Teken

I believe you're giving Google too much credit with respect to them taking over the market in the HA space. I could list out all of their business failures and ventures in 10 minutes but I digress. The problem with Google is no long term plan or the having the ability to stick it out. Case in point their energy monitoring play thing web site. Microsoft was in this same space more than 10 years ago with energy monitoring where did that go? In the toilet like they have for Windows ME, Vista, Windows 8. Never mind their complete failure of the Surface tablet which cost them 100 million dollars in write offs which they literally gave away to schools for the sole purpose to penetrate the education space in hopes of taking it away from Apple. The only real plan Google has is to monetize your information and track your behavior in hopes of turning a profit. It's apparent there are more sheep in the world then people willing to do things on their own. I am more curious to see how this partnership with Microsoft / Smartlabs will pan out. Its safe to say Microsofts Nokia purchase was a flop and another boat anchor to their bottom line.

The Icon line was dropped to increase profits plain and simple. It was also to reduce dual offerings which competed with the major Insteon line up. Its safe to say it was profit before people, but that is just plain business. With the ever expanding presence of Insteon in retail, on line, and brick & mortar establishments. Smartlabs is still on a good track to make in roads and remain strong & profitable.

I believe what was really telling is in one forum posts a member indicated from an internal staff the amount of Insteon products they move per week, month, year. Its safe to say Insteon provides great profits for Smartlabs / Smarthome. To be fair ( as I have been known to cast the first rock ) Insteon has quite a few devices that are much lower in price then competitive vendors. Another key thing worth affirming is that Insteon bar non has the best looking and feeling devices. Having played with quite a few UPB, Leviton, GE, devices which look like crap and feel even worse. The nod has to go to Insteon for that upscale look and feel. I am not a personal fan of their HUB but who ever is in charge of the Phone App, and the interface for the HUB has some great design flare and taste. Not too sure if this is just a Apple *look & feel* that people copy but I will take that over the interface of the ISY any day. If it wasn't for the fact the UI just works its a simple fact I would have used another UI interface straight away. As the UI is like working on something from the 80's.

As Brian H clearly stated and by the manual these considerations must be taken into account. Failure to plan ahead or even consider this area will result in poor reliability, erratic behaviour, and low customer satisfaction. Given you plan on spending several hundred dollars to enter this arena. Wouldn't you want the best Insteon experience? [emoji55] Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

I have been around since DOS. Used every windows OS that Microsoft has released. But it's safe to say the PC market has been on a steady decline for many years. This has been single handily been caused by the introduction of the mobile tablet. Since the release of the ARM processor and the customs designs from Apple. Every chip maker has either suffered massive sales loss or market share. Whether it be TI, Qualcomm, Intel, etc. The windows OS share has steadily fallen YOY. They still hold a firm grip in enterprise because of their Exchange Server OS along with office suites. Z-Wave: It's safe to say the development of this protocol with UDI is still on going. I am pretty sure in the next year or so this platform will be public ready. In the interim, it's fair to say COM's for the ISY Series Controller need more work and diagnostic, reporting, and device support need more development. I am uncertain why there are so many issues with locks, bad COM's, or the endless healing / routing issues. But it's fair to say there is obviously more than one way to develop a controller for Z-Wave. But would think what ever development kit is offered would indicate the basics that are required for hardware support. I for one will sit this Beta trial out until the road map and diagnostics are more fully developed. Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

Pretty sure comparing Apple to Smartlabs is equivalent to comparing the Earth to the Sun. [emoji4] Apple does not make anything directly. But is involved in many electronic & software spaces. Whether that be phones, tablets, PC's, music, productivity suite software. They are heavily invested into technology companies from solar to A/V. Apple has a ten year plan in almost all things they do and aspire to compete in. Smartlabs does not compete on any level in any space when the two are compared. Keep in mind before the whole Samsung vs Apple came to light. All of their eggs were indeed in one basket. Currently four companies build, manufacture, and design their equipment which prevents one single point of failure or interruption in LOB. I believe it's safe to say another company should have been selected as a reference point. [emoji5]️ [emoji6] NOTE: People like to refer to the Texas plant as making. The Texas plant only assembles items for a finished product such as the newly released Mac Pro. Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

Hello Don, Answers in line . . .

If you're speaking about the software modules then the answers are in line.

Agreed on many points: The key thing with such an idea is that the (future) devices are built and designed to do so. This is something that is designed from the ground up and keeps in mind (long term development goals) to ensure hardware changes do not impact the ability to update firmware. Specifically, Smartlabs as over time replaced and upgraded caps, resistors, power supplies, in many devices. All of which are not related or impacted by firmware upgrades. Obviously, the IC that controls the device must be ready to accept such changes but there aren't very many physical items that would stop a person from flashing the hardware unless it was very old. This is why companies that future proof their designs are able to keep updating their hardware and reduce obsolescence for the masses. I know with some of the gear I own (more than 10 years old) the company planned ahead and still is able to upgrade my systems with a very small firmware upgrade. These are the hall marks of a company planning, thinking, and developing for tomorrow and not just for today. The biggest issue is how does one deploy such a scheme that ensure a successful firmware upgrade and reduces the chance of a bricked situation? Based on my personal experience it would encompass a separate process that puts all other devices asleep. This forces COM's to be focused on one device and all others in a state where they are literally off and can not hinder a firmware load. This is one of the steps my device maker has in place. Next, the most proven and reliable method is a direct tethered approach to transfer the firmware. Again, using induction ports similar to the Apple Thunderport, Magsafe, or worse case scenario Lightning *style* port would allow a clean look and I/O. Since the iteration of Low Power Blue Toot 4.0 this is another method and this negates a physical interface and also ensure close proximity is required to upload the firmware. Given the very cheap IC's for Blue Tooth these days its not something that would increase the cost to a device very much. Even if Smartlabs was to provide these devices as a separate *Premium* offering this would at least test the market for acceptance and reliability in the wild. I agree the faint of heart may not be ready or even willing to go down such a path. But, its safe to say tens of thousands of us fall in a small minority of HA (which continues to grow) each year. Which by default separates us from the *Doers* from the I don't care.

Before you throw any money at this please engage Smarthome about this issue. If the unit is within the 2 year warranty period they will send out a new one to you. I also suspect (good guess) that even if its out of the two year warranty period they will assist you either way. Please give them an opportunity to help you resolve this issue and report the final outcome.

When you select the *Tools* Diagnostics -> PLM Info Status in the Admin Console what does it say the firmware is for the PLM that connects to the ISY. This is the only one that matters at this point in time.

This has been reported as a PLM firmware issue. You can engage Smarthome about obtaining a replacement PLM which has been upgraded to address early cap failure and the *ALL ON* firmware glitch. Please state what the information on the back of the PLM and the firmware from the ISY under the Tools -> Diagnostics -> PLM Info / Status.

I can assure you most of us have gone through the same thing. The fact you stuck it out and reviewed all the steps affirms your willingness to learn and share with others. [emoji4] Now, carry on and enjoy your home even more. Share the information with others so they too can find a solution. [emoji5]️ Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

Given the very small firmware size (maybe less than 500 KB) I don't see this being an issue where this task was completed over power line. Obviously some kind of error correction would need to be in place and a write verify process at the ready. This is done on several of my security devices in my home and at work. So that portion can be done as it is by others. If a physical transfer must be done no need for a USB (ugly) interface. A simple induction port similar to the Apple mag safe could be utilized. 3-8 small little dots at the base under the plate cover is easily hidden.

Oh I know and agree with your view about wanting the consumer to replace / upgrade. All I am saying is the device(s) are absolutely upgrade-able but requires a physical connection to the header. The reality is, making some adjustment in the flash EEPROM and some hardware changes would allow the end user to update and address issues and add features. This whole throw away society is not sustainable in the long run.

In the 30 plus years in the industry its safe to say serial communications isn't going anywhere. Serial communications is still alive, kicking, and huge in the industrial world. I am not sure if that's a good thing but the reality is that serial communications has always been the defacto method. There are more and more Ethernet based devices for sure and that is a welcomed sight to see. At this point even before people get into talking about Smartlabs offering Ethernet. Lets focus on building upon their strengths and resolving their weaknesses in areas like communication, feature parity, and making the blasted device field up-gradable! It's only 2014, and 2015 is fast approaching and they won't incorporate a user method to update firmware?? WTF??

Didn't know Google was getting into the smart watch arena. But, hey more the merrier I say because it will drive down the cost and make similar technology common place. Whether it succeeds is up to their executing and delivery and mass adoption of the people. The echo video was pretty gay but the information was provided. I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out and what API interface will be made available to the masses in the HA realm.

Having more choices is great but lets see how long this product lasts. I say this because no matter how big you're such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, they all had epic fails and abandoned products mid stream. I am going to sit and wait and see how this plays out.

I believe once the International PLM is released you will see a huge adoption rate and increased satisfaction from new and existing customers who can use the ISY Series Controller. This is a huge clinch pin for all parties involved. The reality is a International PLM should have been on the drawing board and put into motion when the International market was considered for future penetration. Once sales start to move and UDI begins to grow beyond their small group I truly believe more outstanding products will be available from them. What really needs to happen is a new ISY Series controller that supports all the current protocols and platforms: X10, Insteon, Zigbee (ALL), Z-Wave, UPB.

I tend to agree to a certain extent. But, the reality is the vendor (Smartlabs) fails to provide the same support for devices they have created in their hardware / software. The question people have to ask then is: How can the actual maker of a device not support all known devices in their realm of control and manufacturer? To that end this impacts the overall customer experience which affects future sales, never mind lost sales. This is about the core competencies of a company and its offerings. If you can't even support what you make how can you expect customers to have belief in the product?? I am hoping Smartlabs in 2015 moves forward with more focus, and commitment in the above and taking the time to communicate their goals.

If you haven't rebooted the ISY after doing all of this give it a try. I would however unplug the PLM wait 15 seconds. Unplug the ISY, plug the PLM back in. Then apply power to the ISY and perform the linking process again and report back. Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

Is there going to be another word / phrase included with the AWAY? [emoji52] Encrypted By: Phoenix Security Solutions

Before you go the route of the *custom* keys I would humbly suggest you look at the prefab one's. The 25 / 50 kit has some of the most common keys people will use or want. If there are actual custom things you wish then by all means go ahead. Just that the 25 / 50 key set offers lots of values and this is what covers about 50% of my home because it just works. Anything that could not be done was obviously covered with custom keys for that professional look and ease of use.

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BASICS: You will require either a 6 / 8 button kit. This requires a new frame to convert from one to another. You can indicate any phrase so long as it meets the character length listed by Smarthome. Only use upper case letters as lower case will be hard to see and looks terrible. The custom etched letters are a different color then the OEM letters. Custom lettering is a off gray where as the OEM lettering is green. This is hard to see as a causal user but a home owner will notice but that goes away in a few weeks. Each key (chicklet) is separate and can be replaced individually. If you're crafty you can modify a (configured) 8 button KPL to use four large or a combination of small keys in a KPL. Stu has a great picture of him doing this in his environment.