As soon as I got the developer kit, I realized this is a company that overpromises to the point of borderline fraud. My wife has her own looks and PADs mounted to walls all look slightly different. Unfortunately, legal snarls may keep it locked up so long that people will lose favor in resurrecting the messaging protocol for Insteon devices. Add voice control when you use it with your smart speakers or program scenes via mutli-tap triggers. 1. To some up what you stated, my understanding is that Thread offers slightly less latency and you can use multiple border routers (Home Pod Mini devices for which currently I have two) to help improve the mesh network. Every room in my house has Insteon light switches and I had all the scenes set up for Alexa to turn on and off lights. Theres obviously going to be a market for that. I am no expert, maybe it works. But I cant figure how they are at fault, for closing up operation for a service that they were not charging us for. Thats what people agree to when they create a smartthings account, although of course a lot of people dont read the fine print. 2) if you already use iOS devices and youre willing to get a HomePod mini, apples HomeKit is a good choice both for now and for the future. If you have any Insteon smart home devices, you might have noticed they suddenly stopped working in April . . . For more detailed discussion I suggest trying one of the Insteon user Facebook groups or the sub Reddit on Insteon. Universal devices http://www.universal-devices.com It controls all of the Insteon devices plus has a new NodeServer system which allows almost any smart device. In today's "predictable things that happened before and definitely will happen again", Insteon, a smart home company boasting the Insteon ecosystem of devices built around . What causes the hub to notoriously die is one little capacitor on its board. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. 50 devices. If your client already has an iPhone or iPad, I would suggest researching a combination of Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa, or even just HomeKit as a possible candidate. If you have any questions orcan't find a good alternative to your Insteon product, just reach out to our team of Z-Wave experts and we'll be happy to help! Keep it simple, choose devices with good safety certifications, work with their routines. Thanks again, Ron. I set up Homeseer on my computer and thought WOW! For all those that follow Home Assistant, today the newest version was released. Thats just typical in the industry today. We have Alexas in every room, and use it as normal way turn on our lights, thermostats, TVs as well as to handle all the scenes we maintain for different social situations. I have been exploring the best option to get things back up and running. With that you get so much more than attempting to do it yourself IMHO. (2245-222) Not having heard or read a single mention of WEMO worries me as well do ALL OF YOU know something that I dont? 3 Turn responder keypad on The reverse engineering cant be done legally until the company that owns the intellectual property releases it for open use. HOOBS currently has more than 2,000 plugins so aside from your Insteon gear, youll have a wide range of support for other devices. I went through all the feelings one has for a deal like that. It would be wonderful if someone could find a way to get the servers back online at least temporarily, but without any news from SmartLabs or Insteon it's doubtful. I assume there should be some way to manually upload them but I havent found anything on YouTube or by googling to tell me how to do it. Winter prep can still mean all of the above, but new Z-Wave technology has made certain aspects of winterization easier while adding another level of protection as those temperatures drop. I cannot believe they simply shut down the service with NO warning or communication or better yet a published alternative like what is being discussed here. I was intrigued by possibilities w/ the newer version and the API so updated to the 2245. I already had all my Insteon devices (approximately 70) setup through Home Assistant. The cost of individual devices has come down significantly in the last two years, particularly with the participation of Aqara and Meross. That doesnt mean they wont do it, but it means we just dont know yet. This is also essential if you wish to utilize Alexa or any other interface to later operate the device by voice. I used to worry about what to do if the hub breaks. BUT you can use a smart home hub as a bridge between your Z-Wave devices and Amazon Alexa. Yes, you cannot change the IP address, login or password of the main Hub/PLM. Image courtesy HOOBS. It appears anyone using Insteon products has faced a dead-end as the companys cloud service has gone silent. I do not know. Alternatives to Insteon Hub? Using low band radio frequency and powerline communication makes the system more reliable as more devices are added to the network. Just press play! Z-Wave happens to check off all of these boxes. Insteon or whatever their name will be should make products. I do not use apple devices or OS in my business or my home so dont want to go in that direction. Home Assistant seems like a good option. Its free and runs on multiple platforms including a raspberry pi. INSTEON HUB ALTERNATIVES & INTEGRATIONS TECHNOLOGY, SOFTWARE AND HUB OPTIONS FOR INSTEON USERS . If you dont pay, youll lose your automations, smart rules, and access to voice control. Home assistant has a full featured Insteon integration that talks to the Insteon hub locally. These devices use a miniscule amount of wifi bandwidth and my 200 megabit internet service handled everything with no issues. I would appreciate any advice about this platform and which brand controllers (Lutron, Wemo, Aqara etc) should I go with. But since it uses both powerline and RF networking, you can't plug it into a surge . I moved from Houselinc and X-10 after getting a few of these new fangled Z-wave modules from Intermatic. The entire company seems to have abruptly shut down just before the weekend, breaking users' cloud-dependent smart-home setups without . View at Amazon. This hub serves as a great henry option, and you can always upgrade to a better unit for more compatibility. My hub should still be okay and Ive got a spare in the box, I think Ive got an old PLM somewhere too. Those clauses have held up with previous companies, including Revolv, Iris, Wink, Staples Connect, and the ADT/SmartThings dual logo security system. The Hub is Insteon's latest smart home controller, and it is similar to other hubs, such as Lowe's Iris and Staple's Connect. I prefer this to anything else (for now) but you could also (try) and get a Raspberry PI 4 and roll your own. The new standard which will hopefully be coming by the end of this year is Matter. NEW: Built In 700 series Z-Wave Radio with user-selectable Z-Wave frequencies. I think Insteon contributed to the mess that was created in the future of the technology. If I were going to change out systems, what is a good alternative brand for new 20A inline switches? This binding provides access to the Insteon network by means of either an Insteon PowerLinc Modem (PLM), a legacy Insteon Hub 2242-222 (pre-2014) or the new 2245-222 ("2014") Insteon Hub. Since the hub creates the communication route to any device, it uses existing nearby signal extenders to reach new devices. It is a complete pixel art software package, primarily aimed at creating sprites and other assets . Some alternatives to the Insteon hub are still available. Was just getting ready to program a system. With the above alternative hubs or devices to replace a 2245-222 Hub what is needed? Great article, thanks! Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. I came into Insteon about 15 years ago. Any lawyers out there? Better said, it can likely control the device that controls the switches meaning if you have a hub or a PLM, it can more than likely control that hub/plm which in turn speaks to the switches. If my Insteon Hub is dead is there an alternative hub one can buy to use the hard wired Insteon devices already installed in the house? I personally have laid out a significant amount through the 16 years that insteon exited once i have over 60 devices that i purchased but doing those years i did receive a significant beneficial Service for their product for over a decade at no additional cost other than the purchase of devices, that still function, but can no longer operate to the extent that once offered but we never paid for. It worked great w/ the old Hub (2242). Insteon just became another smart home company to shut down their services. "Sounds like Insteon", I said. In addition, historically a few home automation platforms have required a paid subscription to use their cloud services, which includes their Alexa integration. Homeseer -> Insteon Switches. I am adding a very large addition to my house right now and wish that I could still get the Insteon devices, but hopefully zWave is up to the task. Insteon Smart On/Off Wall Switch, 1800 Watt, 2477S (White) - Insteon Hub required for voice control with Alexa & Google Assistant. Documentation may not be as accessible as for some of the other controllers so expect a learning curve at first. Thank you, Thanks. It is the reason why ISY is an integration to Home Assistant, it is much more than switch control. Since Insteon is out of business do you think its open territory for any of these home automation companies to now use and incorporate Insteons proprietary language into their system? Like I had Broadlink, Ring, Tuya, Vizio TV, Spotify, Pandora I am slowing ridding myself of all these as they are all controllable things by Home Assistant linked to my Nabu Casa account. On top of that, only a few basic steps need to be followed to install and integrate your system. Its going to be really helpful if it happens, but its not here yet, and in the home automation space you cant count on anything which isnt actually available yet. Z wave is a slower communication protocol. In fact, thats one of the aspects I pointed out with the newest software: Home Assistant setup is finally a user-friendly, quick process. This all took me less than 2 hrs, next was how to you upload Raspberry PI which is just a chip card, and not computer to Alexa. There are some things I will miss about Insteon, but Im finding alternative solutions for nearly all of my unique setups. Then there was the smart home hub maker Insteon which collapsed in April, 2022 leaving thousands of customers cut off from the company's servers and without access to many of the features of the hub they purchased. Im pretty satisfied. I have had X10 then Insteon installed for over a decade in my home. But if I had the knowledge to do it and the funds, I would certainly hack and give it away. May 10, 2020 You can try, but its likely that their terms of service, which every customer agrees to when they set up an account, included language saying that they could withdraw any features at any time. Commands are also stored in the Cloud and are analysed by Amazon. Other than that I would suggest checking with the Reddit subforum on Insteon to keep track of any new products and services that third parties develop. A year ago I went so far as to add about $600 worth of hardware to complete it. Just moved and the house had some insteon dimmers. So what integration options do you have with your current gear? Thanks 228. ], QUESTIONS? It looks like the Universal devices hub ISY994 is being superseded by the POLISY hub which appears to be significantly more powerful with more connectivity options. That did happen eventually with the Lowes Iris system, which was a pleasant surprise, and Lowes first generation devices, which use a proprietary protocol, can now work with a Hubitat hub, for example. I really knew very little of DOS knowledge. https://community.smartthings.com/t/top-level-priorities-checklist-what-to-consider-before-you-start-selecting-smart-home-devices-2019/159332. insteon hub possible workaround. Kevin, thank for your offer and I will be contact with you towards the end of this week, still have few tasks, I am sure I can probably handle before that that need attending regarding this process. You can implement any one of 100s of things Home Assistant, Hubitat, ISY, many others. I was the first certified Insteon install in Central Florida and for a long time the only certified installer in Central Florida. From your comment (So for the foreseeable future, there is zero reason for me to abandon use of the Insteon system I have in place.) it sounds like you have an alternative solution in mind. Since switches break, and the PLM is, I believe anyway, the critical link between the ISY994 and Insteon switches, we'd be needing spares whe. Thanks to all of you for postings that help me formulate better questions and thought for trying to move forward. Controls Light Switches, Thermostats, Door Locks, Garage Doors, Water Valves, Energy Monitors, Environmental Sensors, Cameras and More. That whole process took 10 minutes and all my Insteon devices where back on Alexa. Later that year they were rebooted under new management and not only is product being manufacturered again - but new devices like the i3 wall . It just replaces Zigbees software layer for threads IP based one. Before You Buy insteon hub pro. There I have posted some screens which can help a person to understand scenes and how to use them. Automate up to 2 garage doors with a single ZEN17 relay and up to 3 garage doors with the ZEN16 model! The zWave devices are a litlle harder to set up and dont seem to react as quickly as the Insteon devices, but they work. Eventually need more devices and am hopeful that something new and better will come out. Voted the most popular style of smart switch, you could never go wrong with decora dimmers like the ZEN72 Dimmer or ZEN77 S2 Dimmer. CALL 848-200-0995 OR EMAIL INFO@THESMARTESTHOUSE.COM, How to Set Up a Z-Wave Smart Home Hub with Amazon Alexa, The Best Alternatives to the Wink Smart Home Hub, Winter is Coming: How to Prep Your Smart Home for the Cold. The smart home company Insteon has vanished. Heaving just gone through one of largest class action suits in the state of South Carolina, this will probably not create much satisfaction to us the purchasers of the product. Does anyone know if any of the above recommendations will work with Alexa? Alexa only speaks WiFi (and ZigBee if you have the EchoPlus). Be the first to know about new product releases and special sale events. Nokia Smart Lighting is a new Smartlabs company, and it's selling products not Insteon-branded, but definitely using the Insteon protocol for communication, and . These are the unseen people that will be really impacted by this. Native support . Amazon Echo. Now I have not looked lately at ISY from a GUI perspective, but Home Assistant you build your own. Which was they way we would initiate everything. Dont buy into a platform and buy devices for it. There are two conversations here that people should separate or understand that they are separate. The beauty of voice assistants like Alexa is that they act as a central hub, allowing a single point of control- either by voice or through the app. But I can learn to live with the limitations. I have been using an Insteon setup with the ISY controller for way over 10 years (about 50 switches now) without any issues so I never even noticed the demise of Insteon. Thread devices connect via wifi or Ethernet and up to 250 units with multiple hops. Indoor and outdoor rated, easy, tool-free DIY installation, with an extremely powerful motor to tackle even the most stubborn valves. I would have gladly paid $1.99 a month for the Insteon service had they asked. I also had the Alexa Insteon skill set up on my Alexas. When you start researching, you come across similar stories of Iris by Lowes, Best Buys Insignia, Alphabets Revolv, Staples Connect, or the ADT SmartThings offering that was discontinued in 2021. While HomeKit is always there in the . I just want my lights to go on and off automatically at a specific time. Personally, I like the HomeKit approach where everything runs locally except the smart speaker and away from home actions. 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