The reviews I have seen of the Mini Remote are not very favorable whereas a KPL situated in a Tabletop Enclosure seems very workable. Any advice/recommendations?

The KPL has much more RF range (150' versus 50').   However the KPL is limited by needing a power cord.   I use a Mini Remote by my favorite chair where power is not available but it has Dual Band devices near by.  

I've had great success with the mini remote and overall it provides lots of flexibility in placement or install. I have several in place as a virtual KPL on a wall where there is no AC power.

 

That in itself has been a god send! I have another one mounted under my car visor and it activates a very specific *Away State* in the HA system which is tied to a secondary alarm feature.

 

I still do covet the much larger 2440 RL as it offers some features not available in the mini.

 

Battery life for the micro is great given the daily use I apply to it. The only negative is not having the ability to apply custom keys besides using a printer. Otherwise it's a rock solid product in my mind.

 

 

Ideals are peaceful - History is violent

I agree with the initial responses.  I have both devices.  Both are good options with the limitations being nothing more than the obvious....corded versus not.  Batteries versus not.  One is lit and can provide feedback regarding status of other devices, the other cannot.  One is lit and can be distracting to those who like a dark room.  One is more likely to get lost in a seat cushion.  One is dual-band and may have more robust communication under certain circumstances and can enhance global insteon communications. 

 

All other things being equal, I would tend to go with the keypad/enclosure, but all things things are rarely equal.

I have both and am quite happy with both solutions.  If the wireless remote if the preferred solution, simply make sure you have sufficient RF coverage from access points or dual band devices in the area in which you plan to use the remote. 

 

The battery in the RL2 is a rechargeable. The RL2 can be charged from any MicroUSB charger and runs for months on a charge for me.

 

-Xathros

The feedback is much appreciated. Your feedback has raised my confidence in the mini remote thus making my decision all the more difficult. I suspect I will go with the mini remote so I can gain experience with it. Do any of you use it to control an overhead fan/light combination?

I have one reserved for s ceiling fan / light combo. But won't be enrolled until next quarter.

 

 

Ideals are peaceful - History is violent

I do.

 

 

-Xathros

 

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One down side for me is the mini remotes can't be queried. The one issue I have with this is I have a couple of programs that rely on inputs from the mini remotes, when there is a power failure the isy can't query a battery powered device and get the status. It's a minor inconvenience but when the power goes out my bedroom lights don't come back on when the power comes back. I also have a program that runs when one of the buttons is in the "on" state and the isy looses that status during a power failure. The kpl's resume their state when the power is reinstated.

 

 

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Edited March 9, 201510 yr by Cormacs

Indeed, the mini remote is my fan controller!

I use mini's as fanlinc controllers as well - no issues...

I have two 8 button mini remotes. One by my bed and one by my chair in the livingroom and they work great.

Sounds like a mini remote and another fanlinc is in my future. Thanks, again.