How to program insteon thermostat from computer

[JSchumann]

I have Insteon with PLM and just got insteon thermostat.  How can I program the thermostat from a computer vice directly on the thermostat.  I tried houselinc, but it won't work with PLM/Isy.

 

Thanks,

John

[stusviews]

Have you added the thermostat to the ISY? Virtually all features can be adjusted using ISY programs, times, modes, set-points, etc.. Have you created any programs at all using the ISY?

[JSchumann]

Have you added the thermostat to the ISY? Virtually all features can be adjusted using ISY programs, times, modes, set-points, etc.. Have you created any programs at all using the ISY?

Yes it is added.  I can write a program using the thermostat.  What I want to do is program the time/temp features built in the thermostat.  Where is that done from?

[apostolakisl]

That is done from the thermostat.  You can't set the thermostat internal programming from anywhere but the thermostat itself.

 

Personally, I write programs in ISY to control the thermostat and don't use the built in thermostat programming at all.

[stusviews]

I do both, keeping in mind that programs won't function if the ISY fails or develops a problem, plus programs are easy to create on-the-fly.

[JSchumann]

Looks like I should just get a Honeywell. I heard there were coming out with an insteon compatible model.

[stusviews]

What response caused you to change your mind? And which Honeywell thermostat? Not all are ISY compatible? I know of none that are Insteon compatible, do you have a link?

[JSchumann]

What response caused you to change your mind? And which Honeywell thermostat? Not all are ISY compatible? I know of none that are Insteon compatible, do you have a link?

The one stating I can only do day/time programming from the thermostat.  I have a Honeywell in a rental property and it beats the insteon in all aspects.  It if doesn't integrate with my isy, oh well, the honeywell app is great.

[stusviews]

Which post claimed that. I see one that indicates that you can only do internal programming from the thermostat. The same post also says that all programming can be done from the ISY.

 

I do both. I set up schedules on the thermostat and I also use programs to change those internal setting as the need arises. I also have a button that turns off the thermostat when we leave and restores the settings when we return.

 

Our Echobee thermostats do that automatically. Honeywell thermostats don't. The problem we had with Honeywell WiFi voice thermostats was that they responded at various time unexpectedly without being asked. Somewhat disconcerting.

 

I haven't tried Honeywell Z-Wave thermostats, but I have no complaint about their conventional thermostats except that they lacked off-site control. Honeywell makes dozens of thermostats. Which do you have in mind?

 

BTW, I'll mention again since you already have the Insteon thermostat. you can program it internally, you can program it exclusively using the ISY or you can do a combination of both

[apostolakisl]

Why so set on programming the thermostat from a computer?

 

You can have a default program on the thermostat's internal programming and have ISY over-ride it always, sometimes, or never.  ISY of course has a virtually limitless set of possibilities as triggers to change the thermostat.  You can have it change 100 times per day if you like based on anything that ISY can access.

 

1) time, date (specific like 11/13/17 or general like every 12/25)

2) outside temp

3) inside temp

4) motion sensors

5) alarm system

6) activity on any device linked to isy (like if someone manually turns on a light it could indicate building occupied)

7) if you have your phone posting REST commands to ISY you can do geo-location or other phone stuff like when your phone logs off of your work wifi it turns on and when you log into your home wifi it turns on.

 

You can use your imagination for others.  In short, if you can make ISY aware of something, you can make it affect your hvac.

[JSchumann]

Which post claimed that. I see one that indicates that you can only do internal programming from the thermostat. The same post also says that all programming can be done from the ISY.

 

I do both. I set up schedules on the thermostat and I also use programs to change those internal setting as the need arises. I also have a button that turns off the thermostat when we leave and restores the settings when we return.

 

Our Echobee thermostats do that automatically. Honeywell thermostats don't. The problem we had with Honeywell WiFi voice thermostats was that they responded at various time unexpectedly without being asked. Somewhat disconcerting.

 

I haven't tried Honeywell Z-Wave thermostats, but I have no complaint about their conventional thermostats except that they lacked off-site control. Honeywell makes dozens of thermostats. Which do you have in mind?

 

BTW, I'll mention again since you already have the Insteon thermostat. you can program it internally, you can program it exclusively using the ISY or you can do a combination of both

So I do not want to stand in front of each thermostat pressing 100 buttons to walk through programming the days and times.  How can I do it from the computer and make the setting stick in the thermostat?

John

[JSchumann]

Why so set on programming the thermostat from a computer?

 

You can have a default program on the thermostat's internal programming and have ISY over-ride it always, sometimes, or never.  ISY of course has a virtually limitless set of possibilities as triggers to change the thermostat.  You can have it change 100 times per day if you like based on anything that ISY can access.

 

1) time, date (specific like 11/13/17 or general like every 12/25)

2) outside temp

3) inside temp

4) motion sensors

5) alarm system

6) activity on any device linked to isy (like if someone manually turns on a light it could indicate building occupied)

7) if you have your phone posting REST commands to ISY you can do geo-location or other phone stuff like when your phone logs off of your work wifi it turns on and when you log into your home wifi it turns on.

 

You can use your imagination for others.  In short, if you can make ISY aware of something, you can make it affect your hvac.

This is all great but I don't want to get that deep yet.  All I want to do is program the thermostat internals without having to stand in front of it for 10 minutes pressing a button 100 times to get through it all.

[stusviews]

Create a program with a From and To time (If). Add the mode and the temperature (Then). Do that for each schedule you want. The setting will not be written to the thermostat. If you want the setting written to the thermostat, then you need to do that at the thermostat. You can copy the setting from day to day, so it's all not that difficult.

 

Any program you create with the ISY will override the the thermostat settings, that's why I do both. Programming the thermostat itself only needs to be done once, but you can alter ISY programs as needed.

[apostolakisl]

This is all great but I don't want to get that deep yet.  All I want to do is program the thermostat internals without having to stand in front of it for 10 minutes pressing a button 100 times to get through it all.

OK, so write a program that says at 8am set thermostat to auto heat 68 cool 72

at 8pm set thermostat to auto heat 65 cool 78

 

or whatever.  You can do 

at 8am on mon,tue,wed,thurs,fri set to . . or whatever.

[ScottAvery]

This is all great but I don't want to get that deep yet.  All I want to do is program the thermostat internals without having to stand in front of it for 10 minutes pressing a button 100 times to get through it all.

 

As stated above, this is simply not possible as the internal memory cannot be accessed remotely.  For common usage with the ISY this is not in fact a problem as you don't want the thermostat itself to be the primary controller when you have a much more powerful controller available, with access to more sensor data and capability for complex decision making.  The most compelling reasons to use an Insteon thermostat are: 1) that you DO have direct control of the device from ISY without third party tools or cloud access, 2) the device sends insteon signals that can be used in scenes directly, such as to turn on fans when it calls for cool, and 3) it can also directly link wireless thermostats for additional control points.  There are plenty of Zwave and wifi thermostats with better internal features, but you will have to do more work to integrate them with the rest of your home.  Ecobee seems popular in that regard.

 

Is the ISY going to be in another home or will you have an ISY local to the thermostat?

[JSchumann]

As stated above, this is simply not possible as the internal memory cannot be accessed remotely.  For common usage with the ISY this is not in fact a problem as you don't want the thermostat itself to be the primary controller when you have a much more powerful controller available, with access to more sensor data and capability for complex decision making.  The most compelling reasons to use an Insteon thermostat are: 1) that you DO have direct control of the device from ISY without third party tools or cloud access, 2) the device sends insteon signals that can be used in scenes directly, such as to turn on fans when it calls for cool, and 3) it can also directly link wireless thermostats for additional control points.  There are plenty of Zwave and wifi thermostats with better internal features, but you will have to do more work to integrate them with the rest of your home.  Ecobee seems popular in that regard.

 

Is the ISY going to be in another home or will you have an ISY local to the thermostat?

Local, Installed and working OK.  Can control from Mobilink.  Just a pain to program times / schedules from the unit.

[ScottAvery]

Local, Installed and working OK.  Can control from Mobilink.  Just a pain to program times / schedules from the unit.

 

Stu explained in #13 how to schedule with an ISY.  It is all done with programs in the admin console.  Create a folder for it if you want to keep it neat and easy to read.  Seasonal folders with a date condition would be even better.

[apostolakisl]

Local, Installed and working OK.  Can control from Mobilink.  Just a pain to program times / schedules from the unit.

 

You keep saying the same thing.  

 

PROGRAMMING ON-THERMOSTAT IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY IF YOU HAVE AN ISY

 

ISY programs are fully capable of doing everything you might do with the on-thermostat programs plus, for all intents and purposes, infinitely more things.  And it is all done from a computer which could theoretically be anywhere in the world.

 

EDIT: And putting a "backup" program on the thermostat in the event that something happens to the ISY doesn't really work.  If the ISY goes down, the thermostat will not revert to its own program, it will continue however it was last set by ISY.  So unless the last thing ISY did was set the thermostat to use its own on-thermstat program (which ISY can do), it will just keep right on as ISY last set it until something changes that.

[ScottAvery]

EDIT: And putting a "backup" program on the thermostat in the event that something happens to the ISY doesn't really work.  If the ISY goes down, the thermostat will not revert to its own program, it will continue however it was last set by ISY.  So unless the last thing ISY did was set the thermostat to use its own on-thermstat program (which ISY can do), it will just keep right on as ISY last set it until something changes that.

 

 I always thought it was just for convenience that we ignored the on-device schedule, but this statement puts the nail in the coffin.