lilyoyo1

We rarely use voice control. That's one thing mine hates. Everytime we do use it, I make notes and look for ways to automate what happened. I'm trying to make my house responsive vs reactive

Mine felt the same way until she first experienced it. Now she hates staying anywhere because of how things are at home

It's not. It could be added by simply telling Google I'm home and then running the corresponding programs. Instead of Google routines, I use isy programs. It accomplishes the same things. Just more efficiently. Motion sensors can work. The downside is that they don't know who entered. By using your lock vs sensors as a trigger, your setup becomes personalised which is more automated than having to tell the system you're home

All that depends on what you're trying to accomplish. In all rooms outside of the theater, I use Harmony so it's that node server. I have Sonos ones in all the rooms as well so the Sonos nodeserver is in play as well. With you using Chromecast you would just use your same setup as now with av remote. My setup starts at my locks. Since we have separate codes, mine does what I want and my wife's does what she wants with hers depending on situation If you let me know what you want to do, I can give you better information to make it happen

Why not have the isy do that itself? Using Ifttt would make it even slower than it is now. You can use Nodeservers (requires 5.0 newest firmware) and isy programs. Currently, when I come home (assuming house is empty), the lights that I want will turn on as well as the tv. Depending on time, if it's late, the bedroom TV will turn on instead of the family room TV. The path to the bedroom will light up so I'm not walking in the dark and turn itself off. Had I wanted to, this could've easily been music instead of TV's

What's wrong with black? ?

If you're using the nodeserver then you would use the WiFi version. If using zwave then you wouldn't need the nodeserver. Zwave distance varies. My general rule is a repeater every 30 feet open air. 10 feet for every wall between it and the isy. I generally will use at least one repeater that supports beaming rather than the isy directly talking to a device.

If you want to use each button as a toggle, I would use variables to track what was done and turn things on/off that way. With that said, as long as it works then you're good.

That's simply over kill especially if one has a large network. The hour it takes to fix problem programs (for most people) is waaay less than the time it would take to rebuild a whole system

I'm referring to your test device as well. The reason I stated what I said is that you were testing in a location that is different than your original lock. If you did not do a network heal with the lock in that location, the ISY may have trouble talking to it. Also, If your repeaters in that particular area does not support beaming you would encounter problems as well. The reason I bring these things up is that you earlier stated that you would move the lock closer to the ISY and then do your heal which is incorrect. Since your devices are over 7 years old, there is a good chance that the repeaters in that particular area may not be capable of beaming as many early generation zwave devices did not have that.

Most likely both are trying to send and receive messages from linked devices causing a collision somewhere so a responders message isn't getting back to them

Having repeaters is good. Having the right type is Paramount. Your repeaters must be capable of beaming. If they aren't then that can change things

Putting it near the isy and healing your network is the wrong move. It needs to be located at it's final location so that the path of set properly. If it's by the isy when you heal then move it, the isy will assume it's nearby and try to talk to it.

Is it in the same location as your other lock? Different locations may yield different results due to your zwave network. Also, make sure you aren't locking/unlocking too quickly as this can affect results as well

To me, global cache is best if you want completely local without having to worry about someone deciding to push an update that breaks something or bricks your device. Because Harmony is designed to be a full service remote, it has multiple uses besides controlling ir stuff. For example, I have a couple of hubs that I use with my Sonos (his & hers if you will). While I use@simplextechvery fine Sonos nodeserver for individual players, I use the Harmony for my groups (was up and running before his nodeserver). Because we only use Harmony remotes in all bedrooms, the status of stuff generally stays in sync (rarely an issue). This helps with the biased lights behind the TV's as well as all off, good night, and other scenes.

Earlier I had told him he's better off separating the alarm from the other programs to have more control over the system. This was based off that advice

Even if it's already disarmed, another disarm command won't hurt anything so the status is irrelevant. You could use variables to check the status of the lights that turn on when someone walks in. If they are off, then they would turn on.

I would seperate the alarm from the program. The fact that it's always armed means you'll always disarm if you punch in your code. However, since light control/thermostat, is not always applicable, they should be it's own separate program.

What technology are you currently using? Insteon or zwave

I get what you are saying but as someone who also does this for a living I get to see what all can and does go wrong. The fact that you have another post on here in regards to problems with the heartbeat should cause you to pause and ask yourself if this is a system that you really want to trust watching over your home? I wish life was such that we would not need security systems but alas its not. While i do not do security as a stand alone option, I get at least 1 call a week from someone needing/wanting a real alarm system after the fact. At this point those calls sound like a broken record as they say exactly what you say and then their system failed when they needed it most. Having insurance is great. It will help put things back together. However the feeling of being violated that you or your wife (especially her) will have cannot be so easily fixed.There are nationwide monitoring services for as low as 10 dollars a month such as alarm relay. Its your life and livelihood not mine. Its not my place how to tell you to run your home. I like to warn people about certain things due to the experiences that i've had so that they can make a truly make an informed decision. I wish you all the best with your project.

Anything can be used for security. Chimes on doors and that would constitute security in some peoples mind. No one is saying build a panic room etc. The main thing is if you harp on your family's safety then use the best tools available for the job that you can afford. Depending on system and plan, monitoring can potentially be had for 10 bucks a month The investment in my ELK system gives me a peace of mind because I know and trust that it works. The one time I accidentally set off my alarm, the phone was ringing before I even got to the panel 10 feet away to shut it off. Sure, I got alerts and all of that, butwhat if I had been out somewhere and not realized my phone went off? Or I call my neighbor to check things out but they are on the other side of the city and the backup neighbor is line at publix? What would I have done? Whether someone was home or not, the responsiveness cannot be duplicated. Even then, I still have my Akita (he's trained and still continues with training) they will have to deal with. In the end, it doesnt matter. Everyone has to ask themselves what their lives and their family's lives is worth to them. While I know nothing is full proof, what I spent is irrelevant when it comes to keeping my family safe. If insteon is the value you place on them then insteon is worth it.

The false signalling is exactly why it shouldnt be used in place of an alarm system. Besides the other issues that can arise, if you cant trust your alerts then what good are they? Those same false alarms can set off the actual "alarm" which can cause someone to turn them off which once again renders it worthless

It's always been a paid service so if you had it then you paid for it at some point. As pointed out, it can be done without the portal. You'll just have to do the work yourself in regards to getting it up and running. I believe the hue emulator nodeserver would allow you to use Alexa without the portal. For that, you'd need 5.0 firmware branch, a RPI ( or polisy), and network module

You say you are trying to find the right tools but a true alarm system (even those cheap ones) is the right tool

Actually Teken isn't being abusive. He's just passionate about what he knows and is trying to keep someone from putting themselves and family in danger sure to a false sense of security