What is Your Primary Lighting Technology

[Pete]

Here my primary lighting is UPB switches.

My tabletop touchscreens all have Zigbee chips in them. (along with Gb, WLAN, Bluetooth, SIM, DECT circuits).

Playing with Zigbee with the Securifi stuff and it works fine.

I also have an option to utilize Zigbee with my Leviton OmniPro II which is currently configured with UPB, X10 and Z-Wave. There are other users of the Leviton panel on Cocoontech that have gone to using Zigbee and are currently happy campers.

The OPII plugin once configured for lighting will talk to whatever lighting protocols are configured to the panel.

The Leviton Zigbee Omnistat line of thermostats also work with a serial connection.

[bdhall]

Thank you for the information.

Maybe the A2Z-Link would be eaiser to code against?

[macromark]

Will it possibly be able to upgrade the Z-NET or A2Z-Link via their USB port?

A2Z-Link runs a version of HS3, so yes to that. A little too soon to know about the Z-NET. I suspect yes, but that's a little further down stream.

[bdhall]

Will it possibly be able to upgrade the Z-NET or A2Z-Link via their USB port?

[macromark]

I have been trying to figure out what the hardware might look like if HomeSeer were to add support for ZigBee HA.

Perhaps something like the Z-NET or A2Z-Link, possibly with both ZigBee HA and Z-Wave in one device?

Or perhaps the ability to upgrade an existing Z-NET or A2Z-Link via a USB port?

I really want to try ZigBee HA and have a need to access the protocols from my own VB.NET program. I would like to have a device that supports both protocols, but have not found anything that allowed access from my own program, but without cloud dependency.

I trust HomeSeer and feel like I can buy their products with confidence. I guess I will have to start with Z-Wave and try ZigBee a little later, I hope maybe there will be a way to upgrade existing hardware.

I used to use some X-10 (showing my age I guess) but now everything is pretty much hard wired. I am about to try an electronic door lock so will try wireless again.

Any comments or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Brian

We're working on Zigbee HA support right now using a Zigbee USB dongle. We plan to add that dongle to our store for HS3 and HomeTroller users when it's fully "baked". Sorry, can't give a timeframe yet.

[bdhall]

Zigbee System Interface

I have been trying to figure out what the hardware might look like if HomeSeer were to add support for ZigBee HA.

Perhaps something like the Z-NET or A2Z-Link, possibly with both ZigBee HA and Z-Wave in one device?

Or perhaps the ability to upgrade an existing Z-NET or A2Z-Link via a USB port?

I really want to try ZigBee HA and have a need to access the protocols from my own VB.NET program. I would like to have a device that supports both protocols, but have not found anything that allowed access from my own program, but without cloud dependency.

I trust HomeSeer and feel like I can buy their products with confidence. I guess I will have to start with Z-Wave and try ZigBee a little later, I hope maybe there will be a way to upgrade existing hardware.

I used to use some X-10 (showing my age I guess) but now everything is pretty much hard wired. I am about to try an electronic door lock so will try wireless again.

Any comments or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Brian

[jlrichar]

Insteon. So far. The latest switches work pretty well and the whole network works really well with ISY.

Now adding Ubiquiti mFi outlets and power monitors / controllers. These work fantastic. Even have panel AMP draw reporting.

Probably add some Z-Wave next. Mostly because it /should/ be seamless with ISY and Elk (and Homeseer?) and I'm curious to try. I wish ISY supported the Ubiquiti stuff. That would be awesome. But it's all controllable and monitor-capable through telnet; so if I figure out scripts in HS...

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I think King Fetty created a ubiqity mpower plugin. Perhaps he will make it into a full blown mFi plugin someday?

[Pete]

Hello gregoryx,

Are you the same gregoryx from a few years ago relating to using the Transmeta tablet for Homeseer?

IE: I purchased a few of these way long time ago.

[gregoryx]

Insteon. So far. The latest switches work pretty well and the whole network works really well with ISY.

Now adding Ubiquiti mFi outlets and power monitors / controllers. These work fantastic. Even have panel AMP draw reporting.

Probably add some Z-Wave next. Mostly because it /should/ be seamless with ISY and Elk (and Homeseer?) and I'm curious to try. I wish ISY supported the Ubiquiti stuff. That would be awesome. But it's all controllable and monitor-capable through telnet; so if I figure out scripts in HS...

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[AgileHumor]

I have all the light switches in my home using Z-Wave Leviton Low Voltage Dimmers or Leviton Switches. I also use Z-Wave motion sensors to automate my whole home with other systems (OpenSprinkler, Hue, Nest) in every room, stairs, entryway (mains powered)...so I don't hadly ever touch a light switch.

I also have about 40% of the rooms with Philips Hue Lights running off the Z-Wave switches. As most of you know, the switch needs to be on all the time for Hue to work.

All my hue lights start going from white or brightly colored to Yellow/Orange after sunset and gradually move to dimming Red at bedtime.

If I had it to do over again, I'd just go Hue and skip the Z-Wave dimmed white lights everywhere but maybe the kitchen. The only reason I wouldn't have them if you needed to use a switch to control locally (and Hue tap not a rugged).

Just my two cents during my conversion from Vera to Homeseer...and revolution my 3 year HA automation using Vera/PLEG.

PS - So far, I'm thrilled how much easier Homeseer is to program when you have a complex setup.

[mfisher]

Really? Which Zigbee wall switches will you be installing?

I'm trying to move away from the wall switch-wired-to-a-fixture paradigm and toward the use of in-fixture controllers, with the control system handling light level settings based on occupancy, time of day, current lighting conditions, etc. I also have remotes/tablets/phones available for manual input to the system and this has been working quite well for years (yes, even using X10).

Further, my interest in ZigBee goes beyond lighting as it is a great transport for sensors and other low-bandwidth systems like weather and environmental sensors, presence detection, HVAC, landscape watering, utility monitoring, etc. This is specifically what Zigbee was designed for and it could easily unify so many of the disparate technologies we are all using today.

I totally understand the issues with HS adding ZigBee support at this time, and my expectation is that it will be quite some time before this happens so more product choices should be available by then. If they're not then I can always build my own. (Can't do that with Zwave unless I join their club, sign a NDA, buy only their parts, etc.)

[Pete]

Just a note here about Zigbee.

ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols used to create personal area networks built from small, low-power digital radios. ZigBee is based on an IEEE 802.15.4 standard. Its low power consumption limits transmission distances to 10–100 meters line-of-sight, depending on power output and environmental characteristics.

ZigBee devices can transmit data over long distances by passing data through a mesh network of intermediate devices to reach more distant ones. ZigBee is typically used in low data rate applications that require long battery life and secure networking (ZigBee networks are secured by 128 bit symmetric encryption keys.) ZigBee has a defined rate of 250 kbit/s, best suited for intermittent data transmissions from a sensor or input device. Applications include wireless light switches, electrical meters with in-home-displays, traffic management systems, and other consumer and industrial equipment that requires short-range low-rate wireless data transfer. The technology defined by the ZigBee specification is intended to be simpler and less expensive than other wireless personal area networks (WPANs), such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

ZigBee was conceived in 1998, standardized in 2003, and revised in 2006. The name refers to the waggle dance of honey bees after their return to the beehive.

Electronic Design Mar 29, 2012

Meanwhile, iControl offers a ZigBee home monitor and control panel (Fig. 2). Ember and iControl have teamed up to help broadband service providers and home security companies to continue the trend toward interactive security, monitoring, and home management services. The iControl OpenHome Software Platform pairs its open, technology-agnostic software infrastructure with an all-in-one touchscreen, combining an alarm system, communications gateway, and home automation platform into one device. Ember’s ZigBee platform provides the two-way wireless networking infrastructure for the entire system.

Note here too that the Openpeak VOIP / Zigbee energy / thermostat tabletop tablet was sold similarly in the early 2000's to utility companies and telco companies.



Piper versus Scout versus SmartThings - Updated: May 21, 2015

iControl has evolved to now selling a Z-Wave enabled device called the Piper which competes with Scout (Zigbee) and SmartThings (Zigbee and Z-Wave).

Piper is a video surveillance system that can expand to limited Z-Wave home automation. SmartThings is an open-source home automation system that can expand to a home security device. Scout is a home security solution that can expand to a home automation device. Are you still with me? In the end they can all do two things.

The market is evolving and the dust hasn't settled yet relating to new / old automation technologies (specifically Z-Wave and Zigbee and 802.11X).

Piper versus Scout versus SmartThings

Relating to that whole automation and self security monitoring here is an interesting article to read.

Best Self-Monitored Home Security Systems

Ideally a new Z-Net multiple wireless protocol controller would be a nice Homeseer device to have...kind of a one size fits all controller.

[jlrichar]

I'm confused. Is that a lighting technology?

I guess it's the main technology in a non-"smart" switch. [emoji6]

[randy]

220V AC current but that wasn't available in the poll

I'm confused. Is that a lighting technology?

[macromark]

My X10 system is still really reliable so it's hard to justify a major change. That said however, when HS adds ZigBee support I'll likely begin switching to ZigBee.

Really? Which Zigbee wall switches will you be installing?