What do I lose/gain moving from ISY Portal To MobiLinc X Portal?

[brians]

Seems that I can only have one or the other.

Currently I have Amazon Alexa integrated with it and I use MobiLinc Pro. I presume if I change over to MobiLinc Portal, start using MobiLinc X, subscribe then I would have to reconfigure it.

I would also lose PolyGlot cloud, but I see nothing compelling on it really and the things I have tried on it are not very reliable. I presume local PolyGlot local server would continue to work?

Besides MobiLinc X subscription being significantly more than an ISY Portal subscription, what real benefits do I get? Seems like a different more expensive way to get features already in Portal. I see there is more advanced push notifications with variables (I use pushover with network module right now) and better Alexa integration.

Is it similar way to setup devices and spokens with Alexa?

It seems that there is only an iPhone version. If an iPad version of MobiLinc X is developed will it use the awful portrait mode with real-looking switches like MobiLinc HD does? I absolutely hate that mode and am currently using MobiLinc Pro on my iPad in Zoom mode. Would MobiLinc X work good in zoom mode also on iPad and hoping when iPad version is released it is normal looking?

It is not that easy to do a trial because I have to redo portals and considering only a 14 day trial seems like a lot of effort for something that is not explained/advertised very well.. Seems like a very lack of information about this in this app here in UID forums and noting on mobilinc fourms other than some vague information about it. There is zero activity about it on mobilinc forums or here and this has me concerned about even trying it.

 

 

[lilyoyo1]

5 minutes ago, brians said:

Seems that I can only have one or the other.

Currently I have Amazon Alexa integrated with it and I use MobiLinc Pro. I presume if I change over to MobiLinc Portal, start using MobiLinc X, subscribe then I would have to reconfigure it.

I would also lose PolyGlot cloud, but I see nothing compelling on it really and the things I have tried on it are not very reliable. I presume local PolyGlot local server would continue to work?

Besides MobiLinc X subscription being significantly more than an ISY Portal subscription, what real benefits do I get? Seems like a different more expensive way to get features already in Portal. I see there is more advanced push notifications with variables (I use pushover with network module right now) and better Alexa integration.

Is it similar way to setup devices and spokens with Alexa?

It seems that there is only an iPhone version. If an iPad version of MobiLinc X is developed will it use the awful portrait mode with real-looking switches like MobiLinc HD does? I absolutely hate that mode and am currently using MobiLinc Pro on my iPad in Zoom mode. Would MobiLinc X work good in zoom mode also on iPad and hoping when iPad version is released it is normal looking?

It is not that easy to do a trial because I have to redo portals and considering only a 14 day trial seems like a lot of effort for something that is not explained/advertised very well.. Seems like a very lack of information about this in this app here in UID forums and noting on mobilinc fourms other than some vague information about it. There is zero activity about it on mobilinc forums or here and this has me concerned about even trying it.

 

 

I wouldn't look at the lack of information here as an indictment of mobilinc x. Here, you have the regulars who are least likely to use it due to the structure of it. They want more control over their system vs being locked into the subscription service. 

On the flip side, you have the general users who come here when they need help. Most likely they depend more on an app so the interface as well as the setup doesn't bother them. 

When it comes to providing information, it's hard to give specifics as each user setup is unique. Wes does cover the basics of Mobilinc x and what it provides but it's really up to the user to determine which is the best route to go for them.

You do lose the network module (unless purchased separately) if you get rid of isy portal. However that can be purchased as a standalone module if you want to run nodeservers on an RPI. 

Only you can ascertain whether or not it's worth the trouble switching. The questions I would ask myself is why do I want to change? If it's for the interface then there's your answer. If it's simply for something new- now that's the tough one. 

If this isn't a concern to you then you're ok. Mobilinc portal can give you everything the isy portal has. 

[Geddy]

My view would be personal preference. Sounds like we have same setup (ISY Portal w/ MobiLinc Pro/HD). It works well for what I do with it as I don't need much of the flash and flare that might be out with MobiLinc X and the portal subscription that it requires. The lower cost of ISY portal and integration with Alexa and the limited App usage we have have not made me want to consider other options. 

If you've got more of the camera and added devices that the MobiLinc X supports then you might want more flash and flare. I might open the MobiLinc app a few times a month. Having the ISY and Alexa working does 99% of what we want when we're in the home. When away from the home we don't usually need/want to turn lights on and off, but when we do the MobiLinc Pro works fine.

Agreed there is limited stuff online to encourage the need to change, but comes down to is what you're doing working? Do you want to change for the sake of change, or do you need to change for something the new app/portal would offer for your situation.

 

 

[brians]

@lilyoyo1 Thanks for the response. My issue is that there is no real information I can find the help my even determine if it is worth the trouble. I know these programs have a niche market but I Have not been able to find a real review/overview of how MobiLinc X works with ISY covering all its major features.

I guess I won't put top priority looking into it until I see some more info on it. Maybe if they made it work in conjunction with ISY Portal it would attract more interest.

 

 

 

[brians]

7 minutes ago, Geddy said:

My view would be personal preference. Sounds like we have same setup (ISY Portal w/ MobiLinc Pro/HD). It works well for what I do with it as I don't need much of the flash and flare that might be out with MobiLinc X and the portal subscription that it requires. The lower cost of ISY portal and integration with Alexa and the limited App usage we have have not made me want to consider other options. 

If you've got more of the camera and added devices that the MobiLinc X supports then you might want more flash and flare. I might open the MobiLinc app a few times a month. Having the ISY and Alexa working does 99% of what we want when we're in the home. When away from the home we don't usually need/want to turn lights on and off, but when we do the MobiLinc Pro works fine.

Agreed there is limited stuff online to encourage the need to change, but comes down to is what you're doing working? Do you want to change for the sake of change, or do you need to change for something the new app/portal would offer for your situation.

 

 

I wonder if I am missing out on something that MobiLinc X offers over Pro. Because I have to get rid of ISY portal to even do a trial (even to see how app looks regardless of any new connectivity features) then I am not inclined to go through all that effort unless I have a bit more info about the product. So far I see absolutely nothing recent on it.. no Youtube reviews, 3rd party reviews, nobody talking about it even on their forums etc. Maybe I would subscribe to it just because it looks nicer than MobiLinc Pro (it is looking a bit dated) but it is not convenient to trial it.

 

 

 

[InsteonNut]

Hi @brians,

Happy to answer your questions here. 

MobiLinc X is pretty new and I haven't been pushing it hard...yet. I've been focused on building in new features as fast as possible and I haven't had the space yet to open a dedicated forum for it yet. Most folks just email my support email directly if the website and trialing doesn't answer any questions: https://mobilinc.com/apps/mobilincx/

There are a couple of major differences aside from the modernization of the UI. MobiLinc X is all about syncing data as fast as possible. With MobiLinc X and our MobiLinc Portal, our servers keep in sync with your ISY in real-time. No one else can do this with the ISY and offers up the following features because of this advanced real-time sync service we developed:

1. No app-side syncing. You open MobiLinc X and you immediately see your home's status and control things instantly.  
2. Any custom settings you have for your items in MobiLinc X are real-time synced to all your iOS AND Android devices.
3. If you are on the "Family" subscription tier, you can have any number of users on your ISY for MobiLinc X that all get their own syncing Recently Used, Favorites, and other custom app settings all synced to their set of devices. 

With MobiLinc X we revamped the pricing and made just one simple price structure that includes everything at the tier level. No other in-app purchases, no other subscriptions. Just one simple price and you get everything at that level now and in the future.

MobiLinc X supports Alexa, Google Home, and our official IFTTT channel that integrates thousands of products and services with your ISY. 

You can use a local Polyglot server (or the new Polyisy once released) with our MobiLinc Portal as these are two different (and non-interfering) products for the ISY. On the long term roadmap is to get better Polyglot support in MobiLinc X.

Trialing is really easy. Just switch portals to MobiLinc and download MobiLinc X. You don't have to switch Alexa/Google Home in the trial. If you decide to keep MobiLinc X, you can link our Alexa/Google Home skill and add your spoken names directly in MobiLinc X.

Wes

[asbril]

1 hour ago, lilyoyo1 said:

I wouldn't look at the lack of information here as an indictment of mobilinc x. Here, you have the regulars who are least likely to use it due to the structure of it. They want more control over their system vs being locked into the subscription service. 

On the flip side, you have the general users who come here when they need help. Most likely they depend more on an app so the interface as well as the setup doesn't bother them. 

When it comes to providing information, it's hard to give specifics as each user setup is unique. Wes does cover the basics of Mobilinc x and what it provides but it's really up to the user to determine which is the best route to go for them.

You do lose the network module (unless purchased separately) if you get rid of isy portal. However that can be purchased as a standalone module if you want to run nodeservers on an RPI. 

Only you can ascertain whether or not it's worth the trouble switching. The questions I would ask myself is why do I want to change? If it's for the interface then there's your answer. If it's simply for something new- now that's the tough one. 

If this isn't a concern to you then you're ok. Mobilinc portal can give you everything the isy portal has. 

I agree with Lilyoyo1.  Right now I have ISY Portal with Mobilinc Pro, and it works well. My understanding is that Mobilinc X has more bells & whistles (some of which I'd probably like), but giving up ISY Portal and having to reconfigure all my Zwave devices to work with Google Home seems like a bridge too far for me. Polisy is my next (r)evolution. Other changes will have to wait.

[brians]

1 hour ago, InsteonNut said:

Hi @brians,

Happy to answer your questions here. 

MobiLinc X is pretty new and I haven't been pushing it hard...yet. I've been focused on building in new features as fast as possible and I haven't had the space yet to open a dedicated forum for it yet. Most folks just email my support email directly if the website and trialing doesn't answer any questions: https://mobilinc.com/apps/mobilincx/

There are a couple of major differences aside from the modernization of the UI. MobiLinc X is all about syncing data as fast as possible. With MobiLinc X and our MobiLinc Portal, our servers keep in sync with your ISY in real-time. No one else can do this with the ISY and offers up the following features because of this advanced real-time sync service we developed:

1. No app-side syncing. You open MobiLinc X and you immediately see your home's status and control things instantly.  
2. Any custom settings you have for your items in MobiLinc X are real-time synced to all your iOS AND Android devices.
3. If you are on the "Family" subscription tier, you can have any number of users on your ISY for MobiLinc X that all get their own syncing Recently Used, Favorites, and other custom app settings all synced to their set of devices. 

With MobiLinc X we revamped the pricing and made just one simple price structure that includes everything at the tier level. No other in-app purchases, no other subscriptions. Just one simple price and you get everything at that level now and in the future.

MobiLinc X supports Alexa, Google Home, and our official IFTTT channel that integrates thousands of products and services with your ISY. 

You can use a local Polyglot server (or the new Polyisy once released) with our MobiLinc Portal as these are two different (and non-interfering) products for the ISY. On the long term roadmap is to get better Polyglot support in MobiLinc X.

Trialing is really easy. Just switch portals to MobiLinc and download MobiLinc X. You don't have to switch Alexa/Google Home in the trial. If you decide to keep MobiLinc X, you can link our Alexa/Google Home skill and add your spoken names directly in MobiLinc X.

Wes

Ok thanks Wes,  can I also do everything eg. Alexa configuration spokens within ISY admin console or on the MobiLinc website? Sometimes I don't like configuring anything with the phone. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the spoken field in Notes for a device in ISY Admin is used by MobiLinc.

I watched a video on your custom buttons and how does that translate into ISY? Does it create programs or does MobiLinc handle this?

I will give it a try maybe this week sometime.

 

 

[InsteonNut]

Hi @brians

If you already have your spoken names in the Admin Console, then it's very simple to move to MobiLinc/Alexa/Google Home. Our portal will use your spoken names that you already have on your devices/scenes in the Admin Console Spoken Notes to populate Alexa/Google Home once you link your MobiLinc Connect account. You can also use MobiLinc X for refinement or just to see the full list of spoken names.

Custom buttons are 100% managed by our MobiLinc portal and our servers listening to the various state triggers generated by the ISY you define for each state of the button in MobiLinc X.

Wes

[asbril]

10 minutes ago, InsteonNut said:

if you already have your spoken names in the Admin Console,

My spokens are  in ISY Portal, not in the AC

[BoomerangThree]

Bottom line for me...

1. I use both MobiLinc HD and X now.  

2. Why?  I want to support MobiLinc in their development efforts and after going back and forth with MobiLinc X I am starting to use it as my main UI at home and away.  Call me naive, but base on the effort and progress I've seen over the past few months I feel that Wes and team are working pretty damn hard to provide not only their requirements, but ours.

3. Am I worried about iPad support, not much because the UI design of X is taking that into consideration.

4. I see X as a redevelopment effort that I want to support both financially and with participation because I want to see even more capability brought into it over the months and years than the previous versions could provide because of the code base.

Call me nuts, or just a past (paid) and current (hobby) developer that understands the hard work it takes to bring something like X to realization.

 

[brians]

Ok, I tried it out and reverted back soon after.

It was easy to add the portal... purchased it for $1. Then can deactivate the ISY Portal, reboot ISY, then activate MobiLinc portal, reboot ISY. You can do it all in the UDI website and no need to contact anyone to get them to change it over.

Got things connected fairly quickly but I don't like the look of the App at all and how it worked for me compared to MobiLinc Pro.

 

Maybe I will try another attempt later and see how it goes.