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Why Is Insteon Going Backwards??

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    Why Is Insteon Going Backwards??

    I don't know if this belongs here, but I've got a real beef with Insteon. I've been using X-10/Insteon since freaking1987, and always been fairly satisfied. When they expanded their product line a few years back, I was elated. They made everything I wanted.

    But now I notice that they seem to take a step forward in tech, and two steps back in design. Some examples:

    1. Remember the 2440 Remote? Nice, big rocker buttons, came in silver and black, you could label the buttons! A handsome item.....GONE, in favor of these wimpy, monochromatic little mini-remotes. Why?

    2. One of Insteon's great selling points was the backward compatibility with X-10. Discontinued, at least in the outdoor module. Not a big problem for me, but I did used to give my modules an X-10 address as a backup measure. But again, WHY?

    3. Plug-in modules now being made WITHOUT the always-on AC pass-thru. WHY???

    4. And now I find out that they've stopped making the 2402 Tabletop enclosure for KeypadLinc. WHY??? And not only that, but you can't fit the new switches into existing 2402s. Yes, I know all about the problem with the 2487 On/Off KeyPadLinc definitely not fitting. I'm talking about the 2334, which SHOULD fit, but DOESN'T. I even spoke with SmartHome Customer Service, and they told me the 2334 hasn't changed it's profile at all. The damn thing just don't fit. WHY???

    Oh, and then there's the color availability. I have done almost all my switches in Almond. They stopped making Almond. So I had to buy a bunch of Light Almond switchplates and Light Almond color-change kits for paddles - which at one point, they also discontinued!!!! (Thank goodness they woke up to that problem.) But again.....WHY????

    Do they have this problem with Z-Wave? I don't want to have to switch, but I will if this keeps up.


    Jim Speiser
    38-year veteran of Home Automation
    Still don't know squat

    #2
    Well, I have no qualification to answer, but I can make some guesses.
    1. No clear idea.
    2. Maybe a slight cost reduction, reduced firmware size. There's probably hardly any demand for this feature anymore. I never used it, but it was good to know it was there in the beginning. I haven't used any X10 in years. I recently threw a box full of old X10 modules and switches out.
    3. Cost reduction and smaller form factor?
    4. Maybe they weren't selling enough to justify the manufacturing expense?

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      #3
      You will recall that smarthome/insteon was bought last year. Things always change 'under new management.

      you should consider posting some reviews on smarthome.com regarding these changes.
      Mark

      HS3 Pro 4.2.19.5
      Hardware: Insteon Serial PLM | AD2USB for Vista Alarm | HAI Omnistat2 | 1-Wire HA7E | RFXrec433 | Dahua Cameras | LiftMaster Internet Gateway | Tuya Smart Plugs
      Plugins: Insteon (mine) | Vista Alarm (mine) | Omnistat 3 | Ultra1Wire3 | RFXCOM | HS MyQ | BLRadar | BLDenon | Tuya | Jon00 Charting | Jon00 Links
      Platform: Windows Server 2022 Standard, i5-12600K/3.7GHz/10 core, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD

      Comment


        #4
        Here's an interesting article regarding the mid-2019 status https://www.thedigitalmediazone.com/...-the-next-act/

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