994i Pro, Z-wave, Zigbee, SCE Smart Meter

[C Martin]

I upgraded to the 994i Pro and I have been really satisfied with the unit.

I was on my SCE Utility site and saw the Smart Meter Link and I am now curious.

 

Is the 994i Pro compatible to Zigbee?

If so, what do I need to interface with Zigbee - do I need to buy a plug-in device or radio?

Do I need to upgrade my 994i Pro to another type of Device?

 

What information is available to me via a Smart Connect interface with my meter?

Do I get to control programs based on the information or parameters that may be available?

ie.; can I control my devices in my home based on whether I am approaching the different tiers that SCE charges KWH Rates?

 

These answers will make the decisions if I need to buy or upgrade my ISY.

I hope that I have covered enough information for others users of the forum.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello C Martin, apologies for tardy reply!

 

 

I upgraded to the 994i Pro and I have been really satisfied with the unit.

I was on my SCE Utility site and saw the Smart Meter Link and I am now curious.

 

Is the 994i Pro compatible to Zigbee?

Yes. But, not all Zigbees are the same. For Smart Meter, you need Zigbee SEP (i.e ZS Series). For regular Zigbee you need Zigbee PRO (i.e. Z Series). These two are NOT compatible nor are they interoperable

 

If so, what do I need to interface with Zigbee - do I need to buy a plug-in device or radio?

Do I need to upgrade my 994i Pro to another type of Device?

You need to purchase the following from our Storefront:

High Powered Zigbee Smart Grid (SEP1.1) Radio

 

What information is available to me via a Smart Connect interface with my meter?

http://www.universal-devices.com/utilit ... zs-series/

 

Do I get to control programs based on the information or parameters that may be available?

ie.; can I control my devices in my home based on whether I am approaching the different tiers that SCE charges KWH Rates?

Yes, but you I can tell you that from my discussions/testing with SCE, you are not going to get tiered consumption/energy usage. You will get Prices but they are not tiered based.

 

These answers will make the decisions if I need to buy or upgrade my ISY.

I hope that I have covered enough information for others users of the forum.

All you need is the Zigbee Smart Grid radio and your ISY will be converted to ISY994i ZS

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[C Martin]

Thanks for the quick reply ( it was a quick reply).

 

Two things seem to be apparent:

1. As always, it is hard to get all of these Mfgs. to settle on a single standard. This has been the case from time beginning. The incompatibility between Zigbee devices makes life hard for consumers.

 

2. whether it is good investment to interface with the smart meter is still an open question. If I can't base programming decisions on my KWH consumption - where I am in my Tier Billing, then what is the point.

 

I have to weigh whether I lock myself into one standard and miss all of the other Zigbee opportunities is worth the investment.

As always there seem to be no easy choices.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Clarence,

 

You are very correct.

 

Please note that you are going to get KWH. You just won't know in which tier you are. But, again, you will have to ask SCE and perhaps they have a different program in your area.

 

Also, you will get a $25.00 rebate for ISY + $25.00 rebate for a thermostat. In addition, they have a program called Save Power a Day which gives you more rebates. So, while taking everything into consideration, please note that with all the rebates, your whole ISY might end up being free (+ more).

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[C Martin]

Is there an option to connect another ZigBee also? Or will I be limited to just one?

[arw01]

Curious from the outside (they are 50 miles away with smart meters in my area on a whole different utility supplier). is it you expect the meter to tell you what price you are paying at the current time, or ??

 

When I had a simple pulse counter on my meter, I did the logic in my program that if I used x kwh it was displayed at this amount, when I went over that (cumulative) then it became this much per kWh, and the next tier was this much.

 

Personally looking at going to the GEM when the firmware from Brultech and the Firmware from UDI mesh up with all it's capabilities, it might be years before my local utility get's their act together. We are still paying for Enron losses on our rates!

 

But I have to say since I put in the ISY and did some programming to turn off lights automatically, and to not bring some up to 100% all the time, light bulbs burn out less often, my electrical costs have plummeted as well.

 

Alan

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Clarence,

 

No, only one.

 

With kind regards,

Michel