Hi,

 

I have an older ISY-99IR pro which has worked well for me.  I recently purchased an amazon Echo which I find to have a lot of potential.  I would like to use voice commands for insteon devices, and I see there are two separate attempts being made to do just that.  Before I embark I would like to make sure that my current hardware will work. I posted originally in one of the Echo threads and was told I need the REST interface.

 

Also, since it is that time of year what advantages to the 994 would make me want to upgrade  (and is their an upgrade price?).  I do need the IR portion as I'm using a remote to control some lighting in a home theater environment

 

Thanks

K

 

 

Hi K

 

Firrmware development for the 99 was sunset a while back, maybe over a year ago... no changes or fixes will be coming. The ISY Portal and Echo integration are being built on the 994i and recent firmware for it. The network module has been improved regularly in newer firmwares as well.

 

I would upgrade to the 994i, get that working, and begin your echo adventure after that.

 

Paul

Edited November 25, 20159 yr by paulbates

Hi K

 

Firrmware development for the 99 was sunset a while back, maybe over a year ago... no changes or fixes will be coming. The ISY Portal and Echo integration are being built on the 994i and recent firmware for it. The network module has been improved regularly in newer firmwares as well.

 

I would upgrade to the 994i, get that working, and begin your echo adventure after that.

 

Paul

I hear what your saying but if it will work without the expense and time of upgrading I'd like to try that first

 

K

You'll need the new portal in order to integrate the ISY with Echo. Neither he portal nor any other module is available for the 99.

The ISY99i to ISY994i Upgrade is on the Universal Devices Sales web page.

https://www.universal-devices.com/sales/

Thanks.  The upgrade looks like the way to go.  I assume I can use the same PLM from my old one correct?

 

K

Yes, you can use the same PLM. But, if it's two or more years old, then you may want to buy a back-up PLM now.

Is that because PLM's fail or there have been improvements?  I've had this PLM for several years

 

K

Both. The new plms are supposed to fix issues with cheap capacitors in previous versions that have been shown to fail at around 2 years. Not everyone has these failures. I had a USB PLM on homeseer that lasted well over 3 years and I was able to sell it when I came to ISY.

 

It comes down to your ability to weather a failure. If you can afford wait to order and receive a new PLM if yours goes bad, then hang on to the $$. If your automation can't be down 4 - 7 days, then have a backup ready.

If it is the older 2412S. The 2413S has a faster controller and memory.

Now that the 2413S hardware above 2.0 has the improved power supply. It should be more reliable.