Teken

I use a hybrid method which is extremely quick, easy, and secure that is using Wago lever nuts.

I think that's really great news for those using Sonos speakers but have to wonder if they still intend to develop their own voice system? It seems they have changed directions and went the easy route instead. This in a round about way also reduces the need for creating network resources in the ISY Series Controller unless they wish the Insteon hardware to invoke the very same. Good news all the way around though . . .

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Locally you will be fine but the electrician will be freaking out wondering why other parts of the home are turning on-off. This assumes he knows nothing about Insteon HA. [emoji847][emoji4] ========================= The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.

LOL . . . [emoji4] Getting to 300 plus variables and programs didn't take very long with energy monitoring / management. Coupled with temperature & humidity tracking requires lots of vars to know what is happening so the controller can actively keep the home properly regulated and maintain energy targets. [emoji4][emoji847] ========================= The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.

Typically a ASV is installed before the water meter. This is done in a red neck way to monitor water flow. While others install it after the meter either do to need, code, or other. The overall intent of the ASV is to interrupt the water supply to reduce water damage / waste. If you have a specific use case it really comes down to personal need(s). [emoji4] ========================= The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.

That would assume you are talking about the main water line entering the home vs other? Can you provide more insight about your question posed here?

The choice between the two really comes down to personal choice and use case. I can offer you some personal experience and thought on the matter regarding the topic at hand. Generally speaking installing a inline unit requires more costs, planning and code compliance. A clamp on version is cheaper over all because there is no plumbing costs but you still need to follow any local codes and laws that apply to your location. When choosing a inline install you always need to ensure the system has the following in place and also follow applicable laws. INLINE INSTALL: - Device must be installed after (down stream) of the main water line if a fire sprinkler system is in place. - A plumbing bypass should be installed in case the unit fails which allows you to service the unit. - A drain port should be used to allow purging the line when in service / inspection. - Inline solves the issue where a person has a dial closure. CLAMP ON: - You must ensure and validate the handle can be open-closed. - Some units do not have enough torque to open-close the handle. - Some installations have PEX, Copper, Other: Too much torque or rusty handle could snap off or breach a pipe. - No plumber required and if all of the above is OK this is a easy DIY install. Regardless of all the above many if not all of the systems on the market do not offer critical insight about the true state of the ball valve. Meaning just because you sent a open-close signal it doesn't mean it happen. Some units are also just timed and don't have a *Home* position to again validate if the ball valve is fully open vs closed. Cycle life is also important to note here and some indicate XXX cycles vs others say XXXXX cycles. If you intend to link this to a security alarm system which upon arming will open-close the main water line. You will need to ensure your math is correct and will cover you for the intended use case and duration. As noted if you exceeded the cycle life and it fails for a inline unit you have some labor time ahead of you unless you're the plumber which would than negate that costs. Keeping in mind if you didn't install a bypass you just made the family hate you even more while you putz around with your new / old toy. Regardless of what many people have told you do not ever consider using *Shark Bite* fittings at the main service entrance. Failure to follow this common sense rule will result in the flooding you wanted to avoid in the first place. Of course if you needed to obtain a permit the inspector would not even allow it! Other things to keep in mind is ensuring the device is properly serviced by a UPS / surge SPD system. It doesn't matter what the maker claims about *millions of cycle life* that has nothing to do with electronics in the hardware. Unlike many other industries it always seems random companies don't follow best practices that other industries do. So, please keep that portion top of mind . . . Lastly, I touched upon checking the clamp on (handle) to ensure it was in good working order and the torque threshold was acceptable to the hardware in place. Assuming you don't have any other method to link directly to the motorized valve system its best practice to cycle the handle once a month to ensure smooth movement along with detecting a potential fault. EDIT: I forgot to mention some of the hardware on the market have a manual bypass incase of a a motor fault. You should really try them out to see if it will meet your needs. As some of the super tiny manual valves require endless turns and you just don't know if its open. Because all it does is spin the ball valve from open to close in a complete circle. Many have some kind of cheap aszz bubble line dial to indicate full open vs closed. Again the cheap one's are rarely if ever aligned to the zero mark indicating a open position. You won't know this until its in your hands and when you manually turn it and look straight down the valve body to see if the ball valve is open, partially, closed, or half open. Which leads me to the last portion tolerances . . . You will quickly find out that many of the units on the market after so many XXX cycles if you were to inspect the open-closed state of the valve will tend to drift. Meaning say after 6500 cycles it doesn't close the valve all the way and its always leaking. Versus the other way you believe its open but its partially closed and now you have nappy hair because there is no pressure while taking a shower. Lastly, if your home is not properly strapped through out the building get ready for some serious pipe banging!

If this is important to you - may I humbly suggest you lend your voice under the *Feature Request* forum. This feature has been requested for years and perhaps 5.XX may finally offer it. Ideally there should be multi login capability but having the ability to assign user rights & privileges is paramount. I envision the following in no specific order: Read Only: Can only view specific tabs the admin assigns. User: They can activate all Insteon devices but has no write privileges admin assigns. Admin: Full user rights to perform all actions in the console. Some have suggested a *Super Admin / Backup Admin* account for fail over in case of lock out etc. Regardless of the multi login and user rights I would like to see a separate log tracking access, logout, and areas of read / write. Any write changes need to be appended to a locked file which is password protected.

NTP: When the ISY Series Controller sends you the email for what ever time you have defined. It will indicate the system time along with the email time stamp. If there was a time drift at all or the NTP sync did not complete the email will show the variance in time. Mine is set to email me at 12:00 AM CST the worst drift I have seen is one second and that is easily explained by the fact I have 25 plus programs running at that time completing calculations and emailing the same to me for daily review. Time Check: The subject simply states: *ISY Time Check / Test* The body of the message is: ${sys.date}/${sys.time24} Uptime Counter: The subject states: WARNING: ISY Uptime Counter Reset The body of the message is: This message is being generated because the ISY has been rebooted. The following is the uptime hours the ISY has been operating since ${sys.time} reboot: ${var.1.330} Hours. Please let me know if you require more insight or feedback . . .

This program checks to ensure the ISY Series Controllers clock is still accurate and NTP was successful. Time Check - [iD 02A0][Parent 012A] If Time is 12:00:00AM Then Send Notification to 'GMX' content 'ISY - Clock Check' Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') ============================================================ ============================================================ Create one *Integer* variable and copy this program. This program will tell you how long (up time) the ISY Series Controller has been running for. Upon reboot the ISY Series Controller will send you the total hours the device has been running for. You will of course need to create a custom email so you can see the value(s). Much credit for this outstanding program goes to my partner in crime the all mighty Xathros. ISY Uptime - [iD 0265][Parent 012A][Run At Startup] If - No Conditions - (To add one, press 'Schedule' or 'Condition') Then Send Notification to 'GMX' content 'ISY - Uptime Counter' Wait 1 minute $i.ISY_Uptime_Counter = 0 $i.ISY_Uptime_Counter Init To 0 Run Program 'ISY Uptime' (Else Path) Else Wait 1 hour $i.ISY_Uptime_Counter += 1 $i.ISY_Uptime_Counter Init To $i.ISY_Uptime_Counter Run Program 'ISY Uptime' (Else Path) This program will track the ISY Series Controllers operating uptime.It will increment every hour the controller is running. A e-mail will be sent upon the ISY being rebooted. This program is set to run at start up and this is how it knows the controller has been rebooted. The (init) value is set to (0) zero so it knows the system has been rebooted.

Quickly reviewed the link and based on the technical outlay - Just wow! Not sure why this open source irrigation system isn't more well known? Thanks for sharing . . .

I don't have one of these units but the few members that do have really liked them. One of the forum members has been an active developer for the ISY Series Controller. With his little add on it will make the Rain Machine extremely powerful: http://forum.universal-devices.com/forum/110-rainmachine/

Hello Bert, Below is my interpretation of the following features as the developer notes have once again been pulled from the Insteon website?!? Smart Hops: Newer devices which support Smart Hops (Dual Outlet / On-Off Plugin Relay) will dynamically reduce the amount of hops if the transmission warrants or increase it based on the 3 hop limit. Send Cleanup Message: If this feature is enabled it will send the group message clean up dynamically. Blink on Error: If the end device does not Ack after the 3 hops the sending device will blinks its LED red indicating a communication issue. If the end device receives and operates as expected the sending devices LED will blink green. RF / Power Line: Each feature can be enabled - disabled which essentially could mimic RF only devices like Z-Wave / ZigBee. The ability to disable the RF was primary driven by consumers who either don't want RF or wish to reduce the amount of RF pollution in their homes. Having the ability to turn off power line helps in those fringe cases where line noise can't be filtered out. So using the RF portion only could ideally solve those comm issues. Please let me know if there is anything else I can offer insight to.

It should be noted the August company released a WiFi bridge a few months after the lock set. This essentially allows a person to control the lock world wide. Lastly, assuming the API is open and has the parameters to use the ISY Network Module features this may be an option for integration of the two. You will need to do some research or engage the vendor about those specifics though. EDIT: Forgot to include the link to the WiFi bridge product: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/august-connect-ac-r1-adapter-for-august-smart-lock-white/4640209.p?id=bb4640209&skuId=4640209

Another thing to keep in mind is given the emergence and development of smart door bells. Please consider having CAT5e / CAT6 cable run with the standard door bell wire. Doing so will allow POE for any smart hardware coming down the pipe. ========================= The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.

If you're looking for a Type 3 point of use SPD (Surge Protection Device) these two products have been field proven and do not take up additional space as its an outlet. The Leviton SPD outlet comes in various flavors and depends upon your use case and to some extent finances. They come in various colors to match your decore and can be had in residential, commercial, and hospital grade. I personally use both commercial and hospital grade versions and some have isolated grounding systems. I also prefer to use the ones with an internal siren as it allows me to know if and when the device has been damaged and tripped. http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ProductDetail.jsp?partnumber=8280-IGW&section=39994&minisite=10251 The next one is the Panamax MIW Surge 1G - This Type 3 SPD outlet incorporates a state of the art proprietary *Protect / Disconnect* electronics with in its housing. Meaning should the voltage exceed a defined threshold instead of failing open as many other products do via MOV's. This product will disconnect the power line from the outlet and thus can be used over and over again with out sacrificing itself to protect the end components. http://www.panamax.com/Products/In-Wall/MIW-SURGE-1G.php The next one is the Tripp-Lite ISOBlok which is plugin outlet enclosed in a metal frame. I have many of these devices inserted into custom box's which are wired directly to the end devices. This allowed me to protect uncommon devices like the furnace, central exhaust, light fixtures, and any other electronics I deemed important. https://www.tripplite.com/isobar-2-outlet-surge-protector-direct-plug-in-1410-joules-3-diagnostic-leds-4-in-height~ISOBLOK20/ The last one is the Cooper branded Type 3 SPD which offers a unique replaceable modules. Should the outlet ever fail due to a high voltage condition the surge component module can be replaced. It should be noted regardless of the SPD's in place proper grounding of the homes electrical system is paramount. Ideally the homes grounding system should indicate a resistance of below 25 ohms. This (25 ohm) value is directly impacted by the type of soil conditions, depth of ground bar penetration, and the area coverage it uses for a ground plane. Other things to note is none of the above SPD's in my testing and long term use have impacted the Insteon power line signal with one caveat. Do not string more than one of the SPD's outlets in a branch circuit unless its at the end of the line. As the filters with in the units will add up enough to absorb the power line signal. You don't have to ask how I know this . . . Lastly, regardless of the *Standard* SPD in use it will not protect the home or attached devices against one of the most common electrical faults seen in a home. Which is a electrical sag / lull which many people call a brown out condition. A low voltage condition will *A typically* cause unregulated devices to draw more current when line voltage drops. This increase in current / amps will quickly melt and blow out electronic components. The only protection against a voltage sag / lull is to employ UPS systems which are so rated to kick in and cover for those conditions.

I would definitely engage the builder to find out the specific model being considered and do some research on the unit. You don't want to find out a dual stage furnace can't operate correctly with a 3rd party TSTAT if you decide to bring your own. I believe Scott can offer some insight about his experience with the Honeywell and how its tied to his furnace. Some of the proprietary use a data link which must be connected for the entire furnace to operate correctly. Whereas others simply rely on the data cable for extra diagnostics and not basic operations of the HVAC system. You don't want to find out later on you can't use your NEST, Venstar, EcoBee, Honeywell, etc

So true and I apologize but his screen name wasn't very common . . .

Yup, doing the super structure and infrastructure like water, gas, electrical that is sized properly just makes sense and doesn't add much when you compare it to doing it later. Which is often times next to impossible or cost a arm and a leg . . . One of the most important things you can ever do or ensure is that the HVAC system is calculated properly in terms of pipe diameter, run length, and how many turns are in the system. At this juncture most if not all good HVAC installers should be sealing all pipes and returns with aluminum tape or applied mastic glue. This ensures every CFM is being sucked and blown in the home and reduces the need for zoned systems. Many if not all areas already insist upon 92 and above efficient furnaces so consider spending the money on 92 plus. Oh, and don't get locked into a proprietary HVAC system which requires their TSTAT!

Agreed, depending upon the builder if they are *Track Builders* anything outside of fixtures and outlets some of this may be hard to ask for. But asking is free and some items like conduit is just nothing but plastic pipe of various diameter installed in central to specific locations in the home. A hurricane garage door can always be done later but if you can't just ensure its the highest R rate door. Things like insulation are just easy to do and don't normally get turned down even the roofing elements I suggested. The items which will get flagged is ICF for the foundation if they don't have any experience in doing so. But I am hard pressed to think of anyone in the industry that doesn't know or have experience in doing so. The MS Delta Wrap is industry standard for most and like the exterior wall which many cheap builders use tar paper for the air barrier. Please insist upon them installing Tyvek building wrap or similar . . . Again, this material costs only a little more but the performance and value it offers long term can not be understated. Essentially this is a rain coat for the home which allows moisture to leave but will not allow water penetration. This allows the home to breath and vent naturally over the course of its lifetime regardless of what outer shell you apply over it. Mechanicals like what type of hot water heater really comes down to the consumer paying up front. There isn't a plumber that doesn't know how to install any of the suggested items. It really comes down to either roughing in the infrastructure for later use or at least select the best balance of the three that fits your costs and needs. Like my partner in crime he had the foresight to have the plumber install the largest diameter gas feed to the home. Just doing this at the beginning allowed things like a generator, IHW to needs to have the proper gas diameter supply so things just to keep in mind. Which also translates to the homes service panel if the house is already huge its not an issue. If its a modest sized home under 1500 square feet regardless ensure a 200 amp service panel is present. This ensures almost any renovation and electrical appliance can be added with out issues down the road.

LMAO, OK your killing me . . . I shall endeavor to leave this fine thread . . .

No, your right and I personally apologize to anyone I may have offended with my choice words. It should be noted I don't use the word *Stupid / Imbecile* lightly when I reply. Both of these words have true meaning to me because I have been around thousands of people who absolutely meet, resemble, and act out these phrases. Stupid Defined: Lacking intelligence or common sense . . . I will add that this specific word / phrase embodies what frustrates me more than anything these days. Because often than not its not that people are ignorant or don't have enough knowledge. Its the very fact they ignore all the facts and technical data that support a position that doing anything else is simply going out of their way to be stupid. Many people can be forgiven when they don't know something that is most aptly phrases as being ignorant. But when you know better and have the capacity to learn, and know better and choose to ignore all logic and the rare element of *Common Sense* this again places the phrase / label of *Stupid* on said person(s). Some would say this is a personal choice, sure . . . But when history has proven said choice(s) are detrimental and harmful this again indicates a lack of understanding and common sense in all aspects. Some would say its indifference or my inability to accept that others will choose other avenues. Sure, but that is only because I see the train wreck coming and want others to be safe and enjoy life as long as possible.

LOL, I quoted you and you didn't even thank me!

Not a problem keeping in mind considering this is a obvious long term investment the little extra you pay out now will soon be forgotten in a year. It should also be noted most city / towns have NEC / CEC electrical codes which already mandate how many outlets per foot in a living space must be present. In some areas all you're going to do is add an extra outlet but this will be a dedicated one for what ever you wish like office, movie theater, AV system, network infrastructure. In most parts of North America its not very common to install 12-2 / 12-4 Romex for all outlets. But doing so ensures you always have enough ampacity to plug in and use what ever you like. Even if you can't do the entire home with 12-2 / 12-4 wiring select key areas which make sense to you. The next replies aren't at all related to Home Automation but are important to me and hope some of this helps you enjoy your beautiful home for a very long time because it offers a lifetime of protection and energy efficiency which reduces long term costs. Roof: Consider having the builder install a three layer system which is ice shield, membrane, and metal shingles. All three will ensure a lifetime of protection for the home and it will never blow away if installed properly. Attic: It really doesn't matter where you live but ensure the company installs a minimum of R-60 and above in the attic space. Again if you can choose select Roxul if not have them blow in cellulose insulation as it reduces heat soaking and conductance when compared to fiber glass. Foundation: If finances can allow consider using ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) as this ensures both sides of the foundation is insulated which again reduces energy costs and the home will always be warmer / cooler all year round with out added expense. Please also consider asking the builder to install MS Delta Wrap membrane around the foundation wall. This is essentially a rain coat which is applied after the tar coating to ensure water penetration can never happen even if the foundation wall cracks. Weeping Tile: Almost every home built today uses a perimeter weeping tile system. Many of the installers simply place the plastic pipe around the foundation and apply clean 3/4 crushed rock. Please have them install a weeping tile *Sock* this is basically a white fabrique that covers the plastic pipe which acts like a screen to ensure mud and debris doesn't clog up the weeping tile system. Drywall: Many places in North America already have codes which mandate the garage have a fire break using X-rated drywall. This drywall is specially formulated to reduce the spread of fire but consider having the builder install it in key areas of the home. I did this to my entire home to ensure a measure of safety and give my family extra time should there ever be a fire condition. In some area 5/8" was used but many areas also had double and triple layers to allow the longest burn time. Garage: If the garage is attached to the home please consider buying the highest R value garage door you can. This single door is the largest door in the home and this space contributes one of the highest points of heat soaking and conductance into the building. Also if budget allows please consider having them install a *Hurricane* rated door even if you don't live in such an area. The reason for doing so is from a security stand point they are 10 - 20 times stronger and offer huge force protection than standard doors. Of course please insulate this space also as it will ensure the home is balanced at all times. - Hot Water Tank: Assuming you live in an area where NG is available vs using a electric HWT. Please either consider installing a solar heated HWT, or NG HWT. The costs are easily seen over the long term and if budget allows its probably better to install a instant hot water heater instead but ensure you have the the unit calculated for the loads being seen. The outlay is large initially for all of the above but the long term savings will be seen the very first day and will be for a long time.