madcodger

A BIG AMEN to this idea! There is much that can be done now via nodeservers on either a Polisy device or a RPi running polyglot. The big problem is in accessing and making use of the information produced by those nodeservers, and in accessing the ISY itself using modern, mobile devices (e.g., a smartphone).

Just jumping in to say THANK YOU to @markv58 for creating Virtual, a nodeserver that addresses a long-standing need. As it turns out, I'm neck deep in a few work and home items this week that require my attention. But I can hardly wait to try this out... Very excited. Thanks to those who are already diving in and giving Mark feedback, as well.

UDI has traditionally eschewed subscription models, or kept those costs extremely low (e.g., the portal). Personally, I would gladly pay a reasonable annual subscription fee if, in return, I had better meaningfully better ability to access my ISY from my iPhone, including use of devices created by nodeservers. What's reasonable? Tough question. $49-99 comes to mind, but that's just a random anchoring point likely influenced by other subscriptions I have,.I should note that I do not generally see the value of crowdfunding for businesses, but it's an idea I can't throw away, either. Personally, my reluctance would be the likely lack of a deadline for output. Anyway, UDI can do what it wants, and I wish them well. They make a very reliable device, so I continue to use and recommend it. The effects of user interface and its importance to the market will have whatever effect they have, in terms of their business. It's a modest annoyance to me, but it's not my business to worry about.

Hi. This is not another rant about user interface. I just have a problem that generates a question... Has anyone figured out a reasonable way to view devices created by a nodeserver, from a mobile device (e.g., via a browser, or via Mobilinc or Agave)? I just installed the Envisalink nodeserver and it works like a charm in terms of showing my DSC alarm zones in the admin console (Thanks, @Goose66!). I previously installed Bob's excellent Polyglot Weather nodeserver (Thanks, @bpwwer!) and it's great for accessing my Davis weatherstation. I can use devices created by these nodeservers as automation triggers, of course, but I often want to simply VIEW these devices quickly and easily via my mobile, particularly when traveling. Mobilinc (I'm using using Orchestrated) does not handle these nodeserver-created devices well, in my opinion, and I don't think Agave does either, although my trial is now long-expired. So, has anyone come up with a decent way to just view these nodeserver-created devices from a mobile device? This is one of those situations where having the ability to create and use virtual devices would be great, but we can't do that, either. Any ideas?

Or, we could see a modern, mobile-friendly, secure approach that allowed one to use this ultra-reliable automation device with the tools we have all (well, most of the developed world) come to rely on. Tools like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Windows 10, Mac OSX. As the ISY transitions to using polyglot/Polisy for essentially all new functionality, not having an easy, reliable way to see and access the devices created by nodeservers without launching the admin console severely limits the utility of the device, in my opinion. It's UDI's prerogative to do this, of course, but it creates an issue for at least some (I would argue many) users. I just installed a new nodeserver last night that allows me to see and utilize the zones of my alarm panel, but I can do so easily only through the admin console. Sigh... UDI has never placed much emphasis on user experience or the user interface. They have argued that this is because they need to devote limited resources to other areas. Fair enough, and again, their right to do so. But like most things, that has a price. I have argued that UDI pays it in terms of new business and market share in the home and light commercial automation market As users, we pay it in terms of ease of use and functionality.

Best summary of the things people should do but often forget I've read in quite some time. These inquiries on forum boards often result in a lot of statements of the obvious and people spouting their views on their favorite tech. This post was more insightful, and I hope the OP pays attention to it.

Not wanting to either be or risk becoming the person @TrojanHorse described (maybe I am, for all I know), I think the easiest path is to just not speak up, even when you have what you believe is a helpful suggestion. I don't think that's ultimately best for UDI (a company I think many of us do care about and want to see succeed) but at some point, it's just not worth it, to get pulled into this type of discussion. So, the number of contributors just dwindles and dwindles. That doesn't seem good for UDI, but it seems to me that's what is happening. Not wanting to contribute to ill will here, I'm happy to just stand down. Best of luck to all. PM me if I can ever be of service. Personally, I'll lurk more, contribute less. Be well...

So let me get this straight... You received an email that was ALLEGEDLY from UDI, and you clicked that link. Is that correct? If so, you would have failed a fairly basic test of online security practices in many companies. I know you are a VERY smart guy, so if you can be convinced to do that, it might explain why this is something we train hard to prevent our employees from doing (and those in our household). It's one of the most surefire ways cyber criminals trick very smart people into letting them into their system. No one should EVER use a link emailed to them unless they JUST requested that link (e.g., a password reset). In your case, it was obviously legitimate. Fantastic! But the fact that this is the only easy way to renew a portal license speaks volumes. UDI could fix it with some very simple changes to the portal account page, and by also making it easier for new users to sign up for a portal account, as I recall. Here's to hoping they do that. They're great people with a super-reliable product. But they need to improve this particular thing, which is all I was trying to say, earlier. Now, flame away, folks. Everybody needs a hobby...

No, I cannot. I don't currently HAVE a problem paying for it, because I spent the time to figure it out a few months back. What I'm trying to say is that when one must do that, it's not easy to do. Others have noted the same. Here are some suggestions, since some of the forum members noting a need for additional specificity in suggestions don't seem to be able to follow things without a schematic, so here goes: On the "My Account" page, how about showing the date when a person's subscription expires? I just checked my account page, and that information doesn't appear there. On the same page, how about a simple button that says, "Renew your ISY Portal Account", and then a link to entering the payment info, right there? I find it fascinating that such otherwise bright people on the forum can't figure out that what I had posted earlier would have been sufficient for almost any company to take five minutes and say, "Hey, we probably COULD make it easier for people to give us their money." But it's probably a lot easier to just call the person a complainer, and go back to your screen. Anyway, I hope those suggestions help. I'll try not to make the mistake of suggesting something I thought would be helpful to UDI, again. And I will certainly not make the mistake of doing so on the forum.

You know what, @lilyoyo1? I don't have any more suggestions. None. And I'm not going to spend my time dissecting the site/portal. Some people have noted a problem, and it's far from the only time that has occurred. If a person doesn't act on the email reminder and just goes to the site/portal (which people sometimes do, oddly enough, when they have a strict policy of never clicking on an emailed link as part of good online security practices), I think it's hard to figure out where to give UDI your money. Others (maybe those who don't spend most of their obviously ample free time on this forum) seem to think the same. I recently sold a house to a smart, successful person and left my ISY there for him. When it came for him to create his own portal subscription and pay UDI, he found it hard to figure out how to do so. I found it hard to figure out as I tried to help him, even though I had done it in the past. Over the years, I think others have reported the same. Most suppliers want it to be easy for a customer to give them money. But if no one cares, I sure don't, either. I'll take an extra 10 minutes to figure it out every two years or so, and move on. I'm sure UDI will benefit tremendously from your obviously robust marketing experience, so I'll just step away. All I care about at this point is that they are around to support the products I own. Anything more is not my responsibility.

That's not really the issue, @Michel Kohanim. The original post was that even though the OP knew it was time to renew, your website / the portal don't make it obvious or easy to do that. I've noticed it, the OP noticed it, and others have, as well. It's easy/obvious for you folks because you built it. But coming in "cold", it's just not. It's hard to find/navigate WHERE/HOW to pay you folks.

Here's an example... I use only z-wave at one of our properties that has two buildings. I can't cover both buildings with just one ISY (and goodness knows I tried, even with repeaters, etc.). So, I have two ISYs at that one property (and it works great). Also, I have another property 500 miles away that has a different automation system at present, but I'll be putting an ISY there later year. So, that'll make three. If I add other properties with automation, I'll add more ISYs. So, those are a couple of "why" examples.

Hmmm... I wonder if that's our issue...? I have two access points on our property, each on a separate, non-overlapping wifi channel from the other. It works well, but sometimes a device will see the weaker AP and lock onto it. I'm getting ready to change the antennas a bit for an unrelated reason, but will be interesting to see if that helps (or hurts). Thanks for the idea.

@Michel Kohanim With respect, I also echo that this is very difficult to find / use / pay. Same situation for people just signing up... It's obvious to you folks, I'm sure, because you use your own site/tools so frequently. But if you're not in there "all the time", it's not very easy to navigate. Just sayin', as I think it might be helpful in terms of marketing your services and selling more. Thank You.

We've noticed a definite degradation in services/usability in our Alexa devices for the past many (8 or more?) weeks. We ask it so ething typical "Alexa, what's the weather forecast?", and it just doesn't seem to understand. Same people/location/placement/everything - just a less-"alert" Alexa. No need to offer solutions. No one here is going to "fix" it. Just another observation re: Alexa.

Here's one user's input/experience... We purchased an additional property with two existing buildings (remote vacation house and large garage with apartment) last year, which led me to explore my automation choices again. After experimentation with several controllers, I stayed with the ISY simply because of its reliability. Other controllers (Homeseer and SmartThings) failed/went down temporarily/rebooted/lost device connections often enough to make them unreliable and/or annoying, while the ISY has served me well across three properties now. I left it in each home we sold, and the owners have seemed happy with it, learning the tech enough to use it reasonably well. The user interface options aren't great (I have long complained about that) but it can't be beat for reliability, based on my experience. In my case, I decided to abandon Insteon (used in previous two homes) and go with z-wave simply to get access to a variety of hardware manufacturers. I grew very tired of Smarthome being my only option, and had replaced enough icon switches over the years with the more expensive "regular" Insteon devices to have a bad taste in my mouth for Smarthome. My PLM lasted for years but died right after we sold the last house. I'm not thrilled with it being the Achilles heel of a system, which it is. And, I didn't like the idea of having all my switches tied to just one option, in the event they had future troubles, were sold, etc. Z-wave has been reliable with the use of two ISYs (one for each building) and two Aeotec repeaters in each building. I don't find the "repeating" capability of z-wave devices to be what it's alleged to be, but the dedicated repeaters have given me very close to 100% reliability of signal. I can't remember the last time a transmission was missed. You could also look at Crestron or Control4 or similar, but that seems to tie you into a much greater expense, proprietary equipment, the need for dealers, etc. I decided to avoid that in my case. I should also add that if you want to connect your automation to your security system, I could not have been less impressed with Elk in its current form/ownership, and that's after being a diehard Elk fan for almost two decades. After trying for months to work with them, I personally found their dealer network to be very weak in many parts of the country, yet their willingness to support the DIY community is a shadow of its former self compared to years past. I'm paying a local installer to rip out a Napco system and install a DSC system that can integrate with ISY via a third-party device and a nodeserver. I'm hoping UDI starts offering direct alarm integrations other than Elk, but the odds of that are nearly zero, I'd say. Elk does integrate well (having done it twice before) but I was stunned at what I perceived as their current low level of interest in supporting DIY customers or having a robust dealer network, so they lost a longtime fan in my case. DSC is a large manufacturer, and the ability to use nodeservers has opened things up considerably for a variety of devices to work with the ISY.

@TrojanHorse This may end up being the way to go, and is the reason for my question. Perhaps this will answer @Teken's comments on a security-ISY combo, as well. Let me re-summarize. "Real" security is currently handled by a Napco Gemini. The alarm itself is apparently fine, but it communicates with the monitoring station via a proprietary mesh radio network (many homes form the mesh) that was common in rural areas some years back, but that is apparently failing as fewer and fewer people utilize it. So, we need to replace at least some equipment. That has me thinking that I may as well replace the "brains" of the system (the panel), leaving the hard-wired sensors in place. That would allow me to install a system that integrates with the ISY. I don't need or use the ISY for actual security (to answer Teken's concerns), but it's very handy to use the sensors for things like knowing when a garage door has been left open. I use z-wave sensors for that now and am not thrilled with that approach as z-wave battery devices aren't all that great and batteries tend to fail at inconvenient times. The previous owner ran cable between the buildings that connected the Napco panel in the main house to Napco's equivalent of the M1XIN in the other building, creating two areas/partitions. So, we could use that cabling and have just one alarm panel (and monitoring fee), but two areas/partitions, which we need. But I'm forced to have two ISYs, as that's needed for the z-wave to work (one doesn't cut it). I ran additional CAT6 between the buildings when we installed a new generator last year to power both buildings, so comms between the buildings are very solid. I guess I could have one ISY interface with the alarm panel, set up state variables in both ISYs, and have that "main" ISY communicate with REST commands to the other ISY, updating the 2nd building's door and other sensor status as state variables instead of security zones. I'd be more inclined to do that if the ISY allowed variables to be displayed as virtual devices, but I'm not aware of a way to do that (which, I maintain, would be a nice addition, but UDI does not agree). Anyway, greatly appreciate everyone helping me think through this. Ideas welcome! I just wondered if anyone had been faced with this before me. I may become the guinea pig...

Thanks, @apostolakisl. I, too, am a bit worried about two ISYs and one alarm panel - even on partitions. But I am forced to have two ISYs at the property because I'm running z-wave (no Insteon) at this property and after many attempts with repeaters, etc., nothing would allow one ISY to control the two buildings I have here. So, I'm stuck in that regard. Z-wave is working well, though. If I went the DSC route I could just put a separate alarm panel in each building, and the cost would be about the same as installing a single Elk, I think. But then I'm stuck with two different monitoring fees, which is a bit irksome but not too terrible. If I go with my current alarm company (that monitors my Napco) I may be able to cut a deal. I think you are running the DSC nodeserver with an Envisalink. Is that working out well for you? Are you able to see and use the DSC system's zones as devices in the ISY? I currently have z-wave door, window, and motion sensors and would like to get rid of them, using the alarm panel's open/close, and motion, to trigger programs. Are you able to do that (reliably) with the DSC-ISY combo using @Goose66's impressive-looking nodeserver, and are you happy with that combo? Any downsides vs. what's available with the Elk integration? Thanks for any input on that. I'm already running a RPi with polyglot on each ISY, so setting that up should be simple enough if I go the DSC route.

I can't for the life of me see how connecting an ISY to an alarm panel harms anything, from a practical sense. I'm not storing state secrets here where some nation-state is going to crack the code on my alarm login and steal the national jewels. And if the connection doesn't lock out the alarm panel, what on earth would anyone be worried about? If heaven forbid something catches on fire, or some punk breaks in while we're away, then I need the alarm to "call out". But it's not like the punks I worry about when we're away for the winter months are going to somehow shut down the alarm panel by breaking into my ISY. So, back on topic, has anyone ever connected two ISYs to a single alarm panel? Thanks.

I have a property with two ISYs (one in each building) but a single alarm system that is separated into two areas/partitions (buildings can be armed/disarmed separately). I want to replace the current alarm system (a Napco Gemini) with either an Elk M1G or a DSC that uses Envisalink, so that I can integrate with the ISYs (I've used Elk/ISY in past properties, but with only one ISY and area). I'm very familiar with the Elk-ISY combo (for a single ISY and area, at least). So, my first question is, do I gain or lose anything if I go with the DSC/Envisalink vs the Elk? I run polyglot on a RPi on each ISY, if that matters. But then I thought about the two ISYS/one alarm panel situation, and wondered if that might be a problem for either or both alarm panel choices. Has anyone connected two ISYs with one alarm panel? Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on the idea? Thanks in advance for input.

I am not the OP or person with the most recent problems, but had a similar issue of Orchestrated Mobilinc not connecting for several days, and losing many (but not all) dashboard devices. It's not happening now but happened earlier this month, twice, so I'm posting info in case it helps Wes or others diagnose a larger issue. Also, on one occasion it occurred for only one of my two ISYs. Router: Peplink Balance 30 LTE. Portal: UDI (two ISYs running through that, with two portal profiles, but they share a common external WAN connection. ISYs have static LAN IP assigned. ISYs do not have DHCP reservation within router. Suggestions welcome (first time this has happened after years of OML use), but posting primarily to aid in diagnosis.

I've gone at least six months without rebooting my past ISYs, and possibly more than a year. No issues.

I've found battery level reporting in Z-wave devices to be horrible. I just replaced two batteries and they're still showing the old levels. And 60% of my functioning battery devices aren't showing any battery value at all. I think I've been living under a rock, as I did not know about wireless tags. Looks fantastic! I see that Jimbo wrote a nodeserver, and has a purchase link, so will buy some through that tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

I have a Homeseer LS-100 battery-powered leak detector that I use to measure the temperature inside a generator cabinet (tells me whether it has run/started/stopped). The battery has clearly died, and did so while the gen was running for about five days during a recent outage, as the temp shows 88.7, and it's in Maine, and it's April). We're also at that property, so I know it's not running. I'll just replace the battery today, but I now wonder if there's not a better way to know whether a battery-operated z-wave device has died? Can someone think of a way to create a program for this? Also, I don't think most battery-operated z-wave devices respond to the daily ISY query, do they? This device has been out for days, as have a couple of leak detectors I haven't been worrying about, as we're onsite. But it would be great to know that a device was still alive, if anyone can suggest something. I'd like to monitor the temp of some freezers, and those might have temps that remain constant for days. Finally, if anyone has good suggestions for battery-operated temperature monitoring via the ISY, I'd appreciate suggestions. Thanks.

I don't even have a PLM as I'm all z-wave, and my Verizon messages (emails from ISY to my Verizon number) weren't sending for a few days (basically Th-Sun of this past week). I thought it was my ISP as they were having issues, but looks like it may have been on the receiving end. Good to know. Thanks.