simplextech

I don't want to interject here...but I'm going to More z-wave devices (powered/plugin) is always a good thing to extend the mesh robustness. However you may want to decide on a final goal/direction of protocol first. Do you have Insteon switches already? If so you should think of keeping them for the Insteon network to be robust. Insteon lighting is much better than Z-Wave lighting. (IMHO). If you really don't want Insteon for lighting then skip Z-Wave and go Lutron. What's the goal or use case for Z-Wave? If it's sensors, locks, etc then plugin modules are ok but you might want to think about receptacles to build out a nice strong z-wave mesh that can't be unplugged by accident. Then use plug-in modules to extend or grow when you can't add receptacles. The receptacles (almost all) provide "beaming" which is a necessity for locks to function properly. Most plug-in units do NOT provide "beaming" so if locks are what you're looking to add you need to be aware of that. You can use plugin-in z-wave range extenders and they do support beaming and they can augment a z-wave mesh. Several things. Most importantly is a stronger signal and what's referred to as "instant status" or the simple thing of a device telling the controller when it's manually turned on/off so you don't have to query the device to get accurate information. Useful for programs. There's a lot of benefits to Z-Wave Plus so if you're starting fresh with Z-Wave and going to be adding new devices just bite the bullet and upgrade to the Z-Wave 500 series board now and only buy Z-Wave Plus devices. I do Z-Wave device testing and add to this list when I test something new. If there's some device you're interested in but not on the list I may be able to get one for testing. https://github.com/UniversalDevicesInc/Z-Wave-Devices/issues You can also add to this list if you want.

"Best" is always subjective. A list of various priced units that can work with Blue Iris that I'm aware of DoorBird GrandStream 2N Amcrest Video Doorbell Camera (not tested but they claim RTSP support) very cheap option too.

Why not use a Thermostat that works with 240v electric heating?

Please add it to the list along with notes. https://github.com/UniversalDevicesInc/Z-Wave-Devices/issues

If the point it to have motion detector in the ISY trigger an event in Homeseer why not use the ISYInsteon plugin for HomeSeer? Then it's local and no Alexa/Cloud involved. Set variable triggers in Alexa.. check Alexa routine passes to HS...check ISY sets motion variable.. fail. Looks likes your program to set the variable isn't working correctly?

LIP -> Lutron Integration Protocol is ascii. It's literally a socket connection to the ascii interface and you can access and read/send commands with any telnet client. So yeah it's unlocked Some out there will throw stones because it's "unsecure".... well it's ascii numerical data and it's just lights Sample output from a running nodeserver in development: Output a main repeater: ~OUTPUT,40,29,11 You tell me what that is Caseta Pro, RA2 Select are both "programmed" from a mobile app. There isn't any programming. You can create scenes/groups of lights and some basic actions. You will have to use a control system to do anything really fancy with them. There are no keypads for Caseta or RA2 select either. They are "entry-level". The upside to RA2 Select are the dimmers/switches are compatible with RadioRA 2 so all you have to replace is the Main Repeater. With Caseta the only thing compatible between the bigger brothers are the Pico remotes. I'm bringing @lilyoyo1comments in because they are also important. If you want a fully/tightly integrated system with rock solid reliability then go with a C4 or Crestron as they each have their OWN lighting controls and most other components as well. Tightly integrated single vendor solution. You won't get to tinker as much but it is rock solid if you get a good programmer to setup everything. This is also a valid point to consider. When working with multiple systems and integrating them there's higher probability of problems. As it stands currently the RadioRA 2 nodeserver is still in development and not released as of yet. I expect as is normal that there will be some issues that come up which aren't caught in the testing. They'll get fixed quickly but nothing is ever 100% reliable 100% of the time when humans are involved somewhere in the mix.

You don't "have" to pay someone else to install a RadioRa 2 system. You can do it yourself and many, many do. Control4 is it's own thing where you would have to have someone install the full system. Depending on how you work the contract with the installer you can get some degree of access to a Control4 system to tinker but you'll never have 100% as you can't get most drivers without being a dealer. I'm biased and I admit it but I prefer Lutron over other lighting because it's lighting not everything else AND EVERY OTHER system out there....Every single one of them RTI, Control4, Crestron, Savant, Vivint, HomeSeer, Hubitat, Vera, Fibaro, etc etc all support Lutron... so the lighting will never be a loss if you someday choose a different control platform.

Personally I have 100% reliability with Lutron as do clients. You can search around and when properly installed the system is rock solid. The only way to really screw it up is in bad placement of the main repeater and not having any aux repeaters when necessary. There's a conservative limit of 30 feet from device to repeater and 60 feet from aux repeater to main repeater. When installed correctly it just works. It's a marketing thing. The Caseta and RA2 Select lines are meant to be consumer installed and used and as such they have device caps that are arbitrary. The Caseta device limit was just increased in the last year to be 75 devices as it was 50 prior to that. This is a variable you would have to discuss with a dealer and get a quote. You can find pricing on the internet for pieces of things and you can find some ideas of pricing. With RadioRA 2 there's 2 levels of training and programming. Level I training is free and it's an online class. After the class you'll have a myLutron login and you can download the programming software and do whatever you want with your equipment. The Level II class is a paid class and opens the system to more advanced functionality and allow you to program the more advanced devices as well as expand the system to 2 main repeaters which doubles the number of devices you can have in a RadioRA 2 system. This opens up 200 devices total in RadioRA 2. Which is a lot of lights As for purchasing equipment. There are places you can purchase from as an individual but the RadioRA 2 and higher end systems are meant to be dealer installed and provide an income to poor slobs like me. You can find pieces on Amazon and on Ebay (be careful with ebay). The easiest is to contact a dealer and tell them you're looking to do a self-install DIY and just looking to purchase equipment. Or you can contact some lighting supply shops or distributors and get an account setup to purchase direct. ADI, Capital Sales, Wave Electronics, SnapAV, etc, etc. Lutron has their own Occupancy/Vacancy sensors which integrate great with the lighting system. I use them for all of my "motion sensing". The Caseta and RA2 Select systems have occupancy sensors but they do not report to integrated platforms. So you can't integrate those directly into something like the ISY. RadioRA 2 has the same sensors BUT you can integrate them with external control systems like ISY. For standard contact sensors like Door/Window I currently use Z-Wave (Ecolink Z-Wave Plus) sensors in my own home. I have thought and still am about replacing this with a ELK security panel and using ELK door/window sensors but I have not done this yet. Still thinking about it. I like ELK because it's open and integrates well with other platforms, like the ISY.

I agree with that. I swapped out the Insteon sensors with Z-Wave for contact and use Lutron Occupancy sensors. Oh here we go... But yeah the C4 switches do look nice. The Lutron Maestro are pretty "normal" looking with the exception of them being "buttons" and not "rockers" like traditional decora switches. The Caseta switches have their own look that's the same as the Pico remotes. Some like the style/look some don't. I love Pico remotes though... they're like candy just can't have enough because they are cheap and totally versatile for controlling things.

My opinion. No Z-Wave is not viable for a lighting system. The serial nature creates a "popcorn" effect when you are trying to have scenes or groups of multiple lights. For most other things Z-Wave is fine when response time is not measured in milliseconds and synchronized. You didn't mention RTI I'll take your money! Depending on how many lights, plugins, etc Caseta Pro may work for you however it has a 75 device limit and limit to aux repeaters for expanding the system. A step up would be the RA2 Select system which handles more devices and repeaters. Both of these systems have occupancy sensors (now) but they do not report through the Lutron Integration Protocol so you can't integrate the occupancy sensors into any system. Both of these systems are configured through a mobile app and are designed for consumer friendliness. The next step up in features and cost is the RadioRA 2 system. You get the full gamut of devices and capabilities with this system. This is the Pro installed system but many do purchase it through dealers and install it themselves (yes I'm a dealer). There is a short half-day class that is FREE from Lutron that you can take to get access to the programming software to program the lighting system. In development are NodeServers for Polisy to integrate the Lutron lighting systems. I won't give a timeline for release but RadioRA 2 will be released first and and following it will be RA2 Select and then Caseta Pro. Make NOTE... There are 2 versions of the Caseta bridge. The Caseta Pro is fully capable of integration using the Lutron Integration Protocol. The "standard" or "consumer" bridge that you can buy at Home Depot, Lowe's, BestBuy etc etc (amazon) is not integration friendly and does not support LIP. There is a way to integrate it with some hoops through retrieving security keys but I won't support it. If you have any other Lutron questions ask. As for going with Zigbee for lighting. It's feasible but there's no integration with ISY currently and the consumer line of Zigbee lighting controls is very lacking. Control4 has great Zigbee lighting controls but you have to have Control4. If budget is not a concern go for a full Lutron RadioRA 2 system and call it a day. Otherwise Insteon is still very good for lighting control. There's a big cost difference between going Lutron vs Insteon.

I did the same...except wired to a Lutron VCRX. Works perfectly and as you stated completely local.

Day 1: Starting with an ISY for Insteon environments is the best decision and most important. All forthcoming decisions can be changed Day 2 - ???? Not true. You will use linking a lot with Insteon and the ISY. The difference is you will create and manage the links through the ISY and not create the links in a device to device direct manner. Insteon is designed in a way that no controller is necessary and you can create links from device to device pretty easy. This can achieve a lot of functionality but is limited in having to remember what is linked to what and for what function. The ISY is a central manager for links to devices and between the devices. The ISY connects to the PLM which is then how the ISY communicates with all of the devices. When you add the PLM a link is created between the ISY and PLM. When you add a device through the ISY the correct device links are added to the PLM and the ISY keeps track of these. See there's still inks and lots of them. You can create links between devices with the ISY and these are called 'Scenes'. A 'scene' is what called a 'group' in the Insteon documentation. It allows you to link devices together to do something. Scenes are very powerful and you can do almost all of your system automation through scenes. Programs enter the scene.. (pun intended) ... when you want to do something that will combine elements of multiple scenes or of devices or nodes that don't support scenes. Or if you want to run a program from some external data such as the weather or a temperature probe or something. Scenes and programs together are very powerful and provides enormous capabilities.

ahhh... my bad.. for now just select/copy and open a new tab and paste. I'll have to fix the actual URL's in the links as they aren't correct.

Yes. You can use the PC Controller to update the FW on devices with the Aeotec stick. It works fine. You have to exclude the devices from the ISY, include in the PC Controller, update and then again exclude and include back into the ISY... real PITA. Ok... ZEN20 added to the system... now we wait. For adding the PC Controller into the ISY for doing secondary updates. Setup PC Controller with your USB stick and make sure that's all working Open ISY Admin Console Open PC Controller if not already open Open Network Management page ISY Z-Wave -> Add a Z-Wave Device PC Controller After Clicked Add device in the ISY click the "Classic Learn Mode" button in PC Controller The PC Controller will be added to the ISY as a device/node PC Controller will sync/copy devices from ISY You can now use the PC Controller to update FW on z-wave devices that have been sync'd. You can re-sync by doing the same steps if you add more devices to the ISY. To remove the PC Controller from the ISY you will do the same steps EXCEPT for "Add a Z-Wave Device" in the ISY you want to "Remove" but then it's the same "Classic Learn Mode" button in PC Controller.

This is one of those tricky territory items. I can provide the basic information, however if things don't go right (sometimes they don't) or something is missed or I misremember and don't provide exact you could break your z-wave mesh and have to wipe the controller and start from scratch... so... you've been warned. With the ISY Admin Console open and the PC Controller software open. On the ISY you select the Include option to add a new device. From PC Controller you do the same. I have not done this in a while. You can play around with it or if you wait then I can go through the steps again later (probably when I'm adding the ZEN20) and I can document it.

If I have time later I'll add a ZEN20 to my system and see what happens. I'll let it sit a couple days and see if any ghosts appear... it is that time of year

I too have experienced the weird random nodes that sometimes get created. I don't have an answer for this nor explanation. If you're on the latest 5.3 firmware and you are having this issue I would submit a support ticket.

I wasn't happy with the 'name' of the URL so I renamed. Sorry for updating but I did it. https://github.com/UniversalDevicesInc/Z-Wave-Devices/issues Original post was updated with the new link but there it is again just in case.

A list of z-wave devices I try to update as I get new devices to try out: https://github.com/UniversalDevicesInc/Z-Wave-Devices/issues

The dome and zen15 I know report energy readings. I would have to do a test on the zen06 (I think I have one somewhere). I like the zen15 plugs because they can handle 15a which makes them very versatile.

Lot of work because of an app. There are several apps for the ISY so without you saying which one it's hard to help with anything. Given the open nature of the ISY and several apps existing now and likely more in the future it's more of a choose your own adventure thing. The Insteon Hub only has one app... and too bad if you don't like it and good luck with support. As for migrating devices to the Insteon hub... never done it. So I don't know I've migrated to/from other systems and it's generally pretty easy and sometimes doesn't even require physical touch of the devices if the new controller supports link management and you can wipe the links and install new one's. Otherwise you will have to physically reset each device which is a PITA. As for the ISY. If it fails and you have a backup then it's very easy to just swap in a new ISY. It's not so easy with the Insteon Hub as it's mostly cloud based and I've read where other's had to send the unit to them and wait for a replacement but I dunno.

wireless tags is available in the store. Polisy is made to be an appliance without direct end-user logins. However If you have one of the earlier geek batch versions (developers received) then you would also have login capabilities to do whatever. User installed/modified anything is not supported. Just have to put out that disclaimer. Otherwise if you sign up for the developer program through UDI I think then you get login access? I'm not sure @Michel Kohanim would provide much better direction in that regard.

From the Polisy web interface there is a "NodeServers" option in the top menu. Open that and select "NodeServer Store". You'll be presented with a list of NodeServers you can install.

Yeah I was not happy at all with the Insteon Open/Close sensors.

For a regular T-Stat there's several options in Z-Wave and a newish company MCOHome has some newer V2 devices recently released. If I had regular HVAC my preference would be a Venstar because they have a direct and local API for integration. Yes they are wifi BUT they do NOT depend on a vendor's cloud for functioning. For line-voltage aka baseboards I have StelPro Z-Wave and NuHeat Signature both work well.