Thinking about switching to UPB

[DanWheeler]

I currently have all X10. It works pretty good but something tells me its time to make the switch to one of the newer technologies. UPB seems like a good choice.

I can get the 36A00-1 from HAI or the Simply Automated UMCDB9 locally. I still have X10 and need my CM11A or something else to control my existing X10 devices.

- Is HAI better than Simply Automated? (or is there something better than these?)
- Are there any X10/UPB hybrid interface modules?
- Can X10 and UPB coexist? (do I need to make a full transition to UPB?)
- Is a pay plugin required for all UPB interface modules?
- Is there just one plugin that works with all UPB interface modules? (or separate UPB plugins for each interface module?)
- What is the difference between a "PC Interface" and a "Controller on the Homeseer HCL?

Unfortunately I am all out of serial ports. 1 goes to my HAI Omni panel and the other goes to my CM11A. What are my options here? Are there USB UPB interfaces?

thanks in advance,

dan

[DanWheeler]

I found this quote on a website selling the IMCDB9:

"The UMC-DB9-W is USB compatible when used with an RS-232-to-USB adapter."

Anyone have experience with using a USB/RS-232 adapter with HomeSeer?

something like this:
http://www.rosewill.com/product/prod...?productId=448

[nightwalker]

X10 and UPB co exist very nicely together. the UPB plug in is a paid plug-in and i believe that simply automated does have a USB version of the controller, i have no experience with it so i can't tell you how it stacks up against the serial version. Here i went for edge port 8 and that's been working very nicely for over a year, i tried the serial to USB cables at one point but without much success.

You only need the one UPB plug in for all of your UPB modules and switches, they are programmed through upstart, which is free, and then HS reads that configuration file to get it's info.

you'll like UPB so far here it's been almost bullet proof.

[cjrs27]

My experience with UPB has been equally happy. It is virtually bullet proof. (The only thing I have ever had was a UPB switch that had been manually set to 50% that didn't get communicated back to HS. That has happened once.)