WiFi controlled light switch?

[Blk88GT]

I would like to be able to switch the outdoor lighting on my shop on/off from the house using my iPhone, as well as a manual switch inside the shop.

The shop has Wifi access as well as gigabit ethernet connectivity to the house.

What are you guys using to do this sort of thing?

Thanks!

 

[Steevo]

www.smarthome.com


Get one of these:
http://www.smarthome.com/2412N/SmartLinc-INSTEON-Central-Controller/p.aspx

And one of these:
http://www.smarthome.com/2466SW/Tog...ontrol-On-Off-Switch-Non-Dimming-White/p.aspx

 

[Blk88GT]

Steve, thanks for the link. Can you be a little more specific as to which product I should be looking at? There are thousands there....

 

[Steevo]

Sure.
Just PM me your credit card number and I'll order it for you

 

[Blk88GT]

Thanks Steve. Do you use this system yourself?

 

[Steevo]

Not yet. I plan to use the controller and some components in my house, but the light switches and receptacles in my shop are all gray nylon, and I don't want to have a white switch in there.

 

[bdamico]

I have an entire insteon setup controlling my whole home. I would not recommend it for a single switch but I love the setup. I have probably spent 2 or 3k on my setup. I love insteon but I'm not sure that it's worth the cost just to do a single switch. If you would be happy using a remote, you can buy an insteon remote and tie your lights to an inteon inline light controller or you could replace another switch in your garage or wherever with an insteon switch or keypad and then use that to control the receiver unit tied to your lights. I have extensive experience with insteon in two houses and would be happy to help anyone here.

This is what I posted in another thread

Yep. A very large portion of my house is insteon run through my computer. I probably have about thirty or more switches, and fifteen or more keypads with custom buttons. It's all set up through my computer. All my outside lights and some indoor lights turn on before dusk and turn off at dawn. I can control them anywhere. Also I have global control buttons, which is the best part. I walk in the door after work and press one button and it turns on all the lights I want on throughout the house (to their preset dim levels). At night, when I go upstairs, I press a single button to turn off everything in the house. Really convient and reliable for dyi. If I go out of town, there is a randomizer that turns on and off certain lights throughout the night. At this time of year, it's really great because all my lights and tree are tied in to the system so I never have to turn them off or on.

In this case, the insteon switch controls the lighting above the workbench, that way I can tie it into the main garage overhead lighting and have the one switch on my wall control all the lighting in my garage.

This house had a ton of switches everywhere. Lots of four bank switches. And sometimes there was no ryhme or reason to the placement of switches. Why do I have to walk around to three parts of the house to turn on different outside lights in my backyard. With the insteon keypads, I can replace a switch with an insteon switch and run it remotely from a keypad in one place. In the attached picture, I consolidated all my outdoor lights in one keypad and all my kitchen lights in another. Really helped me from going crazy.

 

[ishiboo]

I have Insteon as well, actually just placed another $1100 order for my barn and a couple switches upstairs. They are running 15% off site-wide right now, it was 20% until the end of the day yesterday.

I had no idea the powerline range - I threw an Insteon Icon relay (no longer made, it was their cheap line) in the barn and it works from the house!

That's 90' from the end of the barn it's on to the power panel, 65' from the barn to the pole, about 70' from the pole to the house, another 40-50' in the house to the nearest Insteon dual-band which can receive the remote request. So the range is quite good!

I agree though, I would do X10 for a single switch... much lower cost and I think the RF range on the remotes may actually be better.

 

[ishiboo]

Not yet. I plan to use the controller and some components in my house, but the light switches and receptacles in my shop are all gray nylon, and I don't want to have a white switch in there.

The color change kits are $6 for two switches. So for $3 a switch you can change them out to gray.

I really like the color change kits because if your Insteon switch gets old and ratty looking as plastic switches tend to do, you don't have to replace a $60 switch - you can just swap out the face. Same if you need to change color... ie we may be switching from white to light almond in our house.

 

[bdamico]

The color change kits are $6 for two switches. So for $3 a switch you can change them out to gray.

I really like the color change kits because if your Insteon switch gets old and ratty looking as plastic switches tend to do, you don't have to replace a $60 switch - you can just swap out the face. Same if you need to change color... ie we may be switching from white to light almond in our house.

I'm more interested in what happens to the leds over time. Not on the switches but on the keypads. The sales are pretty common. Always a good one on black friday through cyber monday and christmas and new year. Of course the last time I did a large order, I underordered and had to wait until the next sale.

 

[ishiboo]

I'm more interested in what happens to the leds over time. Not on the switches but on the keypads.

What do you mean? LEDs last basically forever. They do sell colored filters for the keypad buttons so you can change the LED colors as well.

 

[bdamico]

What do you mean? LEDs last basically forever. They do sell colored filters for the keypad buttons so you can change the LED colors as well.

Not true. I think most max around 50k (but I could be wrong) at least on larger ones (I also have leds throughout my house for main lights). These are on 24 hrs a day (at least some of them). Thats 8760 a year. Dunno. We'll see how they last. I had some original insteon keypads etc. that went bad after a few years but quality has supposedly gone up dramatically

 

[ishiboo]

Not true. I think most max around 50k (but I could be wrong) at least on larger ones (I also have leds throughout my house for main lights). These are on 24 hrs a day (at least some of them). Thats 8760 a year.

I have LED lighting as well, I will die before they do

LEDs operate at their rated current with a PWM-based driver for around 50k. The ones who do not fail last much longer. However the Insteon LEDs are not driven anywhere near full brightness, and mine are set to very dim. So I think they will last a reasonable 10-13 years... by which time the switches would need replacement to the latest technology.

Insteon is the best cost/availability/functionality on the market right now, but someone could do MUCH better. I am hoping Nest's next project is home automation

 

[bdamico]

I have LED lighting as well, I will die before they do

LEDs operate at their rated current with a PWM-based driver for around 50k. The ones who do not fail last much longer. However the Insteon LEDs are not driven anywhere near full brightness, and mine are set to very dim. So I think they will last a reasonable 10-13 years... by which time the switches would need replacement to the latest technology.

Insteon is the best cost/availability/functionality on the market right now, but someone could do MUCH better. I am hoping Nest's next project is home automation

Cool. I remember looking for a better dyi solution when I bought my new home and redid it. Zwave and the other one look good on paper but are so expensive and their keypads are not cool at all. I have had few reliability issues so far and the programming options are amazing on insteon--especially when you move to computer control. I would never be able to run my scenes without the computer.

 

[Zick]

Not true. I think most max around 50k (but I could be wrong) at least on larger ones (I also have leds throughout my house for main lights). These are on 24 hrs a day (at least some of them). Thats 8760 a year. Dunno. We'll see how they last. I had some original insteon keypads etc. that went bad after a few years but quality has supposedly gone up dramatically

Got tons of Insteon switches in our house and they are on 24/7. Since we put them in they've been going strong for over 26K hrs without a single failure.

We also had a batch of bad switches but the LEDs still worked but the switches did not.

 

[Sureshot]

I believe you can use the bluetooth on your phone to control lights. Look in Ebay.
I did some looking at garage door openers using bluetooth but it was too pricey for the number of doors I have.

 

[Blk88GT]

Those Insteon units are not CSA or cUL, and such, I can't use them unfortunately.

 

[ishiboo]

Those Insteon units are not CSA or cUL, and such, I can't use them unfortunately.

They are ETL, isn't that good in Canada? The old ones use to get cUL listed.

 

[Teken]

Those Insteon units are not CSA or cUL, and such, I can't use them unfortunately.

You can use & install Insteon devices in Canada with out fear or problems. The ETL certification also accepted.

Teken . . .

 

[gatchel]

I wanted to add that if you are starting a new insteon setup with one controller and one switch then they need to plugged in to/wired in to the same leg of your electrical service to operate reliably. The may work otherwise but there is no guarantee. You would also need a set of access points or one access point if the central controller linked to is a dual band device. If you call to order you can ask them. They will explain it. I didn't see dual-band mentioned in the link so you'll probably need two units:

http://www.smarthome.com/2443/Access-Point-INSTEON-Wireless-Phase-Coupler-Dual-Band/p.aspx

 

[Vinci]

Does the Insteon system require that you have a PC running at all times, or do you just make changes to the system via the PC?

 

[Teken]

Does the Insteon system require that you have a PC running at all times, or do you just make changes to the system via the PC?

Vince,

Let me cover some basics for you. To first answer your question, no. Insteon does not need a computer to be on site to operate.

The purpose of a *controller* is to allow you the ability to have timers, conditions, and program ease.

You have several choices at this time: SmartLinc 2412N, this device does not require a computer to be on. As it is a mini web based computer which allows you to control / connect remotely from your cell phone / computer. This is a great device for simple control.

Next is the HouseLinc 2413UH: This device can provide you with timers, and simple conditions, e-mail notification, but requires the computer to be on at all times to execute any timers etc. This device also has a very powerful diagnostic tool to help trouble shoot your network.

Next is the ISY-994 / 99 controller: This is mini computer all by itself and requires no other computer system to be active. It is the most powerful and feature rich of all units listed above. It costs way more, but rest assured you can accomplish endless tasks via the ISY controller.

There is a new Insteon HUB, which is available which is in between the SmartLinc and HouseLinc. This may be the best value / balance between the the three devices.

I have all four units so, but am waiting for the HUB to arrive before I can provide any feed back.

Teken . . .

 

[Vinci]

Thanks for the clarification!

I have been eyeing such a system for some time now, but am not keen to leave my workstation on all day. It ***** down quite a bit of power, and is a lot more susceptible to failures (in my experience) than dedicated hardware.

 

[Teken]

Thanks for the clarification!

I have been eyeing such a system for some time now, but am not keen to leave my workstation on all day. It ***** down quite a bit of power, and is a lot more susceptible to failures (in my experience) than dedicated hardware.

If you go with the following route, this is the power consumption for each stand alone controller.

SmartLinc: 2.11 Watts

Insteon Hub: 2.25 Watts

ISY-994: 3-5 Watts <-- This depends upon the power supply received / purchased.

Also, keep in mind that both the Hub & ISY can send both sms text and e-mail to alert you of conditions.

Just to get your feet wet and get a general idea of how powerful this system can be here is a few videos I made of mine.

Teken . . .

 

[bdamico]

Vince,

Let me cover some basics for you. To first answer your question, no. Insteon does not need a computer to be on site to operate.

The purpose of a *controller* is to allow you the ability to have timers, conditions, and program ease.

You have several choices at this time: SmartLinc 2412N, this device does not require a computer to be on. As it is a mini web based computer which allows you to control / connect remotely from your cell phone / computer. This is a great device for simple control.

Next is the HouseLinc 2413UH: This device can provide you with timers, and simple conditions, e-mail notification, but requires the computer to be on at all times to execute any timers etc. This device also has a very powerful diagnostic tool to help trouble shoot your network.



Next is the ISY-994 / 99 controller: This is mini computer all by itself and requires no other computer system to be active. It is the most powerful and feature rich of all units listed above. It costs way more, but rest assured you can accomplish endless tasks via the ISY controller.

There is a new Insteon HUB, which is available which is in between the SmartLinc and HouseLinc. This may be the best value / balance between the the three devices.

I have all four units so, but am waiting for the HUB to arrive before I can provide any feed back.

Teken . . .

I have houselinc. Generally works great but a couple times a year misses a program as a result of the computer rebooting over night. If I could do it over Id probably get the ISY controller but won't now as frankly I've kind of moved on from tinkering with the system anymore and don't feel like reprogramming. I heard from others that the best thing to do when switching over is to start from scratch so I'm not going to bother.

And I have experienced no problems with my computer as a result of houselinc. Eats up almost nothing.

 

[ishiboo]

HouseLinc is decent.

SmartLinc *****.

Hopefully the new SmartLinc replacement will provide some decent smartphone functionality... it was supposed to be in stock today I think!

 

[Teken]

HouseLinc is decent.

SmartLinc *****.

Hopefully the new SmartLinc replacement will provide some decent smartphone functionality... it was supposed to be in stock today I think!

If all you need is a simple and basic controller. Than, the SmartLinc is a fine controller in that aspect. For the wife and kids to use, its the perfect inteface to the Insteon network.

They really can't break the system too bad using the SmartLinc. Now, if they have the ability to use and interface with the HouseLinc / ISY. A fat finger could cause untold havoc in your home / Insteon Network.

Also, using the SmartLinc in a highly controlled and managed Corporate network is perfect. You can not use the ISY / HouseLinc in the same fashion unless you have control over the Corporate Networks policies and infrastructures firewall.

Teken . . .

 

[ishiboo]

If all you need is a simple and basic controller. Than, the SmartLinc is a fine controller in that aspect. For the wife and kids to use, its the perfect inteface to the Insteon network.

They really can't break the system too bad using the SmartLinc. Now, if they have the ability to use and interface with the HouseLinc / ISY. A fat finger could cause untold havoc in your home / Insteon Network.

Also, using the SmartLinc in a highly controlled and managed Corporate network is perfect. You can not use the ISY / HouseLinc in the same fashion unless you have control over the Corporate Networks policies and infrastructures firewall.

Teken . . .

My problem is SmartLinc's web browser and iPhone/Android interfaces are AWFUL, and SmartLinc is not very poweful - you cannot control it or program it well with a computer. HouseLinc's setup is very sharp. They should have had it so HouseLinc allows you to export everything and run the basics on the SmartLinc, or allow you to share programming between the two.

To have a concise interface allowing computer programmability and remote access, right now I believe you have to have a 3rd party controller.

 

[Teken]

My problem is SmartLinc's web browser and iPhone/Android interfaces are AWFUL, and SmartLinc is not very poweful - you cannot control it or program it well with a computer. HouseLinc's setup is very sharp. They should have had it so HouseLinc allows you to export everything and run the basics on the SmartLinc, or allow you to share programming between the two.

To have a concise interface allowing computer programmability and remote access, right now I believe you have to have a 3rd party controller.

The HouseLinc can manage the lincs in the SmartLinc. There are several 3rd party plugin's for the SmartLinc which will allow you to have more control and a different look for the SmartLinc web page.

This is just one example: http://qwhomeautomation.com/ There are two more that are more powerful than this one. But, off the top of my head I don't recall the name.

Teken . . .

 

[Teken]

I thought this would help out others as to what can be done in a practical manner. This video shows you how to remotely open / close your garage door from any where in the world. It also shows you how the Insteon controller can keep you informed of the status of a device, door, light, area, zone.

Teken . . .

 

[Vinci]

Teken, does the Insteon system require a POTS line to send out calls/SMS, or is cell integration possible?

 

[Zick]

My problem is SmartLinc's web browser and iPhone/Android interfaces are AWFUL, and SmartLinc is not very poweful - you cannot control it or program it well with a computer. HouseLinc's setup is very sharp. They should have had it so HouseLinc allows you to export everything and run the basics on the SmartLinc, or allow you to share programming between the two.

To have a concise interface allowing computer programmability and remote access, right now I believe you have to have a 3rd party controller.

I've been using Mobilinc on my Android Phone & Tablet for almost a year now and really like it compared to other Apps I've tried.

http://mobilincstore.com/apps.html

Edit: sorry misread that you were trying to make changes, program it. Mobilinc will just let you control or run what you already have setup.

 

[Teken]

Teken, does the Insteon system require a POTS line to send out calls/SMS, or is cell integration possible?

If you're using the HouseLinc this device will allow you to receive e-mail notifications. Using the Insteon hub, this device can send out sms text / e-mails.

You will require an Internet connection whether it be POTS DSL, or cable broad band.

With the ISY-99 / 994 controller you can receive sms text message and e-mails. Using some third party programs, applications, and web based systems you can have the sms text / e-mails translated into voice messages.

I currently use a hardware voice solution to send out voice alerts. I will be migrating to a fully hosted voice system in the New Year for redundancy purposes.

As I require back up systems for my security system certification.

Regards

Teken . . .

 

[kert]

Thanks guys. Looks like GJ is going to make me spend money again.

 

[Blk88GT]

In case anyone is curious how I solved this issue, I bought one of these to try:

http://www.belkin.com/us/F7C030-Belkin/p/P-F7C030

Works like charm, setup was quick and I will be ordering more. Very impressive unit for the money and no huge outlay of cash for a simple function!

 

[Teken]

In case anyone is curious how I solved this issue, I bought one of these to try:

http://www.belkin.com/us/F7C030-Belkin/p/P-F7C030

Works like charm, setup was quick and I will be ordering more. Very impressive unit for the money and no huge outlay of cash for a simple function!

Would you mind creating a new thread and doing a review of this product? One of the guys bought the same thing but never got around to installing it.

So, any first hand experience and thoughts about it would be great.

Teken . . .

 

[gatchel]

No metal face plates....I'm out!

 

[Blk88GT]

I'm going to install my next one behind a metal plate and see what happens. Apparently the metal face plate issue is due to wifi reception. I've got decent network gear and the building has no inside walls, so and I'm hoping that makes the difference.

 

[MN4x4]

Teken:

What do you use for a security system with your Insteon stuff? I'm looking for something that will accept wired NO/NC contacts to trigger events or alarms.

 

[SCscoutguy]

It isn't what you want but the new neweggflash clearance site has a bunch of that smartlabs stuff on clearance right now. Just scroll down until you see it.
http://www.neweggflash.com/campaign/338