ISY994i vs Homeseer

[chris87]

I was wondering if someone can point me in the right direction.  I am fairly new to Insteon and am confused about the difference between the ISY994i and the Homeseer options (HomeTroller, HS3, etc).

 

I have mostly Insteon in my home and want to be able to control it from my phone.  I had thought about the Insteon Hub, but I will be installing a Baldwin z-wave deadbolt.  I thought that ISY or Homeseer would be a better choice, since they support z-wave.  I also plan on adding various Insteon lamp modules, sprinkler control, alarm, and HVAC.

 

I want to be able to control everything from my cell phone.  I don't foresee doing anything too complicated, but I'd like to have the option of advanced configuration.

 

I understand that ISY and Homeseer can work together (at least in some form), but my understanding is vague.  Is there a reason to have both devices?  If I only had one, is there a better choice for my purposes?  I appreciate any insight.

[Xathros]

I have only the ISY-994 and have not found it to be limiting in anyway what I can accomplish.  My system is comprised of a large insteon install and a young but growing ZWave mesh.  I access all of my devices easily with my iPhone using Mobilinc.

 

I see no need for Homeseer though I have never used Homeser and may be missing something.

 

-Xathros

[chris87]

I have only the ISY-994 and have not found it to be limiting in anyway what I can accomplish.  My system is comprised of a large insteon install and a young but growing ZWave mesh.  I access all of my devices easily with my iPhone using Mobilinc.

 

I see no need for Homeseer though I have never used Homeser and may be missing something.

 

-Xathros

Thanks!  I am so overwelmed by the choices.  I don't quite understand the difference between the two devices.  I have read reports of people having both devices, and I can't determine how to choose one over the other.

[Xathros]

There are a few on this forum that run both together.  I believe in most cases, the ISY is the primary controller handling the logic and HomeSeer is a secondary device used to interface with personal weather data or in another case is being used for Multi Channel ZWave devices that the ISY does not yet support.  I highly suspect most on this forum (including those two) would recommend the ISY over most any other controller. In addition, I believe in the two cases I mentioned above, those users are migrating their systems to the 994 from Homeseer.

 

-Xathros

[chris87]

There are a few on this forum that run both together.  I believe in most cases, the ISY is the primary controller handling the logic and HomeSeer is a secondary device used to interface with personal weather data or in another case is being used for Multi Channel ZWave devices that the ISY does not yet support.  I highly suspect most on this forum (including those two) would recommend the ISY over most any other controller.

 

-Xathros

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.  If I have Insteon devices, I understand that I need the 2413S.  I also have to buy an AC adapter.  Is there anything else that I am missing?  Would you recommend the pro model or just the regular one?

[Xathros]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.  If I have Insteon devices, I understand that I need the 2413S.  I also have to buy an AC adapter.  Is there anything else that I am missing?  Would you recommend the pro model or just the regular one?

The 994 will come with a power adapter - no need to buy a separate one.  You can upgrade to Pro at anytime after purchase.  Simply purchase the Pro (or any other module) and UDI will activate that feature in your 994.  You will want to purchase the ZWave version for your lockset and I do recommend the external antenna for better ZWave range. Note: ZWave, IR and Zigbee modules also have a hardware component so when upgrading to one of those modules after purchase will require a part to be shipped and installed inside the ISY's case.  Not difficult but not as instant as upgrading to a software only module like Pro, Network, Weather, Irrigation etc.  Buy your 994 with the ZWave option already installed and you won't need to worry. The Pro module allows for a larger number of programs and scenes as well as improved SSL support for interfacing with other devices.  That would likely require the network module as well.  These are easy after purchase addons if needed. Zigbee and Zwave options are mutually exclusive.  You can only have one or the other unless you want multiple ISYs.

 

Another thing to note is the level of support offered by UDI and this community is second to none.  No other controller out there comes close.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Xathros

[arw01]

UDI is making their own PLM adapter in the next bit of time here, they have some engineering work they were tweaking and I would not be exaggerating, that we will ALL buy one.  Regardless if you do the homeseer or the ISY you need a PLM, if you need to move now, you need to buy a PLM, but understand it will fail sometime down the road outside of warranty no doubt.

 

We are hoping UDI solves the physical problems with the insteon manufactured one.

 

I have just a regular, the difference is capacity and unless you are going to be huge and program and program you will be find with the plain one. You can UPGRADE to pro, it's just a software update, not hardware.

 

It's a solid device, with a great new release coming sometime (hopefully this year) which will really expand what we can do with it.

 

Alan

[raymondh]

Homeseer added to a ISY system will allow text to speech and, in my opinion, a better mobile interface through HSTouch. I've found other things such as Sonos integration easier and more complete by adding Homeseer to my ISY.

[chris87]

Homeseer added to a ISY system will allow text to speech and, in my opinion, a better mobile interface through HSTouch. I've found other things such as Sonos integration easier and more complete by adding Homeseer to my ISY.

What would I lose by just using Homeseer alone?  My biggest want is mobile phone integration...

[oberkc]

What would I lose by just using Homeseer alone?  My biggest want is mobile phone integration...

 

Homeseer, I thought, required a computer to be running for it to work.  ISY-994 does not.

 

The other thing that concerns me about generic home control software like this is how well it supports a given protocol.  If you have decided (besides door locks) that you will be using insteon, then I can vouch for the ISY-994 being near certain to support it.  If you want to use homeseer and have no problem leaving a computer running, make sure it has broad support for all the various insteon devices.

[paulbates]

Bottom line: ISY support is better and easier to program. Homeseer offers the free range of .NET programming, if that is a skill you have; VB or C#.

 

The ISY is stable product with a predictable, managed upgrade path. HS is in the middle of a long, slow upgrade from HS2 to HS3. I would spend some time reading the HS3 forums to get a temperature check of how that's going. Specifically, look at the forum for "Insteon Plugin by Homeseer". It needs a lot of work. If you go Homeseer, go with Mark Sandlers 3rd party Insteon plugin. It is more than worth the money. or BPWWERs ISY plugin if you choose to go ISY and Homeseer

 

FYIW, I use ISY on a PLM, and keep my insteon hub running to use the Insteon mobile app to control basic devices from my phone.

 

I find the ISY to be easy to program for basic Home Automation functions.

[larryllix]

If you like to tinker and best yourself with complex logic the Hub is not for you.

 

ISY and HomeSeer both require a computer running 24/7. ISY comes with it's own cigarette pack size computer that has no moving arts and draws about 3 Watts or less and is extremely stable. A PC is going to draw much more power and software running under Windows is going to be a lot less stable. When you want to play a game on your PC you may risk your automation setup, including your humidifier or heating control or notification you have a leaking pipe in your basement. It can get serious if you are like most of us. It definitely becomes a serious hobby and obsession.

 

I have run HomeSeer and to interface all kinds of specialised software you write yourself it probably wins. You can find downloads of hacked versions to try online. I run an ISY994i and if I had a chance to select again I would select the ISY994i. The programming is a little weird but gets the job done and it will grow on you. All systems also (X10- HC2000 and even my own self written software) I have used are quirky in their own little world. We will always want more and the UDI people are busy giving it to us.

[bpwwer]

ISY and HomeSeer both require a computer running 24/7. ISY comes with it's own cigarette pack size computer that has no moving arts and draws about 3 Watts or less and is extremely stable. A PC is going to draw much more power and software running under Windows is going to be a lot less stable. When you want to play a game on your PC you may risk your automation setup, including your humidifier or heating control or notification you have a leaking pipe in your basement. It can get serious if you are like most of us. It definitely becomes a serious hobby and obsession.

 

 

 

That's a bit misleading. HomeSeer can run on many different types of computers not just your desktop PC.  In fact, HomeSeer also runs on a cigarette pack sized computer that has no moving parts and draws minimal power. See http://store.homeseer.com/store/HomeTrollerZee.aspx

 

It can also run on server class hardware and on virtual machines. 

 

The ISY is fantastic for controlling Insteon (and increasingly Z-Wave) devices.  It is also able to interface to other protocols and devices to some extent.  But if you have other protocols or types of devices that you require solid interfaces to, then you'll probably need to look beyond the ISY to do that.  

 

If Insteon support is your primary goal (which it sounds like it is for the OP), then the ISY is the way to go.  The good news is that if you do need to expand in the future, it's also possible to interface the ISY with a more general purpose, software based automation system so you get the best of both worlds.