xlurkr

To clarify, I want to transfer one plugin that I purchased. There's another one that I trialed on the "old" Polisy that I don't want to transfer, and I definitely don't want an attempted transfer to break my purchased license and installation on the "new" Polisy. -Tom

Never mind. I see "Migrate" under "Maintenance". One question remains, though, before I try it. I had a license for a trial version of a plugin, and since I bought it and installed it on the "new" Polisy. Will that license migrate too? Maybe it doesn't matter, because it's already expired. But I don't want to break something that's working. -Tom

I read in another thread that it's possible to transfer a plugin license via the portal. I can't figure out how to do that. Can someone help me? -Tom details: I have two Polisy units registered in the portal. I want to move a plugin from the one I used to use to the one I want to use from now on. I don't need to restore nodes or anything, just need to be able to install fresh on the "new" Polisy and configure from scratch.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say this: if you've been in since the beginning, think back to before the portal existed. Everything you needed to do then can still be done without the portal - in some cases the portal makes things easier, but there's still an old-school way to get it done. It sounds like all you want to do is maintain and troubleshoot your Insteon (and maybe Z-Wave?) network(s) and make them fully available to HA. I too would guess that you don't need the portal subscription. -Tom

I've been wanting to add external temp/humidity sensing to my Polisy setup for a while now and decided to take the leap. I got the SpeakerHub and the X3 Outdoor Sensor. This YoLink stuff is very easy to set up, seems to perform very well (though today is day 1, so let's see), and the node server is outstanding. I had it all set up in minutes because of the very clear instructions. At no point did anything go wrong, nor did I have to redo anything. I wish every time I tried something new it worked so well. -Tom

X10 and Insteon have one advantage over Z-Wave that I'm hanging onto - you can plug in and unplug switch and dimmer modules at will, without upsetting the network. This has value for those who set up powered holiday decorations or do ad hoc lighting and/or device control for special events. I do a little of both. But for permanent home installation, it's more a matter of reliability and cost, and whatever technology is best suited will win, and should. Also, the X10 maxi controllers are darn handy. They can issue ~256 distinguishable on/off commands that many (mostly obsolete, admittedly) HA controllers can respond to, plus dimming commands. I'm not aware of any other well-defined home automation protocol that offers that versatility. -Tom

Mine also says v9E. I have the Smarthome version of the Maxi Controller, and I can give that a try this weekend with and without the XTB-IIR, and also plugged into various outlets, to see what happens. What I can't do is test a 2.7 PLM, since mine is a 2.1. -Tom

And the XTB-IIR (controlled by Elk) and PLM are plugged into the same outlet (the XTB via a power strip). The X10 ApplianceLinc is across the room in another outlet. -Tom

I decided to check my log, and the X10 events are there. Do you have an X10 node defined on your Eisy? I do. I also have a Polisy and not an Eisy. My PLM is a 2413S, V2.1. Just documenting possible differences.differences. -Tom

Is there any chance that your 994i was using a 2412S PLM? When I switched to a 2413S in my main house years ago I noticed that its receive sensitivity was way lower. I had experiences just like yours. But I didn't care too much because I didn't rely on X10 at the time; I was just experimenting. I just checked with my 2413U connected to my Polisy here in my apartment (different location and setup) and I can turn A1 on and off with my Elk, and see the status correctly reflected on the Polisy. My Elk is using an XTB-IIR as the interface. I can look at the logs if you want, but I can't imagine there isn't an entry for each X10 event. -Tom

Don't shoot the messenger if I'm wrong, but C's and 0's look alike, as do 3's and 5's if you're in a hurry, tired, or frustrated. None are as bad as B's and 8's or D's and 0's. Hopefully some will respond soon with something more useful. -Tom

History repeats itself. The pioneers used to do this on Stargate, HAI, Elk... The Stargate could make announcements over Panasonic business phones that were once commonly installed in high-end homes. Even (or especially) in bathrooms. -Tom

Put another way, UDI has done a great job of abstracting the links database design of Insteon, which I think is the protocol's greatest strength. Drag 'n drop, set controller/responder, level, etc., and it's all very graphical. Insteon's protocol is what allows scenes to function in the absence of any separate controller, and completely avoids the popcorn effect. Programming on the ISY is good, but probably not better than other solutions. Support of other protocols like Z-Wave is OK, but they don't fit into the link-centric paradigm of the ISY, and UDI is too small to add them all natively, so you end up relying on nodeservers if you have a lot of different protocols. As I'm diversifying, I'm looking to HA to tie multiple protocols together, but I think I'll always use ISY to manage Insteon, no matter what the "uber" controller is. To me it's worth the extra expense over the PLM alone. I'm doing a similar thing with Hubitat and Lutron. Nobody manages Lutron better. -Tom

Thanks, but I'm not looking to do anything I can't do already; I'm just trying to contribute. Since you've used Insteon on an ISY, I think you know what I'm talking about. I have a switch at the top of my stairs that I can double-click off and it turns off all the lights downstairs. I set it up on the ISY, which was really easy to do, and since it created all the controller and responder links in the devices, it still works if the ISY is unreachable for whatever reason. I have a lot of Insteon devices in my home that do these sorts of things, and I've reused the scenes with multiple controller devices after creating them. Again, the ISY made setting this up easy. I'm not sure how one would set it all up with HA and Insteon with just the PLM. Maybe it's easy; I just don't know. I'm also not too surprised you found it easier to get your Z-Wave fob working in HA. I haven't found the ISY to be the best solution for Z-Wave, but for Insteon, I think it's unbeatable. -Tom

Do any of these allow you to easily set up scenes like the ISY can? That's what I can't figure out. If I want to make a double-click off on a switch turn off all the lights in a room, or in the house, can I easily set that up? I'm sure it can be done by programming, but in HA can I easily create a scene so all the lights change at once, and it works even if HA isn't responding? This is the part I don't understand. -Tom

Not an expert, but from what I can see HA expects you to use something (like the Insteon Hub) to manage links. There's nothing better at link management than ISY. Definitely worth the pain of Java, in my opinion. -Tom

I’m currently using both - Alexa at home and Google in my remote job apartment. I agree with @bmercier. You can read about one of my Google frustrations in the Google forum. That forum only gets about one post a month on average, and not a lot of responses. Not stated in there is that I get relatively frequent (maybe 1 out of 10 or 20 times) responses of “Something went wrong. Try again in a few seconds”, or no response at all. -Tom

Revisiting in a rare moment of spare time. I currently have an Insteon open/close sensor on the entryway closet door triggering an Insteon Appliancelinc with nothing plugged into it, and its state triggers a Google Home routine that turns on/off the entryway light that is controlled by the SmartRent app via Z-Wave. It's working about as well as you'd expect - like dog poo. Has anyone found a good, cheap sensor for triggering open/close events for use in Google Home routines, or even better, found a way to trigger Google Home routines with Insteon sensors? -Tom

Last night I finished the training for RA3 and downloaded the Designer software. Sure enough, it still lacks sophisticated logic programming. -Tom

I can imagine an installer would typically propose this, if most or all of the gear in place is compatible with the RA3 processor. But you could probably also insist on the installer only adding new ClearConnect Type X devices (if any) to the RA3 processor. I'm not sure that would buy you anything, though, if you want to automate it all with a single solution. btw, I don't have any experience with the RA3 processor or the software to program on it, so everything I'm saying with any certainty pertains to RA2, its repeater, and Inclusive software. -Tom

Lutron's software offers few options for automation. They have timeclocks and vacation/holiday modes and motion sensors and garage opener controllers, but that's about it. That's why everybody controls it with another hub or software solution, or at least voice assistants, which increasingly have their own automation. -Tom

I'd bet that Home Assistant can also support multiple Lutron repeaters, just like Hubitat can. If so, you could support your existing RA2 (even beyond 200; that limit is for two (max) repeaters in the Lutron software) and add everything new as RA3. -Tom

I'm not a pro, but I do have a suggestion. If you want a good DIY solution for controlling your Lutron lighting, I can heartily recommend adding a Hubitat hub. It's only about $150, has no mandatory recurring fees, and can be 100% local after setup if you want. A couple of its developers have DIY Lutron RA2 lighting in their own houses, so they've added a lot of great functionality for it. And there's a nodeserver for Hubitat that will allow you to bring everything into ISY as nodes, so you can automate things the way you're used to. The Hubitat can also support multiple hubs and can therefore mix and match RA2 and Caseta devices. The only caveat is that Hubitat, like most smaller players, doesn't have access to the LEAP security in the new RA3 hub. Some others do, like Home Assistant, but I think it's based on a reverse-engineering of LEAP that could break at some point? Not sure. -Tom

I have a really old dimmer and a really old thermostat and neither work. Just letting you know you're not alone. I would bet most newer devices do work, but I don't own any. -Tom

This is my observation, too. ElkRP blocks, but multiple simultaneous connections from other apps are possible. I've got the NS and HA connected atm. -Tom