Confused on devices, platforms, and compatibility

[Jamison_IO]

Hi all - 

 

I was all set to dive in with Insteon and ISY-994i (bought the ISY994iZw/IR PRO), but am getting concerned with a few things. 

The availability of Insteon stuff - very hard to find in stores, but Smartthings, Hue, Nest is everywhere - why? Is Insteon fading in light of all the other new companies introducing their new platforms? Is it too expensive ($50 for a switch, when other platforms offer them for much less)?

 

 

If it is controllable with Insteon Hub, can i assume I can control it in the same fashion with the ISY controller?

 

In this video

 

 

 

Dada mentions controlling Sonos, Homekit, Nest, etc. "We want our customers to know that when they bring it home it will work not only with our own branded products but with each other." Is this true? Can I go by a Nest or Ecobee thermostat and control it with little or no tweaking via the Insteon/ISY controller and view it on MobiLinc?

 

What about Sonos? The only thing I can find about controlling Sonos is a 2 year old thread (http://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/11716-insteon-and-sonos-with-isy-994i/), that still seems like a lot of extra work for the founder of the company to be acting like everything just works. Is this due to using the ISY and not the Insteon Hub?

 

I guess what I am looking for is a list of the devices/protocol/brands, etc. that I can go and buy in a store and use with my hardware (controller mentioned above and PLM) without having to do a ton of coding and without having a ton of separate apps, interfaces, etc.  Perhaps a description for us newbies on how the various pieces of the puzzle fit together (ISY, PLM, Insteon Devices, Z-Wave devices, IR devices, Wi-Fi cameras, and other platforms (Smartthings, Nest, Echo, Siri, etc.)) 

 

Thanks for any help.

[mwester]

(Opinion Alert!)

 

You're several years too early, based on what you describe.

 

The device/control nirvana you want is just not available yet.  Dada is doing a good "sales job" -- the reality is that there's just no "plug it in and it all works" solution.  For example, Sonos remains a closed ecosystem, mainly due to the fact that they do not publish their API -- with the result being that hobbyists have to reverse-engineer the messages on the network and hope that Sonos doesn't change it.

 

The ISY is a hobbyist's dream.  Universal Devices is unusually open with their user community; it's a joy to work with the device and with the company that manufactures it (quite the reverse is true of the SmartHome/Insteon hubs).  However, you'll not find the ISY to be a "plug something in and it magically works" sort of device.

 

We'll see where the market goes.  Apple has decided, in typical Apple fashion, that everyone else is stupid and wrong, and therefore they will design some custom hardware and strongarm the entire marketplace into doing home automation their way.  Microsoft has jumped into the fray - and in typical Microsoft fashion, nothing much interesting seems to be happening.  Google is getting in the game with Nest, but it's unclear if we'll see "Google outlets" and "Google lightswitches" any time soon.  As for the hub vendors (smartthings, hue, etc) - in my opinion, the end-game for these companies is not to become the gorilla in the space, but to see if they can get enough market share to be purchased by one of the big boys -- they don't seem to be after the "big picture" but rather all seem to be focused on making your light switches and toaster controllable from your iPhone.  That's not home automation - that's just remote control (moving the light switch from your wall to your phone).  UDI, with the ISY, is positioned to be the one central control point for all these disparate "little things".  But, alas, you need to be the brains that are going to decide what and how to automate.

 

In summary - if coming up with creative ideas and implementing them is fun for you, you'll enjoy the ISY.  If, on the other hand, you want things to "just work", you're several years too early yet.  If, on the third hand you just want to play with light switches on your iPhone - go for the Insteon hub.

[kohai]

I'm a newbie too in the last week or so.  

 

I think home automation is a pretty technical hobby.  I looked at Smartthings and others and saw that all of the controllers were requiring programming to do what I want to do -- that isn't unique to ISY.  To my newbie eyes reading the forums for competing controllers, it was clear that people are sharing their programs and ways to do things.   I didn't see a flexible controller that was preprogrammed to do everything with little effort.  I want flexibility and with that comes a bit of complexity.

 

I see the ISY as an aggregator of tools/platforms.  If you want to do Insteon you can do that.  If you want to have a z-wave lock, then you can do that too with your ISY (at the same time you are doing Insteon).  If something is reaching across the network (e.g. sonos), you can program that to do things.

 

This past weekend I've been playing with python queuing my sonos to play a doorbell chime (and resume playing music as applicable).  I've got it functioning and will share my script when I clean it up.  For most sonos use, the sonos app on my phone is much more convenient.  I only need to interact with it from the ISY when I want it to do something in an automated fashion.

[oberkc]

Insteon has never, in my experience, been widely available in stores. From time to time, I have seen a fewnstarter kits at Walmart or best buy, but not consistently.

 

Yes, I understand that the hub (at least one of the versions) can interface with certain non-insteon devices such as the nest or ecobee). This is unique to the hub and not available on the ISY without some level of coding. On the other hand, the ISY zwave version can support a bunch of zwave devices not supported by the hub. The harmony remotes can also control one of the hubs, also, which could be valuable.

 

I am unsure whether there is a list of compatible devices for the ISY, but I believe it safe to assume it is natively compatible withnall insteon devices and most zwave devices.

 

Still, the ISY can exert some level of control over most devices that can be controlled via IP or IR. Unfortunately, there is a bit of setup and/or programming required. I would not describe the support as "native".

 

If remote "control" via phone or tablet is your primary concern, and compatibility with certain key gadgets such as nest or sonos, I would favor the hub. If your priority is more into automation, insteon, and zwave, I would favor the ISY.

 

Neither offer broad support for cameras, in my mind. I view cameras as a separate function and use separate apps for this purpose.

[oberkc]

An additional comment, for iOS users. Mobilinc app can provide a good phone interface to the ISY, as well as broad support for cameras. Hub app, I understand, can support a very limited number of cameras.

[Teken]

 

 

The availability of Insteon stuff - very hard to find in stores <- Insteon is currently being sold in a few select brick and mortar stores which you can see the companies here: http://www.insteon.com/where-to-buy

 

Most people at this point in time favor Internet sales so this shouldn't dissuade you from purchasing any item.

 

but Smartthings, Hue, Nest is everywhere - why? <- Well besides better marketing and the fact the three companies you listed are a million times larger in terms of shear sales and global presence this isn't a surprise. When you compare it to Smarthome which is not even 1/100000000th of the three listed companies. Smartthings is owned by Samsung, Nest is owned by Google, and Hue is owned by Phillips.

 

Is Insteon fading in light of all the other new companies introducing their new platforms? Is it too expensive ($50 for a switch, when other platforms offer them for much less)? <- Insteon is not fading away as they are probably the only company to date to release at least one new product a year. When you compare it to the dozens of other Z-Wave / ZigBee supporting companies they are holding their own.

 

If you compare Insteon to any 2nd tier maker yes Insteon is more expansive but keep in mind the bulk of these devices do not have a tight eco system or the same wealth of product offerings like Insteon does. If you take a moment to review the technical white paper with respect to what each protocol offers in terms of features sets.

 

You will notice Insteon over all meets or beats others.

 

If you compare Insteon to 1st tier products that offer almost the same level of devices and features the price per switch is less with Insteon than other competing brands.

 

If it is controllable with Insteon Hub, can i assume I can control it in the same fashion with the ISY controller? <- Another forum member has provided a *How To* in integrating a Insteon HUB II with a 994 Series Controller. This has allowed some people to use the HUB II controller to access Apple Watch, Harmony Remote / HUB, NEST, etc. Do a search for this topic I created about the very thing.

 

Dada mentions controlling Sonos, Homekit, Nest, etc.  <- Insteon has two HUB's. The HUB II is not Apple Home Kit certified. The HUB Pro is and does allow more access to 3rd party devices which in the future will support the Apple Home Kit protocol. The current HUB II is what supports most of the new 3rd party devices like Nest, Harmony, and will at some point do the same for Sonos.

 

 

Answers in line . . .

 

NOTE: Home Automation has come a long way from the X-10 days. In many ways it still has lots of ground to cover and become fully automated and what most people would consider Plug & Play.

 

The problem has and will always be the lack of a common standard in the field. This has been seen in the computer industry for decades and finally most things are standardized. Even though in the PC industry there are standards it doesn't mean it will relay to being something practical.

 

Case in point Apple in their infinite wisdom decided to offer the first laptop ever to use USB Type C. Even though this standard is epic in their own right only a retard would purposely force a user to have one freaking I/O port.

 

How on Gods green earth is someone going to have a measure of fail over if that single port ever fails? Keeping in mind this single port is used to charge the device and also serve as I/O port. Because Apple is all about sucking every penny out of your pocket you will have the privilege of you guessed it.

 

Buy a $40.XX adapter to use a standard USB, Ethernet, Serial, what ever I/O you need!

 

So, as you can see just because there is a standard doesn't mean its going to be fun for the end user / consumer. If said vendor decides to offer a half baked solution and [censored]ize the same in hopes of convincing the iSheep its OK.

 

Keeping in mind Apple single handily was the first, and the rest of the morons followed in offering the first ever cell phone in recorded history that a battery could not be replaced! Followed with the first laptops to do the very same and not allow RAM, Battery, HD to be replaced, ever . . .

 

So where are we with HA these days?

 

My view is you can sit it out and wait for the next 2-5 years for the dust to settle and see where these clowns are headed. Or decide on a controller that will support multi protocol devices.

 

The nod does have to go to companies like Wink / Smarthings in supporting multi protocols. But in the big picture both are toys and and ultimately those who want more transition to a 994 Series Controller or similar like HS, or software solution.

 

With everyone coming out with their next big idea like thread, home kit, alljoyn, yes you guessed it. There will be another round of the *Gong Show* to be seen by the masses.

 

HA has always been a hobby for the tinker's and those who like to figure things out. At this point in time HA is a massive fad that will mostly die and go away and you will see lots of companies doing the same. The biggest and current lame method every Tom, Dick, and Harry is pushing is cloud based services.

 

Only a moron would literally let some unknown company / person have direct control, access, and service to your home via the so called virtual cloud.

 

The Insteon HUB is cloud based and if the cloud is ever sad you will have no method to remotely control, access, add / delete, created scenes as it requires the connection to their cloud hosted services. A 994 Series Controller is not cloud dependent at all but can and does integrate with many cloud based services like IFTT etc. 

Edited December 14, 2015 by Teken

[Jamison_IO]

Thanks everyone for the really great insight. It is much appreciated.

[larryllix]

Thanks everyone for the really great insight. It is much appreciated.

If you like to have things YOUR WAY then you made the right purchase!

 

ISY forever!

[lilyoyo1]

Teken's post answered most of what I have to say but I have some additonal comments. When it comes to HA, most companies want you in their ecosystem that they can control. It's like Hue stopping you from using 3rd party (they've since reverted back). When something doesnt work right, they get the blame as well as the tech calls for something they have no control over.

 

Secondly (as the hub style systems are called) these glorified remotes like smartthings doesnt actually do anything really good. They are party tricks. Great to show off but once the novelty wears off, they are no longer used.

 

All in one systems also do not fare well long term. In order to integrate different systems together and make it easy for the avg person, you lose out on a lot. Since these simple remotes aren't designed for any specific task they cannot go to deep into control. For example, if Insteon is capable of 20 different things, controller "A" may do 3 or 4 of those things because doing more would keep it from working with something else.

 

Systems such as the ISY only do a few protocols. However that focus allows them to take advantage of many offerings that those devices offer.

 

The question that everyone should ask themselves is if you want a controller that can control everything but does little, or a controller that controls a little but does everything

[hurnik]

I find this very interesting.  I have an isy 994i already with an Insteon PLM module.  I've tried a bunch of Android smartphone apps and none of them really worked well, so I have to use the Mobilinc one with the portal so it's like $30/year.  I'm debating about adding z-wave (or z-wave plus or whatever), and now I'm wondering if the mi casa verde stuff would be "better" in terms of UI/smartphone app.

 

My roomate bought a smartthings for his dad, but by the time they figured out it wouldn't work out for him, it was too late to return, so now there's a smartthings hub at home as well.

 

The insteon hub pro looks like it has some major issues (oh, did i mention I Have some insteon water sensors?)

 

I'm sure the isy is "powerful", but it took me like a whole day to get the darn water sensor to even semi-work by hunting around here to find a myriad of scripts (had a power outage a few weeks ago and now I'm not so sure the water sensor is in the right "mode" now).

 

Not terribly keen on the $30/year for smartphone support (but the mobilinc app is the "nicest" I've seen other than the actual insteon hub software, but the hub apparently doesn't work with the water sensors and the reviews aren't all that great).

 

The pricing between z-wave and insteon seems about the same (ie, $40-45 for say, a light switch that's wired into the wall for both protocols), so I wouldn't say either one is really "cheaper".  I usually buy from smarthome although I think home depot (or is it Lowes?) sells some z-wave stuff. 

 

I guess I'm at a crossroads and not sure what to do.

 

Ideally:

 

I'd like a hub/thingy that worked with Insteon and z-wave WITH a better software UI and smartphone app that didn't run me $30/year and lots of time to setup.  I don't really have anything fancy other than:

turn this on at X time, and alert me when water is spraying everywhere.

 

Originally I went with the isy because I did not want to have a computer powered up 24/7 with a serial cable/usb cable to the insteon "hub/whatever" to use the fancy software.

 

However, I've since setup a VMware server and run some VM's (mostly linux), so if absolutely necessary I could use some other software to do the more "easy" setup/programming --if such a beast exists.

 

Anyway thanks for letting me blab.

--Kevin

[Teken]

I find this very interesting. I have an isy 994i already with an Insteon PLM module. I've tried a bunch of Android smartphone apps and none of them really worked well, so I have to use the Mobilinc one with the portal so it's like $30/year. I'm debating about adding z-wave (or z-wave plus or whatever), and now I'm wondering if the mi casa verde stuff would be "better" in terms of UI/smartphone app.

 

My roomate bought a smartthings for his dad, but by the time they figured out it wouldn't work out for him, it was too late to return, so now there's a smartthings hub at home as well.

 

The insteon hub pro looks like it has some major issues (oh, did i mention I Have some insteon water sensors?)

 

I'm sure the isy is "powerful", but it took me like a whole day to get the darn water sensor to even semi-work by hunting around here to find a myriad of scripts (had a power outage a few weeks ago and now I'm not so sure the water sensor is in the right "mode" now).

 

Not terribly keen on the $30/year for smartphone support (but the mobilinc app is the "nicest" I've seen other than the actual insteon hub software, but the hub apparently doesn't work with the water sensors and the reviews aren't all that great).

 

The pricing between z-wave and insteon seems about the same (ie, $40-45 for say, a light switch that's wired into the wall for both protocols), so I wouldn't say either one is really "cheaper". I usually buy from smarthome although I think home depot (or is it Lowes?) sells some z-wave stuff.

 

I guess I'm at a crossroads and not sure what to do.

 

Ideally:

 

I'd like a hub/thingy that worked with Insteon and z-wave WITH a better software UI and smartphone app that didn't run me $30/year and lots of time to setup. I don't really have anything fancy other than:

turn this on at X time, and alert me when water is spraying everywhere.

 

Originally I went with the isy because I did not want to have a computer powered up 24/7 with a serial cable/usb cable to the insteon "hub/whatever" to use the fancy software.

 

However, I've since setup a VMware server and run some VM's (mostly linux), so if absolutely necessary I could use some other software to do the more "easy" setup/programming --if such a beast exists.

 

Anyway thanks for letting me blab.

--Kevin

Hello Kevin,

 

Just to clarify the portal is $49.00 for two years not one. So that's $24.50 per year, which as I understand it UDI struggled on whether to have a subscription fee module.

 

In the big picture this should provide a nice revenue stream for the company. Keeping in mind their intent is to continue development so other third party hardware / cloud services can be integrated with the 994 Series Controller.

 

I too can't stand any kind of subscription services! But unlike other companies around the world this isn't a fad or a nice to have service for UDI.

 

It's a long term roadmap that will hopefully allow tighter integration with other third party devices which are all the rage now.

 

 

Ideals are peaceful - History is violent

Edited December 23, 2015 by Teken

[oberkc]

Remember, too, that the subscription is optional. I use mobilinc on Android with no annual fee.

[kohai]

I find this very interesting.  I have an isy 994i already with an Insteon PLM module.  I've tried a bunch of Android smartphone apps and none of them really worked well, so I have to use the Mobilinc one with the portal so it's like $30/year.  I'm debating about adding z-wave (or z-wave plus or whatever), and now I'm wondering if the mi casa verde stuff would be "better" in terms of UI/smartphone app.

 

My roomate bought a smartthings for his dad, but by the time they figured out it wouldn't work out for him, it was too late to return, so now there's a smartthings hub at home as well.

 

The insteon hub pro looks like it has some major issues (oh, did i mention I Have some insteon water sensors?)

 

I'm sure the isy is "powerful", but it took me like a whole day to get the darn water sensor to even semi-work by hunting around here to find a myriad of scripts (had a power outage a few weeks ago and now I'm not so sure the water sensor is in the right "mode" now).

 

Not terribly keen on the $30/year for smartphone support (but the mobilinc app is the "nicest" I've seen other than the actual insteon hub software, but the hub apparently doesn't work with the water sensors and the reviews aren't all that great).

 

The pricing between z-wave and insteon seems about the same (ie, $40-45 for say, a light switch that's wired into the wall for both protocols), so I wouldn't say either one is really "cheaper".  I usually buy from smarthome although I think home depot (or is it Lowes?) sells some z-wave stuff. 

 

I guess I'm at a crossroads and not sure what to do.

 

Ideally:

 

I'd like a hub/thingy that worked with Insteon and z-wave WITH a better software UI and smartphone app that didn't run me $30/year and lots of time to setup.  I don't really have anything fancy other than:

turn this on at X time, and alert me when water is spraying everywhere.

 

Originally I went with the isy because I did not want to have a computer powered up 24/7 with a serial cable/usb cable to the insteon "hub/whatever" to use the fancy software.

 

However, I've since setup a VMware server and run some VM's (mostly linux), so if absolutely necessary I could use some other software to do the more "easy" setup/programming --if such a beast exists.

 

Anyway thanks for letting me blab.

--Kevin

 

I think there is a steep learning curve with home automation.  Often instructions are written for people that are familiar with it and that is frustrating to us newbies.  I used to do a lot of system administration and was always very annoyed when I ran into a problem and the error message said "Please contact your system administrator."  That was me and I didn't know the answer!

 

I'm trying to get my Centralite lighting system setup to talk to my ISY and the instructions are definitely written for someone that already has experience with the system (RS232 serial connection, yep).  I've just discovered that when the previous home owner finished the basement, they put a different Centralite system in the basement.  Doh.  Now my main floor is one system that is hard wired (Centralite Elegance) and the basement is another system based on Zigbee (Centralite Jetstream).  I'm messing with z-wave so I think I'm going to end up needing to connect two lighting systems into my ISY.  And, I end up with zigbee and z-wave in the same house which I read is doable.  blah blah blah.  That's a long way of saying things get complicated fast and I'm a newbie.

 

I think I fall into the camp of wanting to automate things but not wanting to just do things on my phone that I can already do (e.g. I don't need to turn the lights on from my phone but I may want the entry light to turn on automatically when someone rings the doorbell).  

 

The more I play around with it, the more ideas I get on how to use it.  I started out with just a couple "nice to have" things but my list is getting a bit longer.  I started with a doorbell, water sensors, and freezer temperature.  Now I'm finding other ideas that will be neat.

[Jamison_IO]

Since I started this with some very vague questions, i will ask some specific ones, too.

 

Thermostats: it seems like the venstar ones are preferred, but I can figure out why. I want to be able to program, adjust based on motion and/or some sort of "away" scene. Data tracking would be fun, too. Thoughts?

 

Cameras: sounds like these are pretty independent of the isy. In order to use these remotely, I plan on using mobilinc. Is that accurate?

 

Can the isy control other wifi connected devices, with or without the hub that is associated with the devices (e.g., smart things, wink)

 

Can I assume when I see "Z-Wave" I will be able to use those in the same manner as I can with the insteon stuff?

 

When wiring a traditional three way switch, it would seem to me that there would be a way to not need both switches to be "smart". Isn't it possible to use one smart switch that can know the status of the light and also know whether or not the other switch has been activated based on a shift in electrical current to the smart switch?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 23, 2015 by Jamison_IO

[Teken]

Since I started this with some very vague questions, i will ask some specific ones, too.

 

Thermostats: it seems like the venstar ones are preferred, but I can figure out why. <-- You have many choices here if you want to stick with Insteon you can use their home made units. If you have the Z-Wave hardware upgrade you can select what ever brand you like that meets your budget and feature needs. Venstar is a field proven TSTAT maker in the industry and they don't make toasters, ovens, etc that is not a core product of what they do.

 

They make HVAC hardware devices for Industry and consumers at a very reasonable value / price level. Newer Venstar TSTAT's have gained popularity because a few ingenious coders have made middle ware that allows more native (local) control over the unit. Keep in mind this also requires you to purchase the network module and prop up a computer system running Windows / Linux 24.7.365.

 

I want to be able to program, adjust based on motion and/or some sort of "away" scene. <-- This can be done out of the box with no other costs involved.

 

Data tracking would be fun, too. Thoughts? <-- Many of the newer cloud based TSTAT's offer some kind of data aggregation. You can also do this via the Network module once you have set up the proper variable programs. 

Cameras: sounds like these are pretty independent of the isy. In order to use these remotely, I plan on using mobilinc. Is that accurate? <- Yes

 

Can the isy control other wifi connected devices, with or without the hub that is associated with the devices (e.g., smart things, wink) <-- If the device has some kind of open network API then almost anything is possible.

 

Can I assume when I see "Z-Wave" I will be able to use those in the same manner as I can with the insteon stuff? <-- Yes with some caveats at the moment anything that is a multi channel is not fully supported. But this feature is fast approaching release and public testing. Also keep in mind the current 994 Series Controller is not Z-Wave + Plus enabled but will operate these devices but will not be able to offer the same speed, distance, encryption, etc.

 

When wiring a traditional three way switch, it would seem to me that there would be a way to not need both switches to be "smart". Isn't it possible to use one smart switch that can know the status of the light and also know whether or not the other switch has been activated based on a shift in electrical current to the smart switch? <-- Slave (dumb) switches were used and offered in the X-10 days. Insteon does not offer anything like that and probably won't.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Answers in line . . .

[oberkc]

Only the iOS version of mobilinc supports the viewing of cameras.  Android does not.  I use IPCamviewer on my android phone and tablets to view cameras.

[Jamison_IO]

Awesome info guys. Thanks. And I have the 994iz IR pro, FWIW.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Teken]

Awesome info guys. Thanks. And I have the 994iz IR pro, FWIW.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

My humble suggestion is to set up your Insteon network so it operates on a basic level. Once that is done you can move forward and become accustomed to how the 994 Series Controller uses If, Then, Else conditions in its state driven logic. Once you get a basic handle of conditional programming you have many directions you can move toward.

 

Do you wish to integrate a TSTAT?

 

If so what are you looking for simple Insteon integration if so buy it from Smartlabs. If you believe you need more control and features then you can purchase any of the Z-Wave products or a networked TSTAT like Venstar.

 

Next, are you looking to interface with more 3rd party devices and services?

 

If yes then the network module is in your future . . . If you want to have even more integration with other fad products like the Amazon Echo / IFTT then you can purchase the portal integration module with reoccurring fee.

Edited December 23, 2015 by Teken

[Jamison_IO]

Sounds good. I am planning on doing just what you suggested. Get a couple switches installed and go from there.

 

I may pick up some stuff that could include the hub. Is there any need for the hub of i have the ISY and PLM?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Teken]

Sounds good. I am planning on doing just what you suggested. Get a couple switches installed and go from there.

 

I may pick up some stuff that could include the hub. Is there any need for the hub of i have the ISY and PLM?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you look under my profile there is a thread I created that details how another forum member was able to integrate the HUB II with the 994 Series Controller. Doing so allowed them to have native Apple Watch, Echo, Harmony support.

 

All the while still having the power and flexibility of the ISY-994 Series Controller.

[Jamison_IO]

I'll give that a look. I just looked that the reviews for the hub "Pro" and they are terrible. Is there a difference between the Pro and the "II" that you mentioned?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Teken]

I'll give that a look. I just looked that the reviews for the hub "Pro" and they are terrible. Is there a difference between the Pro and the "II" that you mentioned?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The HUB II supports Insteon and the three brands I mentioned above. The HUB Pro is Apple Home Kit certified and enabled.

 

It will allow you to *ideally* integrate with any home kit device in the market place.

 

It does not support Echo though.

 

 

Ideals are peaceful - History is violent

[Jamison_IO]

Aye Carumba.

[Jamison_IO]

If you look under my profile there is a thread I created that details how another forum member was able to integrate the HUB II with the 994 Series Controller. Doing so allowed them to have native Apple Watch, Echo, Harmony support.

 

All the while still having the power and flexibility of the ISY-994 Series Controller.

 

I clicked on your profile and didn't see any links.

[stusviews]

You can use Echo with the 2245 Hub. No scenes, no secondary buttons and a few other restriction. The ISY is also Echo compatible by adding a portal and is currently rudimentary, but is improving daily. Have you been reading the Echo related posts?