mitch236 Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 Long time UD user here. I am buying a property (house) that we intend to use occasionally and I'd like to use a 994 to automate and allow remote control and was wondering about the latest advances in devices. I'd like a front door lock that I can remotely control. If I could remotely change the entry code that would be even better. Also, I'd like to control the thermostat. What's the latest technology in these areas? Money isn't really the object, I want the most reliable products since I'll be in a different state and can't really travel at a moment's notice. TIA!
Bumbershoot Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 If you're looking at locks and you want to control them with your ISY, then you're probably limited to using Z-Wave. There are variety of good choices available (Schlage, Kwikset, Alfred), but you'll have to build out your Z-Wave setup a bit with various repeaters, etc., in order to get a good mesh. There are also a variety of Z-Wave thermostats available, but I'd consider an Ecobee thermostat as well, as there's a cloud based nodeserver for it that doesn't require any additional hardware, other than the thermostat itself.
Banichi Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 I think that ISY/insteon is great for lighting control. Climate I would use something like ecobee or similar. Polyglot has node servers for a few of these options so if you want to consolidate I would check out the node servers and cross reference with what tstats you're interested in. Door locks are an area that is somewhat challenging in my experience. This is mainly due to distance/network limitations. Unless your ISY is right next to your door lock you will need a significant number of Zwave devices to build a network as @Bumbershoot pointed out.
simplextech Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 18 minutes ago, mitch236 said: I'd like a front door lock that I can remotely control. If I could remotely change the entry code that would be even better. Disclaimer: I do promote and discount the Alfred locks If going with a Z-Wave lock first you want to plan out and ensure you have enough powered devices for a strong mesh. Secondly I do like the Alfred locks and if you couple that with their Wifi bridge you get the best of access and control. The lock can integrate to the ISY via Z-Wave for all of the automation and control plus with the Wifi bridge you can use the mobile app for remote status/control and for configuring user codes.
mitch236 Posted December 9, 2020 Author Posted December 9, 2020 Ok, then maybe I don't even need an ISY. Is the Alfred lock cloud based?
simplextech Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 18 minutes ago, mitch236 said: Ok, then maybe I don't even need an ISY. Is the Alfred lock cloud based? The Alfed lock when used with Z-Wave is local to the controller. When used only with the App it is cloud + Bluetooth for local control from your phone. When combined with the Wifi gateway you can use the mobile app remotely which is cloud based and the gateway connects local via Bluetooth to the lock.
Banichi Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 20 minutes ago, simplextech said: The Alfed lock when used with Z-Wave is local to the controller. When used only with the App it is cloud + Bluetooth for local control from your phone. When combined with the Wifi gateway you can use the mobile app remotely which is cloud based and the gateway connects local via Bluetooth to the lock. To clarify the Zwave and the WiFi are 2 separate units at the moment I believe. You can't have both IIRC. The strong Zwave network is always a problem for my jobs as the ISY usually goes in a mechanical room far from the front door and it requires about a dozen devices, (like outlets) to get a strong enough network to get a reliable connection. But I also like the look and feel of Alfred locks. I look forward to them making one for regular deadbolts that also has the wireless charging like the mortise version.
simplextech Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 1 minute ago, Banichi said: To clarify the Zwave and the WiFi are 2 separate units at the moment I believe. You can't have both IIRC. The Z-Wave is a module that fits inside the DB2 locks. The Wifi gateway is an external box that communicates to the locks via BlueTooth.
Banichi Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 Right I forgot it was a Bluetooth gateway. It's the zigbee module that can swap into the db2 instead of zwave right?
simplextech Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, Banichi said: Right I forgot it was a Bluetooth gateway. It's the zigbee module that can swap into the db2 instead of zwave right? There were talks/plans/ideas of a Zigbee module. I don't think it's available yet... but that's the idea. Having a z-wave or zigbee module and then having the external gateway to provide remote access and to interface with Alexa/Google voice assistants.
jec6613 Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 4 hours ago, Bumbershoot said: If you're looking at locks and you want to control them with your ISY, then you're probably limited to using Z-Wave. There are variety of good choices available (Schlage, Kwikset, Alfred), but you'll have to build out your Z-Wave setup a bit with various repeaters, etc., in order to get a good mesh. There are also a variety of Z-Wave thermostats available, but I'd consider an Ecobee thermostat as well, as there's a cloud based nodeserver for it that doesn't require any additional hardware, other than the thermostat itself. I took the deep dive on this and went with a Honeywell Z-Wave. A few too many service outages on Ecobee and Nest that took out heating completely, and, really, what benefit do they bring? The ISY knows home, away, and room occupancy status already, so I'd skip the cloud bits and just get something reliable.
simplextech Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 2 hours ago, jec6613 said: I took the deep dive on this and went with a Honeywell Z-Wave. A few too many service outages on Ecobee and Nest that took out heating completely, and, really, what benefit do they bring? The ISY knows home, away, and room occupancy status already, so I'd skip the cloud bits and just get something reliable. Myself if I had normal/standard HVAC I'd opt for a Venstar Wifi thermostat. Unless you already have a good/solid Z-Wave mesh you will have problems with just a Z-Wave thermostat. The Venstar provides remote access/monitoring/control capabilities and the API is local for integration so you don't have any outside "cloud" dependencies if you choose to integrate it. Alas I don't have normal HVAC and I'm stuck with baseboard heating so I have limited options.
Bumbershoot Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 5 minutes ago, simplextech said: Myself if I had normal/standard HVAC I'd opt for a Venstar Wifi thermostat. That's what I use and I'm very happy with it. The Venstar app has it's own geofencing capability, and you can control it through the Venstar cloud, but if you'd like deep integration with the ISY, then you'll need a local device such as a Polisy for the nodeserver, for which there's no cloud version.
jec6613 Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 56 minutes ago, simplextech said: Myself if I had normal/standard HVAC I'd opt for a Venstar Wifi thermostat. Unless you already have a good/solid Z-Wave mesh you will have problems with just a Z-Wave thermostat. The Venstar provides remote access/monitoring/control capabilities and the API is local for integration so you don't have any outside "cloud" dependencies if you choose to integrate it. Alas I don't have normal HVAC and I'm stuck with baseboard heating so I have limited options. Yeah, my Z-Wave mesh exists just for my locks and HVAC. Though despite being 30 feet away through a staircase and such, the thermostat gets great signal to the ISY. It's the pro/integrator version though, the consumer one has lesser antennas. 1
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