 and 3xDS10a (Sump Level/Activity sensing)
          HM ST812-2 Flood Sensor
          HSM100 - Motion Detector with Light and Temperature
          2GIG Thermostat
          BLDSC - Alarm Plug-in
          BLUPS
          UltraLog (SQL2008)
          Jon00 Plugins
          Host XR3 BT and Jon00 BT Proximity
          Global Cache IP2IR
          Foscam FI8918W

          Comment


            #6
            Many advantages one disadvantage

            WiFi solution for home automation has many advantages.

            - universal
            - standardized
            - wider coverage (compared to Z-wave, X10, Insteon etc.)
            - native communications with Computers, Tablets, iOS and Android devices
            - affordable (comparable pricing to Z-wave , Insteon devices)
            - will proliferate quickly (many startups get funded for IoT Internet of things).

            It has one major disadvantage. Relatively high power consumption makes it unfit for battery powered devices.

            RI2

            Comment


              #7
              I am happy that most of my HS interfaces do NOT speak TCP/IP. There are less devices to need to trust from the network security perspective. Yes, I know most other wireless devices are not secure, but I believe the modern threat comes more from network connected boxes than insecure local wireless protocols That said, I do have some interfaces that are network connected. They have their own automation network and do not route to the internet. Yeah, I err on the side of distrust...I am probably in the minority with my views.

              Comment


                #8
                I would argue that wifi coverage is not better than zwave or insteon. the zwave mesh network expands coverage with more devices, insteon travels the power lines.

                in a larger home wifi provides some challenges using typical home products to get good complete coverage, i know i for one lose my wifi in corners of the home and very quickly once outside.

                i use insteon in my shed because it travels the power line and can easily transmit the signal out back several hundred feet.
                Last edited by misraels; August 6, 2014, 01:21 PM. Reason: typo
                HS Install Date: Feb. 16, 2007

                HS3 Pro, Z-Wave, Insteon, BLStat, HS Touch Server, MyQ

                WeatherXML, BLBackup, BLLAN, BLLock, Restart, CaddX, OpenSprinkler

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by misraels View Post
                  I would argue that wifi coverage is not better than zwave or insteon. the zwave mesh network expands coverage with more devices, insteon travels the power lines.

                  in a larger home wifi provides some challenges using typical home products to get good complete coverage, i know i for one lose my wifi in corners of the home and very quickly once outside.

                  i use insteon in my shed because it travels the power line and can easily transmit the signal out back several hundred feet.
                  As you can with wifi. Except then you have wifi to use with devices like phones and tablets.

                  For wifi mesh:
                  http://www.open-mesh.com/

                  For wifi over power:
                  http://www.mwave.com.au/product/netc...Bx8aAt1j8P8HAQ

                  Comment


                    #10
                    WiFi is a must

                    Originally posted by misraels View Post
                    I would argue that wifi coverage is not better than zwave or insteon. the zwave mesh network expands coverage with more devices, insteon travels the power lines.

                    in a larger home wifi provides some challenges using typical home products to get good complete coverage, i know i for one lose my wifi in corners of the home and very quickly once outside.

                    i use insteon in my shed because it travels the power line and can easily transmit the signal out back several hundred feet.
                    True. I do have a large home and experience some problems even with my 5 wi-fi routers around working in "repeater" mode.
                    Just added a new WiFi access point from Ubiquity Networks to cover my 3 acres back yard. I measured 20 dB (100 times) stronger signal than my previous LinkSys WiFi router. It provides the highest 3 bars on my iPhone even in the farthest corner that is 600 ft from it.
                    I don't want to use it inside worrying that too much electromagnetic field power could be unhealthy.

                    Bottom line - you can't have a modern home without WiFi coverage in every corner and yes the technology is there to deliver in a manner much more reliable than Insteon, Zwave etc.

                    P.S.

                    I have multiple wireless technologies at home and most work well after the pain of installing multiple repeaters to cover the whole house.

                    Zwave is the worst by a wide margin of them all especially the crappy multi sensors HS100 and HS zWave controller that gets "bricked" when upgrading the firmware .

                    I have also long range wireless propitiatory solutions from Dakota Wireless and CAO Gadgets that do not need repeaters. Dakota has the widest coverage however it eats batteries fast. CAO Gadgets does not meet the advertised range of 600 ft however they are pretty good up to 100 ft indoors, still 3 times the range of zWave and Radio RA by Lutron.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I have been doing some reading about all those hubs out there. . .and feeling locked into ZWave by HS Zee. I like the tinkering, but I would like to be able to play with some of the other devices (especially when cheaper). I have a VeraLite and keep going back to how I can use the cheap GE remotes because you can assign them scenes. I can't figure out how I would do this with HS3?? And then in reviewing the vera video again, I find that it has integration with a WeMo device. . .man, I wish I could do that with HS3 (seems like it would just be https commands). . .even if it just for cheaper on/off devices. . .

                      The Zigbee stuff that Lowes uses with Iris. . .is much cheaper than any comparable ZWave stuff. . .

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