madcodger

May I respectfully suggest, and request, that for future upgrades where information like this might be useful to the end user, that UDI post this type of information in the upgrade instructions. Thanks to @blueman2 for doing so. @cactus does have some good points about having to wade through pages and pages of comments to find information. A few people are eagerly following a thread, so for them it's not a big deal. But the casual user doesn't have the time for that, and frankly shouldn't be required to do so. As I've said before, UDI is a great company of engineers and coders, and offers great customer support. But user interface, in many different forms, is not its specialty. I would like to respectfully suggest that additional attention to this area would serve the company well. It's an aspect of marketing, but that's not what most people think of when they hear that term. You don't have to sell very hard when your customers do it for you. Many of UDI's customers gladly promote the company's products because of their reliability. Now, think about how much more that might happen if they were also easier to use (including periodic upgrades). And, back on topic, thanks to UDI for the upgrade. I'm going to go see which board I have (now that I know how to do so) to see if I can use it.

Amen to that! I cannot thank @markv58 enough, and I still haven't had a chance to play with the toy (heck of a stretch of activity lately). Thanks to you other fine folks for testing and providing needed feedback, as well.

I've had great results from the GoControl z-wave thermostat, but it's a very simple device. Great for heating/cooling but doesn't do humidity.

Which is very, very much appreciated, @markv58. Thank you! Between work, some big home projects underway, and some community commitments I haven't had more than a few minutes of free time for a couple of weeks. I admit to having spent those in a kayak, but am eager to play with this fantastic nodeserver. Your work on it is amazing and I'm glad others have found it useful. I'm sure I'll get daily use from it.

You gents are making me green with envy, in terms of being able to play with this new nodeserver. I wail and complain, @markv58 creates a great tool that addresses those wants, and now I don't have time to play with it. My biggest projects are supposed to be (mostly) done today, and rain is forecast for the weekend. I can hardly wait to take this for a spin!

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.

Understood, and thank you. If you should ever wish to try this and need a "lab rat", please feel free to let me know. I wonder if user-selectable "tradeoffs" of captured values, or frequency of updates, might mitigate this somewhat? For example, I never really use barometric pressure, and 15-minute increments of outside temperature updates would be plenty for my personal needs, if it allowed me to monitor indoor temp and humidity, or gain better access to an additional parameter, such as daily rainfall. Anyway, I am grateful for the access I have, and appreciate your efforts. Thank You!

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 Bob @bpwwer, I wonder if it might be possible to "expose" each of the various "sub-devices" (w.g., daily rainfall, hourly rainfall under Precipitation, inside temperature under Temperatures, indoor humidity under Humidity) so that they could be "picked up"/read by some of the mobile apps that are on offer? I can see each of these just fine in the admin console, but if there is more than one "sub-device" in each heading, I see only one of these sub-devices when I am using Orchestrated Mobilinc (OML). In my case, for "devices" that have multiple "sub-devices", I see only Temperature (which is the outdoor temp), Humidity (the outdoor humidity), Wind Speed (current wind speed, but not gust speed, wind direction, or average wind speed), and Rain Rate (under Precipitation). Barometric pressure shows only the current pressure, of course, and I see that. I realize this is likely a limitation of Mobilinc, but if there were a tweak possible from the node server end that would address this I thought I would bring up the idea, to see if something might be possible. Wes isn't making changes or updates to OML now, and I don't think his more recent product, Mobilinc X, addresses this, either. So, absolutely no expectation of you, of course (you've already done us all a huge favor by developing this excellent nodeserver) but I didn't know exactly where else to turn, so thought I'd bring it up. Thanks for all you've done, and do. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks!

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.

I have no idea whether it's related or not, but report this on the odd chance that it's related and knowing it might help. Separate from the nodeserver (not connected to it at all), at least one temp sensor that reports to the ISY - the Homeseer FS-100 - oddly reports its temps only in Celsius, despite showing as Fahrenheit with other automation controllers (e.g., Homeseer itself). No one seems to know why, each company blames the other, and I've just learned to live with it. It might not be related to this problem at all, of course, but if it is, you now perhaps have another data point.

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.

Ditto. After two previous homes that ran all Insteon for lighting but Nest or ecobee for thermostats (ecobee OK, Nest started that way then went to junk thanks to Google buying them), I've been using z-wave stats from GoControl to control our boiler in one building and a propane-fueled garage heater in another building. Absolutely love them. But... Now we're getting ready to install mini-splits. Our preferred dealer sells only Daikin, and they have their own (proprietary) stats. I absolutely despise proprietary thermostats, after really bad past experiences with them. So, I'm wondering if anyone knows of a z-wave (preferred) thermostat or a wifi stat (someone could possibly write a nodeserver for it) that can work with a variety of mini-splits, especially Daikin.