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    ISY vs PLM plugin?

    New to Homeseer, been using Vera with ISY. Before starting my installation/config, looking at if I need the ISY anymore

    What benefits are there to keeping the ISY vs using the PLM directly with the PLM plugin?

    Thx for the help

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

    #2
    I found the attached comparison of the HS Insteon Plugin vs MNSandler's Insteon Plugin... can anyone elaborate on how Bob's ISY plugin compares?

    thank you
    Attached Files

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      #3
      I can't give you the comparison you want. However, I have been heavily considered migrating from my ISY setup to just homeseer and Mark's plugin with a PLM. My reasoning is that I have one less piece of equipment to worry about. The ISY is great for setting up scenes and even some program logic (though I find it limited), but I think I can do all that and more in Mark's plugin.

      That said, this is only a guess. I happen to have a Insteon HUB and the ISY plugin is currently free, so I will be moving 1 room when I have time to the Hub and Mark's plugin and trying it out for 30 day to determine if I like it. If I don't the ISY plugin is still free for now while it's in Beta.

      Comment


        #4
        The main advantage I see is that lots of things integrate directly with the ISY giving you some resilience if one system or the other goes down. Elk talks to ISY, ISY talks to Homeseer, Homeseer talks directly to Elk, Echo talks to ISY and to Homeseer, and so on.

        No one system failure can break everything. Too much centralization of power is bad for most things whether they be companies, governments, or automation controllers.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Ltek View Post
          I found the attached comparison of the HS Insteon Plugin vs MNSandler's Insteon Plugin... can anyone elaborate on how Bob's ISY plugin compares?

          thank you
          It's difficult to do a direct comparison with that document because most of what you'd be comparing is Mark's plug-in to the ISY itself. Only a couple of lines in there are relevant to HomeSeer. I'm not entirely sure what all the "features" in the document really mean, but I think "Replace Insteon device (without affecting HS devices)" is the only one that isn't supported by either the ISY or my plugin. The ISY allows you to replace devices, but that information isn't provided to the plug-in so the associated HS devices would need to be manually updated.

          As far as device support, the ISY has some of the best Insteon device support out there and, depending on the options, support for a lot more.

          I doubt there's a lot of people that have switched between the two after fully configuring one or the other. The effort to switch would be pretty high. I'm a bit surprised that you're considering the switch as most people that have an ISY are quite happy with it.

          I don't really think there's a wrong solution here. Both Mark and UDI do an amazing job of supporting Insteon devices. Some Insteon devices and the protocol have some quirks that make supporting a challenge. I think the choice really has to do with which hardware platform will better handle your choice of automation devices.

          If a majority of your devices can be handled by the ISY and you need to interface with a few (possibly less critical) devices, then keeping the ISY may be the right choice. If the ISY is only managing Insteon devices and you have many other type of devices that will be managed by HomeSeer, then Mark's plugin may make more sense.

          You do have a pretty good opportunity right now to do some actual testing. You can set up HomeSeer with my plug-in right now and import everything currently configured on your ISY into HomeSeer to see how it works. You can even do this while still using the Vera as both Vera and HomeSeer should be able to work concurrently with the ISY. You can then try Mark's plug-in on a trial basis and see if that simplifies or complicates your environment. It should be possible to have both Mark's plug-in and mine installed at the same time (with only one enabled) and possibly even switch between them. I'm not sure if Mark's plug-in can inherit the Insteon configuration set up on the ISY or not, that's something you might want to ask him.
          --
          Bob Paauwe
          ISYInsteon Plug-in
          http://www.bobsplace.com/ISYInsteon/

          Comment


            #6
            Bob,
            Thanks for the input, your comments make perfect sense to me. I have not yet installed Homeseer but plan to tomorrow so I will definitely test out ISY integration per your suggestion.

            I only use the ISY for Insteon dimmers/switches. I don't have anything else Insteon - all the rest is Zwave or Zigbee (Osram Lightify and Commercial Electric recessed lights).

            I was considering removing ISY (which is working fine of course) to simplify my setup / remove a box.

            Is there anything you/others leverage the ISY for that cannot be done in Homeseer or is WAY easier in the ISY to make me consider keeping the ISY?

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Ltek View Post
              Bob,
              ...

              I was considering removing ISY (which is working fine of course) to simplify my setup / remove a box.

              ...
              I just want to state that the above is the only reason I'm considering going to the plugin. One less box to me is worth it. I put very little if no logic in the ISY and let HS handle it.

              I've been very happy with Bob's plugin, but it was the simplification of my system I was thinking of doing.

              Comment


                #8
                If you can simplify parts of a complex automation environment, that's almost always a good thing.

                However, make sure you really are making the system less complex. While removing a controller like the ISY does reduce the number of devices you're managing, keep in mind that the ISY is significantly less complex internally than whatever you are running HomeSeer on. The ISY's internal software is far less likely to crash than Windows or even Linux.

                In my case, I keep the less complex, but more critical logic on the ISY and have the more complex but less critical logic in HomeSeer. For example. I really want my @dusk lighting to function so that's controlled by the ISY. The logic that turns off the HVAC when a window is opened however, is something less critical and has to integrate with a system that's not directly controlled by the ISY so it makes more sense for that to reside in HomeSeer.

                I don't think there's anything the ISY can do that HomeSeer can't.

                I don't have any direct experience with Mark's Insteon plug-in so can't speak to how easy it is to use vs. an ISY. And although I'm not currently making any money off my plug-in, I'm obviously biased. However, I've had the machine that runs HomeSeer crash more than once, while I think the only problems I've with the ISY have have been PLM related.
                --
                Bob Paauwe
                ISYInsteon Plug-in
                http://www.bobsplace.com/ISYInsteon/

                Comment

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