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    Considering adding Insteon into the mix

    Hey peoples...

    I'm thinking of adding insteon into my mix. I already have a lot of z-wave and a few (4) Lutron Caseta switches, but I'm considering possible replacement of the Caseta with Insteon for the no neutral 2 wire switches and a remote for a 3-way like setup. Wondering what people think of this or if I should just stay with Lutron? It just seems that over the year or so of trying different systems that it's almost hit or miss on the Caseta support and plugins working, whereas the Insteon seems to be more supported.

    I also saw there is an available 240V 30Amp module for insteon which I've been searching for a z-wave compatible module but I haven't found one yet. This module alone might be worth adding Insteon. Plus well it's a new toy

    A few questions.

    What's the performance/response of Insteon switches and sensors in comparison to z-wave? Faster? More reliable?

    #2
    what is the issue or problem you are trying to solve with the 2-wire switchlincs and remote? is it just to create the 3 or 4 way circuit? that should work just fine.

    one concern might be that you will be using all RF only devices and if the insteon controller is far away, homeseer may not always get the updates. You might need an Insteon Plug-in Range Extender to get the signal from place to place.

    the 240v, 30amp module is dualband (rf and powerline), it should work fine based on its proximity to the interface.

    i will leave the performance/response comparison of insteon and zwave to someone that uses both.
    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


      #3
      Originally posted by mnsandler View Post
      what is the issue or problem you are trying to solve with the 2-wire switchlincs and remote? is it just to create the 3 or 4 way circuit? that should work just fine.

      one concern might be that you will be using all RF only devices and if the insteon controller is far away, homeseer may not always get the updates. You might need an Insteon Plug-in Range Extender to get the signal from place to place.

      the 240v, 30amp module is dualband (rf and powerline), it should work fine based on its proximity to the interface.

      i will leave the performance/response comparison of insteon and zwave to someone that uses both.
      The couple of switches that I was thinking of replacing are 20 ft from where the server is (going through walls). The ClearConnect from Lutron is working fine but having different switch types from all the rest in the house, eh I dunno cheaper on me to replace a couple switches that "look" the same as all the rest of the decora rocker switches than to replace all of the z-wave switches with Caseta switches. I was thinking of replacing all the switches with Caseta but too much cost and distance and too uncertain of support in the long term unless I go to a Radio RA2 full house system. I was also looking at the whole Insteon product line and they have a lot of nice things and remotes that aren't available in the z-wave world. The wall scene controllers (6-8) button controllers are nice and stuff (maybe I'm looking for a new toy)

      As for the 240v relay I still can't decide on whether to put that space heater on a real thermostat or use the relay based on the temp sensor that's already in place. But I still like the idea that more things are now possible by using Insteon when z-wave doesn't have any options (not that I've found).

      Another thing that got me wondering about this was I'm seeing lots of things about other sensors and seems there's a lot of pro-interest towards Insteon and just also interested in expanding my horizon of knowledge in comparison to what I do know being limited mostly to z-wave/zigbee/wifi/BT.

      Comment


        #4
        well the insteon switches should work just fine from that distance to the server. you can even try the switches and remote without the insteon interface and plugin. of course the interface/plugin makes setting all this up much easier.

        As for the space heater a real thermostat is probably a better solution. Although the heater probably has some kind of tstat built in. With the relay and temp sensor you probably will need a fail safe just in case (for example, if homeseer is down)

        good luck with your projects; hopefully others will chime in as well
        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


          #5
          Originally posted by mnsandler View Post
          well the insteon switches should work just fine from that distance to the server. you can even try the switches and remote without the insteon interface and plugin. of course the interface/plugin makes setting all this up much easier.

          As for the space heater a real thermostat is probably a better solution. Although the heater probably has some kind of tstat built in. With the relay and temp sensor you probably will need a fail safe just in case (for example, if homeseer is down)

          good luck with your projects; hopefully others will chime in as well
          Last question for now....

          I see with Insteon there's the hub and the usb or serial adapter. I was thinking all I would need is the usb adapter and everything would work. What am I missing from an Insteon point of view? What if not using HomeSeer? I guess then I don't have the Hub for a controller? Trying to figure out best direction for scenario with and without HS.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by jeubanks View Post
            Last question for now....

            I see with Insteon there's the hub and the usb or serial adapter. I was thinking all I would need is the usb adapter and everything would work. What am I missing from an Insteon point of view? What if not using HomeSeer? I guess then I don't have the Hub for a controller? Trying to figure out best direction for scenario with and without HS.
            the hub is a good option if you want to use the insteon app to control devices (without homeseer). And the hub is network based so it can be located anywhere away from the server. but if you use hstouch, then this might not be necessary.

            the following will require homeseer & plugin to use:

            the usb adapter (2448A7) is a discontinued device. the plugin will support it, but its rf only and not very strong. you will need an range extender.

            the best options for responsiveness and rf range are the 2413u and 2413s plm controllers
            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

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