FWIW new news to me: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/seattle-startup-vet-rob-lilleness-acquires-smartlabs-investing-7-3m-home-automation-company/

Actually very old news and has been discussed here a few times.

 

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This is good news. Thanks for the link.

This is good news. Thanks for the link.

You should read this forum more often.

 

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FWIW new news to me: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/seattle-startup-vet-rob-lilleness-acquires-smartlabs-investing-7-3m-home-automation-company/

Article was released June 13 but thanks! Some may not have seen this news before!

 

We are hoping some new blood may help us all out with Insteon improvements before it dies completely.

Article was released June 13 but thanks! Some may not have seen this news before!

 

We are hoping some new blood may help us all out with Insteon improvements before it dies completely.

We've been bleeding for years. We need more than blood.

 

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You should read this forum more often.

 

Thanks for your opinion. 

You should read this forum more often.

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And maybe some should perhaps respond less

And maybe some should perhaps respond less

Yes, Larry really should.

 

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I have see what looks like an encouraging thing. Relates to their HUB which seems to have a similar power supply issue as the PLM.

In the Smarthome Forums. A user with a 2 year 4 month HUB. Talked to Customer Service and that offered to replace it and send a Device List to assist in installing it. I believe a prepaid return label was also sent.

 

They also offered a just started HUB repair option that would have a longer lead time.

http://forum.smarthome.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19118

 

I hope this is a sign that the new owners want to improve the bad Insteon reputation on some of its less than satisfying modules. Like the PLM and HUB.

I have see what looks like an encouraging thing. Relates to their HUB which seems to have a similar power supply issue as the PLM.

In the Smarthome Forums. A user with a 2 year 4 month HUB. Talked to Customer Service and that offered to replace it and send a Device List to assist in installing it. I believe a prepaid return label was also sent.

 

They also offered a just started HUB repair option that would have a longer lead time.

http://forum.smarthome.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19118

 

I hope this is a sign that the new owners want to improve the bad Insteon reputation on some of its less than satisfying modules. Like the PLM and HUB.

Brian, they did a similar thing when the initial hub 1s had to be firmware upgraded in 2012. You sent your old Insteon address in, and they flashed the Insteon Address of the old one on the replacement hub and shipped it. There was a ~$200 deposit to get you to send the old one back.

 

Paul

 

 

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I'm not so sure I agree 100% with your policework there, Rob. 

 

The dual band nature of Insteon made (note the past tense) it relevant while the industry transitioned from PLC type technologies (e.g., X10) to wireless protocols, but the future of Insteon does not bode well as it's proprietary protocol will give way to more open wireless standards. Protocols such as 802.11ax, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), Bluetooth LE, 6LowPAN, and the like are working their way into the marketplace, and support for these can be found in the specifications for near-future residential routers and wireless APs. The chips for these protocols will be far less expensive than Insteon due to the open nature of the protocols, and implementation of these protocols into devices will see an elimination of the need for hubs or gateways, the movement of configuration and interactive control to cloud based services, and the replacement of dedicated hardware controllers (like the ISY 994i, I'm afraid) with software modules and plugins that run on the residential router.

 

Of course, none of this has yet come to fruition, and those of us with large Insteon installations can hope that both SmartLabs and UDI's efforts will benefit us in the short term. But I wouldn't be investing in Insteon, at this point - that ship sailed about 5 years ago.

Edited October 19, 20178 yr by kingwr

I'm not so sure I agree 100% with your policework there, Rob.

 

The dual band nature of Insteon made (note the past tense) it relevant while the industry transitioned from PLC type technologies (e.g., X10) to wireless protocols, but the future of Insteon does not bode well as it's proprietary protocol will give way to more open wireless standards. Protocols such as 802.11ax, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), Bluetooth LE, 6LowPAN, and the like are working their way into the marketplace, and support for these can be found in the specifications for near-future residential routers and wireless APs. The chips for these protocols will be far less expensive than Insteon due to the open nature of the protocols, and implementation of these protocols into devices will see an elimination of the need for hubs or gateways, the movement of configuration and interactive control to cloud based services, and the replacement of dedicated hardware controllers (like the ISY 994i, I'm afraid) with software modules and plugins that run on the residential router.

 

Of course, none of this has yet come to fruition, and those of us with large Insteon installations can hope that both SmartLabs and UDI's efforts will benefit us in the short term. But I wouldn't be investing in Insteon, at this point - that ship sailed about 5 years ago.

There have already been a few routers that incorporate HA protocol features from Almond Google, etc. From a basic consumer stand point at a high level it makes sense.

 

When you get into the details having a router also be your smart controller makes no sense at all. The vast majority of consumer grade routers are under powered, lack luster in advanced features, and offer throw away reliability!! [emoji35]

 

RE: Smartlabs / Insteon market potential. I'm going to give the new guy some rope to see what he does with the company. Considering his first move was to prop up a software Department in Seattle gives him a gold star.

 

Whether that is focused upon the third generation Insteon protocol (I hope so) to bring it into 2017 standards like 128 bit encryption similar to Z-Wave.

 

Who knows . . . [emoji848]

 

What I do hope to see is a focused effort by Rob is to iterate existing products with the *Wish List* ideas list!!! [emoji106]

 

There are too many sub par items like the siren, alert module, synchro link, I/O linc, energy display, iMeter, Hub.

 

And less we all forget the 2413S PLM!!! Perhaps this would be a good time for UDI to revisit the Global PLM with the new boss??

 

It's apparent to me Joe Dadda had zero vision for Insteon in 2015, 2016, 2017, etc. In all those years they never once added more global products to the market place. Yet our brothers & sisters across the globe begged and pleaded for more insteon hardware. [emoji22]

 

Yet not a damn thing came out of China to fill that need.

 

That my friends was the missed boat!!! [emoji35] Well besides the Global PLM.

 

Glad Joe Dadda is gone because he single handily killed Insteon.