Has anyone tried the Rubik's Home mobile app?

[tazman]

So @Michel Kohanim is the nodeserver pricing expected to be a one time fee?

[dbwarner5]

1 hour ago, tazman said:

So @Michel Kohanim is the nodeserver pricing expected to be a one time fee?

and willl there be a "trial" period? What I am finding so far, is that documentation, screen shots, and implementation is highly varied and generally pretty poor. Its a try and see type approach currently.  So without trying a module for 7 days, or 30 days, I will be very hard pressed to make purchase decisions based on what is shown in the "store" currently. But could definitely see it becoming similar to apple apps store etc. 

Edited January 14, 2020 by dbwarner5

[simplextech]

As much as I like this discussion I think it should be moved to a thread of it's own?

[lilyoyo1]

51 minutes ago, simplextech said:

As much as I like this discussion I think it should be moved to a thread of it's own?

Or we can rename this thread since the original question was answered the first time. Lol

[bpwwer]

4 hours ago, dbwarner5 said:

and willl there be a "trial" period? What I am finding so far, is that documentation, screen shots, and implementation is highly varied and generally pretty poor. Its a try and see type approach currently.  So without trying a module for 7 days, or 30 days, I will be very hard pressed to make purchase decisions based on what is shown in the "store" currently. But could definitely see it becoming similar to apple apps store etc. 

That's a good question and I agree with you about the quality of the documentation given that I'm responsible for a number of node servers with poor documentation.   In my case, and I suspect others as well, because we aren't currently being compensated, it tends to be harder to justify the time for it. 

Having a reasonably good template for documentation and have it be a gate (I.E. done to some standard) before allowing something to be added to the store would help.  I'm sure we'll get there eventually.

In the meantime, if you see something you'd like better documented in any of my node servers, let me know. I'm always willing to add things to my todo list

[dbwarner5]

Thanks @bpwwer  As per our other discussion under OpenWeatherMap, the config files directions were missing on the git hub documentation on the cloud polyglot. Your follow up there got it to work, albeit with the 270 degree temperatures.. lol,, still reading high By the way . IF you could cut and paste what you shared in that dialogue into the GitHub documentation, I am sure that would help many others,. 

thanks! 

[oberkc]

4 hours ago, dbwarner5 said:

What I am finding so far, is that documentation, screen shots, and implementation is highly varied and generally pretty poor.

Don't disagree with this.  I think many of the instructions were written before Polisy (based instead on polyglot or something else) and don't match approach with Polisy.  There has been too much assumed, in general, and too little detail provided.  While I have been able to get working the few nodeservers that interest me, it took far too many hours to do so, having to spend a lot of time on trial, error, experimentation, and exploration.  

 

4 hours ago, simplextech said:

As much as I like this discussion I think it should be moved to a thread of it's own?

Don't disagree with this, either.

[bpwwer]

35 minutes ago, dbwarner5 said:

Thanks @bpwwer  As per our other discussion under OpenWeatherMap, the config files directions were missing on the git hub documentation on the cloud polyglot. Your follow up there got it to work, albeit with the 270 degree temperatures.. lol,, still reading high By the way . IF you could cut and paste what you shared in that dialogue into the GitHub documentation, I am sure that would help many others,. 

thanks! 

Already did, thanks for the suggestion!

[markv58]

I have 4 nodeservers presently, I do my best to maintain and respond even though there is no remuneration at the moment. I do so because I enjoy it and the hope of future income.

If at any time I no longer want to maintain or respond I will gladly hand everything over to someone else rather than abandon anything.

[oberkc]

2 hours ago, markv58 said:

have 4 nodeservers presently

Which four?  (I don't keep track of such things, sorry.)

[markv58]

2 hours ago, oberkc said:

Which four?  (I don't keep track of such things, sorry.)

PiCamMonitor, Ping, Push, GarageDoorPi

[Michel Kohanim]

@dbwarner5,

Pricing depends on the developer. From UD perspective, nothing changes: you can either pay a one time payment for the Network Module ($49) or subscribe to ISY Portal (~10/year).

With kind regards,
Michel

[dbwarner5]

58 minutes ago, Michel Kohanim said:

@dbwarner5,

Pricing depends on the developer. From UD perspective, nothing changes: you can either pay a one time payment for the Network Module ($49) or subscribe to ISY Portal (~10/year).

With kind regards,
Michel

Hi Michel, am not really worried about the final price, but as you pointed out earlier, there is always a value/benefit proposition. Without a trial period or decent documentation / screenshots, etc to understand what you are buying, one is much less likely to “take that risk” with $. However, well documented, or good trial experiences can lead to developers getting “module” type pricing like UDI has offered in the past.  THe Polyglot “store” as it develops from a developers page to a consumers page will need to morph into a more user friendly / information and sales base to attract $ . Hope it succeeds. Am willing to consider helping in this regards if you want outsider input. 

Cheers, 

GO UDI! 

[TrojanHorse]

Hi Michel, am not really worried about the final price, but as you pointed out earlier, there is always a value/benefit proposition. Without a trial period or decent documentation / screenshots, etc to understand what you are buying, one is much less likely to “take that risk” with $. However, well documented, or good trial experiences can lead to developers getting “module” type pricing like UDI has offered in the past.  THe Polyglot “store” as it develops from a developers page to a consumers page will need to morph into a more user friendly / information and sales base to attract $ . Hope it succeeds. Am willing to consider helping in this regards if you want outsider input. 
Cheers, 
GO UDI! 

I think you guys are talking about different things...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Michel Kohanim]

@dbwarner5,

I agree. This said, sales are through UD and therefore there's always a 30 day money back guarantee just like everything else we sell.

With kind regards,
Michel

[bcdavis75]

Hi all.  I wanted to chime in from the perspective of a pure consumer -- I'm not a developer;  I have no interest in leaning Linux and building my own Polygot server; I regularly use this forum for help on things and give virtually nothing in return

I took the plunge on Polisy becasue of all the awesome possibilities it represents.  At the moment, they are still just possibilities becasue I've run into some serious issues.  Fortunately @Michel and team have been extraordinarily responsive.  

As a consumer dipping my toe into this new model, it's both exciting and scary.  I've already had to reach out directly to several node developers for help getting some things to run.  Some have been very responsive (props @simplextech) and some not so much.  But I can't blame the the unresponsive too harshly... I haven't paid a dime for your work.  It is a little intimidating however to consider the possibility of deeply integrating my home via node servers, having something break, and having no clear channel to get help.  Of course these forums continue to be a great resource but but the breadth of integrations might make it more and more difficult to get answers.  Official UDI tech support is always great too... but is that the support channel for 3rd party nodes going forward?

The things that I'd love to see happen as a dummy (user):

• The pay model that Michel referenced.  Hope it happens soon.  It's hard for me to quantify exactly what I'm WILLING to pay.  $30 bucks for Sonos???  No brainier.  $5 for tesla?  yeah.   And a subscription would not be ideal.  I'd rather pay on an irregular schedule as upgrades are needed due changes in the API's or whatever.  OR, I would be happy to an annual subscription to UDI for unlimited node access in perpetuity to be divided up among the developers based on some black box algorithm that the forum will reverse engineer over the course of years and 1000s of posts    
• Some channel for bespoke node development.  I don't know if anyone care about Carrier Infinity or insynctive shades but I'd pay someone to make a node.
• The nodestore interface.  There's a lot to do but some low hanging fruit: Add fields for "Date Added", "Update Available", and links to the underlying product it controls.  Also, all the instructions and custom parameters need to be directly integrated.  I never want to go to Git hub for anything.
• The relationship between Cloudpoly, Polisy Poly, my portal and related Alexa connections is all getting very convoluted.  It feels like this could all be unified.  But users like me oversimplify things
• Clear support channels

 

Anyway, a lot of that is a knee-jerk.  Overall (even though everything is broken at the moment), I'm very excited and happy for Michel UDI because I think this will all really take UDI to the next level.  Keep it up guys.

 

 

[carealtor]

4 hours ago, bcdavis75 said:

• The nodestore interface.  There's a lot to do but some low hanging fruit: Add fields for "Date Added", "Update Available", and links to the underlying product it controls.  Also, all the instructions and custom parameters need to be directly integrated.  I never want to go to Git hub for anything.
• The relationship between Cloudpoly, Polisy Poly, my portal and related Alexa connections is all getting very convoluted.  It feels like this could all be unified.  But users like me oversimplify things

I agree with everything you brought up, but especially these 2.  I've followed and grown with ISY over the years with small leaps, so most of this DOES make sense to me, but I feel sorry for anyone trying to come into this ecosystem cold.

On the other hand  ...  I don't believe this is out of the ordinary for any system of such vast capabilities.  I'm thinking of Home Assistant and OpenHAB, both of which I find to be very complex and difficult to make out. Much more difficult than the ISY ecosystem. I have made some progress with Home Assistant, but I have given up (more than once) trying to get going with OpenHAB.  And, as pointed out, at this point, Polyglot is free.  So we really should be (and are) eternally grateful for what we've been given.

[x046866x]

On 1/12/2020 at 8:12 AM, BCreekDave said:

Bump. Surprised no one has tried this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I tried to get on....no response.  Their website is just a generic "Web page not here".  I took the risk to try it out, but have since removed all references and changed my ISY password.

Edited February 4, 2020 by x046866x

[madcodger]

1) Agree that this conversation needs to be moved somewhere. 90% of it is about a topic far more important than the original purpose, which I think was resolved quickly to the satisfaction of most.

2) @Michel KohanimUDI, you don't charge enough. Period. Go read Marc Andreesen's comments on this topic (start here: https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-andreessen-advice-to-startups-raise-prices-2016-6 or listen here for a similar view, from others out of the same shop: https://a16z.com/2016/08/13/pricing/. And yes, I know you folks aren't a "start-up", but you are closer to that than some of the larger players (thankfully - it keeps many of us cheering for you, even when we are criticizing). $40-50/year for portal access would be well worth it, in my view, and I'd bet most would pay that. Some would complain if it goes up a dollar. Forget 'em. You're better off keeping those who would pay a higher rate. But you won't get many of them unless you add some polish, to be blunt.

3) @bcdavis75 has some great comments, above. As I have ranted on many occasions, you build rock-solid equipment, but your ability to appeal to anyone other than the uber-geek crowd is pretty darn limited. Many here dismiss this as wanting "pretty boxes with rounded corners", but that's just BS drivel from those who think good design is a waste of time. Solid consumer appeal, great design, and your legendary reliability CAN co-exist, and you can build a valuable company around that. Go ask Tim Cook.

 

[Michel Kohanim]

@madcodger,

Thanks so very much for the feedback.

You see, we are funding this whole UD operation from the OEM/Utility related projects. Charging $20 more a year will neither make or break us. And, going through the exercise and having to respond to complaints is much more time consuming than concentrating on what has brought us to this point to start with. For instance, had we moved our focus to a better app/UI, we would have diverted our focus from IoT/Smart Grid and would have been bankrupt ages ago. You see, the Home Automation market is replete with sub $70 hardware, but nice UI, with none of which we can compete. Neither can we compete with Home Assistant. So, charging more would alienate the most of the same people who would want a nice UI/app.

So, at the moment, our core model remains functionality (especially related to IoT/Smart Grid) rather than presentation.

With kind regards,
Michel

[madcodger]

Michel, You know your business best, and I wish you only the best. We disagree on a couple of points, but as I have long maintained, you make the most reliable device of its type on the market, period. May you have the growth and success you seek for a very long time.

[Michel Kohanim]

@madcodger,

THANK YOU.

With kind regards,
Michel