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    Wifi Light Switch

    I just want to be sure I'm not missing something out there. Is there a plain WiFi (IP enabled) light switch? I'm not talking about ZWave, X10, or anything else, just regular WiFi wired directly to a light (similar to how we now have WiFi thermostats). I'm not talking about a "faux" switch that sends a command to some receiver plugged into an outlet that you plug your lamp into either.

    I know there is lots of talk about putting controllers directly on the light bulbs, but I'm looking for something that currently exists.

    Thanks!

    #2
    I think the new Belkin Wemo is WiFi.

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      #3
      Originally posted by BrunDog View Post
      I think the new Belkin Wemo is WiFi.
      It is, but it is a plug (outlet), not a switch. Basically I want to replace a standard paddle wall switch with one that is WiFi enabled, if such a thing exists.

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        #4
        I think the only thing I saw that was close to what you are asking is the Domatica. But that did not have a load, and each switch was basically, a Windows CE device with HST running on it.

        I understood them to be WIFI. I REALLY wanted them. My boss keeps telling me I should just make them for myself, since I generally make everything else.

        :-)

        --Dan
        Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

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          #5
          Sorry:
          http://www.domoticaworld.com

          can't find the post I generally link to on here.

          Had some neat demo videos. I really wanted them so I could show weather information / camera video, etc., until they were touched.

          --Dan
          Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

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            #6
            Yeah, I remember those as well - they were cool. I was certainly interested in those. I ran a pair of Cat5e to most doorways when we built the house just for something like that.

            Basically I have two outside lights that have switches in different parts of the house. I just want to be able to control them at will or on a schedule.

            I had been waiting for the new version of HS to come out before I started with anything (most likely Z-Wave). Given HS3 is taking forever and a day and more WiFi things have started to come out I wanted to see if it was possible to go that route and avoid ZWave altogether. By the time HS3 comes out, WiFi (or something else) may be the standard.

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              #7
              UPB?

              I use that, no issues.

              --Dan
              Tasker, to a person who does Homeautomation...is like walking up to a Crack Treatment facility with a truck full of 3lb bags of crack. Then for each person that walks in and out smack them in the face with an open bag.

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                #8
                Insteon? It works well and is inexpensive to add and good old X10 still works very well.
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                  #9
                  Originally posted by Rupp View Post
                  Insteon? It works well and is inexpensive to add and good old X10 still works very well.
                  Originally posted by drozwood90 View Post
                  UPB?

                  I use that, no issues.

                  --Dan
                  With all of those would I need some type of controller as well? That's kind of what I was trying to figure out how to avoid.

                  I already have an Adobe AIR app running that ingests and nicely displays all weather related information from my weather station & Wunderground. If I could call a web service directly (which I have been complaining about the lack of in HS forever, but will thankfully have in HS3) on the switch, I could control the lights directly without a controller just like I could with a WiFi thermostat, which I'll probably install soon.

                  For most people I realize they don't want one more layer of abstraction. However, being able to control/interact with anything via webservices (including HS3), leaves me in complete control of the interface I want to design and means I'm not tied to anything if I want to start over or combine home automation solutions from different vendors. I could easily test communicating with a switch directly, through control software like HS3, Elve, Android@Home, HomeOS, or whatever else comes along, just by changing very little code to call a different web service and parse the result.

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                    #10
                    Yea, you would need HomeSeer. Are you not using HS?
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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Rupp View Post
                      Yea, you would need HomeSeer. Are you not using HS?
                      Yes I am. I use it to run various scripts and for TTS for announcements, but it's not "controlling" anything per se. I've been waiting for HS3 for a few years now because I wanted to start fresh and I had just moved into a new home within the past few years.

                      I know with ZWave you need the controller and with X10 I would need an RF receiver but I don't know anything about UPB or Insteon. Basically it seems like with all those technologies you need "something" to interact with it. With WiFi or web services, I could go to it directly right now. When HS3 comes out I could rely on it to tell me everything about all my devices via web services.

                      Right now I won't have that ability. I know you've seen my posts complaining about the HS3 release date - this is one reason why. I'm waiting to start with a clean slate and it's taking f o r e v e r. HS is a great solution if you have a mix of technologies, but I'd prefer not to have a mix of stuff if I don't have to.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by GatorEye View Post
                        Yes I am. I use it to run various scripts and for TTS for announcements, but it's not "controlling" anything per se. I've been waiting for HS3 for a few years now because I wanted to start fresh and I had just moved into a new home within the past few years.

                        I know with ZWave you need the controller and with X10 I would need an RF receiver but I don't know anything about UPB or Insteon. Basically it seems like with all those technologies you need "something" to interact with it. With WiFi or web services, I could go to it directly right now. When HS3 comes out I could rely on it to tell me everything about all my devices via web services.

                        Right now I won't have that ability. I know you've seen my posts complaining about the HS3 release date - this is one reason why. I'm waiting to start with a clean slate and it's taking f o r e v e r. HS is a great solution if you have a mix of technologies, but I'd prefer not to have a mix of stuff if I don't have to.
                        I would recommend not waiting for HS3 as it could be a long time before it's released and stable and it's not going to be THAT different. The base functionality is going to be the same. Plus the upgrade paths are typically easy. As far as adding new protocols it's typically an interface and some devices. So for UPB you need a powerline interface and some devices. For Insteon you need a PLM (powerline modem) and some devices and each uses a plugin for communications.
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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Rupp View Post
                          I would recommend not waiting for HS3 as it could be a long time before it's released and stable and it's not going to be THAT different. The base functionality is going to be the same. Plus the upgrade paths are typically easy. As far as adding new protocols it's typically an interface and some devices. So for UPB you need a powerline interface and some devices. For Insteon you need a PLM (powerline modem) and some devices and each uses a plugin for communications.
                          Could you rank these in order of most stable to least? If I'm not going to replace 50 switches, cost isn't THAT big of an issue. For now I'd probably just do 2 or 3. I just want something that works.

                          UPB
                          Insteon
                          ZWave
                          (I assume X10 is at the bottom of the list)

                          Thanks!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            X10 is the easiest to install and setup and can be stable if you have no power line noise.
                            UPB is next easiest to setup and is very stable if you have no power line noise but it tends to tolerate some noise.
                            Insteon is relatively easy to setup and can be stable if you have no power line noise.
                            Z-Wave can be tricky to setup, offers a larger variety of devices than the other protocols (Insteon is catching up though) and doesn't suffer from power line noise.

                            So it's a toss up. I have UPB, Insteon, X10, and Z-Wave devices all installed and very stable. I've not had an issue in years with any of my devices except for a couple of X10 modules that will go deaf if my laptop power supply is plugged in my bedroom.
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                              #15
                              Originally posted by Rupp View Post
                              X10 is the easiest to install and setup and can be stable if you have no power line noise.
                              UPB is next easiest to setup and is very stable if you have no power line noise but it tends to tolerate some noise.
                              Insteon is relatively easy to setup and can be stable if you have no power line noise.
                              Z-Wave can be tricky to setup, offers a larger variety of devices than the other protocols (Insteon is catching up though) and doesn't suffer from power line noise.

                              So it's a toss up. I have UPB, Insteon, X10, and Z-Wave devices all installed and very stable. I've not had an issue in years with any of my devices except for a couple of X10 modules that will go deaf if my laptop power supply is plugged in my bedroom.
                              Mostly agree, but my experience differs.
                              X10 dirt simple to comprehend and get working, but any line noise and it gets low WAF.
                              Z-Wave can be tricky no matter what. A storm comes through and kicks a node off the network and even a power cycle might kill it and then suddenly a week or two later it shows back and and starts working even without any attention on your part. This happened to me recently and was not the first time a power glitch killed a z-wave wall switch. But, mostly they just work.

                              I think you should perhaps set up everything and test it with whatever version you have, and when HS3 comes along, take your time doing the upgrade. Wait for Pete and others to debug the changes and smile when you take the plunge at the right moment when discounts are at their best.
                              huggy_d1

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