ISY/ELK and Insteon question

[wwat]

Hi,

 

I've read as much as I could about this combination of hardware but must admit I'm still a little confused about the the real necessity of ISY.

 

If ELK can perform automation why would I also need ISY, can someone give me a few clear examples of something only ISY/ELK could achieve.

From my basic understanding of the system, the user creates the automation in ISY and then uploads it into ELK and from then on ISY ensures ELK remains up to date with the status of all the hardware. So I'm unclear of which part of the system actually controls the lighting and other hardware etc.

 

Besides the main alarm activate/deactivate functions are there any other ELK functions or status settings available to ISY to be used in conjunction with the automation part of the combo.

 

Is integration development between ELK and ISY an active and ongoing process or is this it? I dont just refer to compatibility upgrades but new features etc.

 

Thanks,

Wayne

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello Wayne,

 

ISY is not just an automation system; it also allows you to configure all your INSTEON network and thus enables you to create scenes native to INSTEON. This means that if ISY is not on line, your switches, scenes, and other devices continue to behave as they were programmed to do. Beyond this, ISY provides realtime feedback to clients (including ELK) regardless of where the change took place. For instance, you could click a light switch and not only ISY but all clients to ISY will automatically be notified of that change.

 

The process of integration with ELK is on going. There will be additional modules (extra charge) which allow you to use ELK events in ISY programs.

 

You do not need ISY if:

1. You will manually link and manage all your INSTEON devices

2. You do not care about real time status updates to your ELK touch panel, keypad, triggers

3. You do not care about controlling/monitoring all your INSTEON devices using ELK touch panel, keypads, triggers

 

With kind regards,

Michel

 

 

Hi,

 

I've read as much as I could about this combination of hardware but must admit I'm still a little confused about the the real necessity of ISY.

 

If ELK can perform automation why would I also need ISY, can someone give me a few clear examples of something only ISY/ELK could achieve.

From my basic understanding of the system, the user creates the automation in ISY and then uploads it into ELK and from then on ISY ensures ELK remains up to date with the status of all the hardware. So I'm unclear of which part of the system actually controls the lighting and other hardware etc.

 

Besides the main alarm activate/deactivate functions are there any other ELK functions or status settings available to ISY to be used in conjunction with the automation part of the combo.

 

Is integration development between ELK and ISY an active and ongoing process or is this it? I dont just refer to compatibility upgrades but new features etc.

 

Thanks,

Wayne

[wwat]

Hi Michel,

 

Thank you for the response, answerd alot of my questions. I'm just about to folk out just over $500 (in Canada) for your ISY product alone and was initially under the impression there was full 2 way integration with ELK. It appears thats not the case and the functionailty I want is not yet developed and will cost more at a later stage. I find this a little frustrating because in my opinion its something that should be part of the basic system. I was told by the retailers that all software updates would be included but it appears you are now creating modules which you obviously do not class as an update. I could certainly understand a module for a different security product other than ELK but not for functionality that provides a feature that should have been there in the first place.

 

Can you give me some indication of the cost for this additional module? Do you plan on creating more chargable modules for the ELK/ISY/Insteon combination in the future.

 

Thanks,

Wayne

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello Wayne,

 

My pleasure!

 

I understand your frustration and I can give you some context:

1. There's a two way communications with ELK: ISY sends status updates to ELK and ELK sends lighting commands to ISY

2. Our original requirements for ELK (from our user community) was simply to allow ELK to communicate with ISY. Furthermore, adding all the logic in ISY would've made ELK's rule engine obsolete. That was something we were not going to touch without permission from ELK

3. For the number of ELK/ISY installations we have, we cannot recoup the cost of development for a very long time. We need to stay in business

4. The modules are usually $49.00 one time fee

5. This module with implement all the security related events generated in ELK which is almost everything. I do not foresee a separate module

 

And, finally, you do NOT need the module at all. For security related events, you can create rules in ELK and have them send commands to ISY. The module is a convenience feature so that you have all your logic in one place and not distributed between ELK and ISY.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

 

Hi Michel,

 

Thank you for the response, answerd alot of my questions. I'm just about to folk out just over $500 (in Canada) for your ISY product alone and was initially under the impression there was full 2 way integration with ELK. It appears thats not the case and the functionailty I want is not yet developed and will cost more at a later stage. I find this a little frustrating because in my opinion its something that should be part of the basic system. I was told by the retailers that all software updates would be included but it appears you are now creating modules which you obviously do not class as an update. I could certainly understand a module for a different security product other than ELK but not for functionality that provides a feature that should have been there in the first place.

 

Can you give me some indication of the cost for this additional module? Do you plan on creating more chargable modules for the ELK/ISY/Insteon combination in the future.

 

Thanks,

Wayne

[wwat]

Michel,

 

Please dont get me wrong, I dont have anything against you making money for your hard work (and very good support), it was more that I was under the distinct impression that there was full 2 way communication (Elk events visible in ISY) when there wasn't. Having said that you have clarified that I can still achieve what I wanted until the other module is released which would make it all much more convienient to have everything available in ISY . Do you have a timeframe for this module?

 

Thanks again,

Wayne

 

Hello Wayne,

My pleasure!

 

I understand your frustration and I can give you some context:

1. There's a two way communications with ELK: ISY sends status updates to ELK and ELK sends lighting commands to ISY

2. Our original requirements for ELK (from our user community) was simply to allow ELK to communicate with ISY. Furthermore, adding all the logic in ISY would've made ELK's rule engine obsolete. That was something we were not going to touch without permission from ELK

3. For the number of ELK/ISY installations we have, we cannot recoup the cost of development for a very long time. We need to stay in business

4. The modules are usually $49.00 one time fee

5. This module with implement all the security related events generated in ELK which is almost everything. I do not foresee a separate module

 

And, finally, you do NOT need the module at all. For security related events, you can create rules in ELK and have them send commands to ISY. The module is a convenience feature so that you have all your logic in one place and not distributed between ELK and ISY.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Wayne,

 

Apologies for a tardy reply. Unfortunately, I cannot give you a firm date but I can tell you that we'll start working on it as soon as we get 2.7 out. Currently, all our efforts are exerted towards getting i2 supported and 2.7 out. Roughly, 2Q next year (or sooner).

 

With kind regards,

Michel

 

Michel,

 

Please dont get me wrong, I dont have anything against you making money for your hard work (and very good support), it was more that I was under the distinct impression that there was full 2 way communication (Elk events visible in ISY) when there wasn't. Having said that you have clarified that I can still achieve what I wanted until the other module is released which would make it all much more convienient to have everything available in ISY . Do you have a timeframe for this module?

 

Thanks again,

Wayne

 

Hello Wayne,

My pleasure!

 

I understand your frustration and I can give you some context:

1. There's a two way communications with ELK: ISY sends status updates to ELK and ELK sends lighting commands to ISY

2. Our original requirements for ELK (from our user community) was simply to allow ELK to communicate with ISY. Furthermore, adding all the logic in ISY would've made ELK's rule engine obsolete. That was something we were not going to touch without permission from ELK

3. For the number of ELK/ISY installations we have, we cannot recoup the cost of development for a very long time. We need to stay in business

4. The modules are usually $49.00 one time fee

5. This module with implement all the security related events generated in ELK which is almost everything. I do not foresee a separate module

 

And, finally, you do NOT need the module at all. For security related events, you can create rules in ELK and have them send commands to ISY. The module is a convenience feature so that you have all your logic in one place and not distributed between ELK and ISY.

 

With kind regards,

Michel