INSTEON becoming 'mainstream'

[whodah]

hello!

some products utilizing INSTEON were put up on smarthome.com recently.

i sent an email to neptune asking about compatibility w/ the INSTEON protocol and their aquacontrollers.

moments after sending that email, i came across this quote on insteon.net (doesn't that just always happen, heh!):

Should I continue to purchase X-10 based products or wait for INSTEON?

One of the significant advantages of the new INSTEON technology is it's backwards compatibility with existing X-10 products. As an example, an INSTEON switch can turn on an X-10 lamp module and an X-10 switch can turn on an INSTEON lamp module. Homeowners can continue to purchase X-10 devices today and then migrate over time to INSTEON.

this leads me to think that INSTEON will indeed be compatible w/ the aquacontrollers!! i.e. the aquacontroller sends out an x10 signal just like normal and the INSTEON receiver/transmitter takes care of the rest! (i THINK... yet to try it!)

this could be really handy... especially w/ some of the noisier ballasts that we use causing x10 interference... or moter-driven pumps, heh!

so at any rate, i guess the point of this post is:

• to let people know about it that might not know (dind't find any hits on INSTEON on RC)
• to get a discussion going on INSTEON and our tanks/controllers
• wondering if anyone has used INSTEON w/ neptune aquacontrollers yet?
• wondering what neptunesys thinks! (even though i sent an email, heh!)

for those that don't know: what is INSTEON? INSTEON is a home automation protocol that uses both RF and powerline transmission. it is backwards compatible w/ X10 and is a mesh configuration. i.e. if you have 14 INSTEON devices and send an INSTEON 'on' command, the 14 devices will repeat it to one another until confirmation (yes, confirmation!) is received that the device is now 'on'. (there are some 2-way X10 controllers... all INSTEON are 2-way though).

thus, in theory, you could have a VERY large string of self-supporting INSTEON devices.

if yer curious on X10 'competing' protocols, i wrote a little 'cliff notes' jobby for our club here a while back. it's refreshing again as some consumer INSTEON devices become available on the market. in short, it compares/contrasts X10, INSTEON, Z-WAVE, and zigbee:
http://www.cvreefers.org/showthread.php?t=816

INSTEON FAQ: http://www.insteon.net/faq.html

smarthome kit: http://www.smarthome.com/2490.html

thoughts?

 

[clp]

Insteon definitely has potential for solving the X10 interference issue, however, at the time the Insteon product line is not complete enough to be truly useful. There is not an insteon control module that will handle more than 300 Watts. Also, there needs to be a hardwired X10 to Insteon wireless bridge. Something like an IM513 with an Insteon wireless output.
The way the current Insteon bridge works is to receive commands over the powerlines, and transmit them over the air. Or it receives commands over the air and transmits them on the power lines.

Curt

 

[johnmaag]

I have seen two shortcomings with x10. First, interference can stop a device from receiving a signal. Second, the X10 devices are stupid. They cannot be queried for state information.

Example. It would be nice if a garage door could be queried and asked if it is open or closed.

Neptune seems to have solved one issue for their product with the private network of the dc4's

Now I know the INSTEON devices repeat a signal but as with any network, too much repeating will flood the network and make it impossible to 'talk'.

I would like to know more detail about INSTEON with respect to state retention but could not find any on their site.

 

[whodah]

heya!

wanted to point out that insteon in the last couple weeks released an appliiance module:
http://www.smarthome.com/2456s3.html

Maximum load is 15-amps for resistive loads, 480-watts for incandescent and inductive loads.

still no wired x10 to insteon bridge though...

i was thinkin - what if u were to plug your IM513 (which we all have anyways, heh!) into an insteon 2442:
http://www.smarthome.com/2442.html

create yer own bridge, heh!

 

[Randall_James]

Yea this would be nice, my $700 worth of aqua crud is perfectly useless as is. It randomly turns off an on and I finally took this new AC2 and 10 modules and they sit on a shelf waiting for the day they could be trusted with thousands in livestock.....

 

[Pepbill]

Have to say I've had an AC2 for a couple years and recently upgreaded to an AC3. I've never had much problems. I've had modules go dead after year or so and some interference from my heater, but beyond that it's worked like a charm.

 

[Randall_James]

Interference from a heater? I wish I had that luck.

What is funny is a heater is relatively quiet electrically. No moving parts or induction coils to create noise. Just a nichrome wire wrapped rod.

 

[whodah]

heya Curt!

curious if you had seen this yet?
http://www.smarthome.com/2414s.html

thanks!