Moving, take it or leave it?

[vbPhil]

Should I leave my ISY 994i Pro behind when I move or take it and the controllers with me? I'll just want to replace it all when I relocate.

I'm just thinking that there aren't many homebuyers that are computer literate or interested enough to harness an ISY system. The Insteon lamp modules are simple to relocate but the 15 installed wall mount SwitchLincs and the Irrigation controller are a bit more involved.

One thought I had was to replace the ISY with a Insteon Hub (Insteon Central Controller Hub, Compatible with Alexa, 2245-222) hoping that it works with the SwitchLincs and Irrigation.

Does anybody have experience with moving and what did you do?

Thanks,   -phil

[dbuss]

8 minutes ago, vbphil said:

Should I leave my ISY 994i Pro behind when I move or take it and the controllers with me? I'll just want to replace it all when I relocate.

I'm just thinking that there aren't many homebuyers that are computer literate or interested enough to harness an ISY system. The Insteon lamp modules are simple to relocate but the 15 installed wall mount SwitchLincs and the Irrigation controller are a bit more involved.

One thought I had was to replace the ISY with a Insteon Hub (Insteon Central Controller Hub, Compatible with Alexa, 2245-222) hoping that it works with the SwitchLincs and Irrigation.

Does anybody have experience with moving and what did you do?

Thanks,   -phil

I left the ISY home automation system in the home we sold. The new owners thought it was neat. I spent a few hours with them after they moved in to introduce them to the system. Apparently they are not using it. They called a week ago and locked themselves out of the house.

[MrBill]

My wife and I have been debating another move, which has had me debating this very question.  I think I'm going to remove Insteon and ISY.  My system isn't well documented and I suspect that it won't help sell the house.  I may leave a few pieces behind, for example the lower patio when we bought the house had everything on one switch. I may leave the items the item that make that situation more livable, but I'll take the ISY.  Other things like the sprinkler controller, and the liftmaster bridge I'll leave behind (newer liftmaster joins wifi without the bridge)

As I said in another thread just recently, I don't want the phone call "hey most of the light switches aren't working", "Oh you must have plugged in something that generates line noise, start by unplugging everything",  "no  it's supposed to work"...... or worse a call from a real estate attorney.   The other thread is in two pieces for some reason but see here and here for related reading.  

[iowaj]

I am going to speak from the buyer side as we inherited the system with our purchase of a large home with many, many Insteon switches and ISY. For the previous owner I think it was a fun hobby, and he did spend an hour or two explaining things.  For us, it's been nothing but a headache and large expense. It's so frustrating to have key switches go bad when all you want to do is turn the light on and off. It was a huge learning curve to learn how to work the system, and without the help found here would likely have ripped everything out by now. We literally had 30+ defective insteon switches we managed to replace on our own when no electrician could be found that would work with them. That being said, when we sell this place, there is no way I'm taking anything with me nor taking out the many, many switches. So I will be curious what suggestions show up here for passing the system on to the next buyer.

[MrBill]

1 minute ago, iowaj said:

I am going to speak from the buyer side as we inherited the system with our purchase of a large home with many, many Insteon switches and ISY. For the previous owner I think it was a fun hobby, and he did spend an hour or two explaining things.  For us, it's been nothing but a headache and large expense. It's so frustrating to have key switches go bad when all you want to do is turn the light on and off. It was a huge learning curve to learn how to work the system, and without the help found here would likely have ripped everything out by now. We literally had 30+ defective insteon switches we managed to replace on our own when no electrician could be found that would work with them. That being said, when we sell this place, there is no way I'm taking anything with me nor taking out the many, many switches. So I will be curious what suggestions show up here for passing the system on to the next buyer.

It would take me much more than "an hour or two explaining things".  For the full picture there's ISY, Polisy, Insteon, Hue, Pentair/Autellis, Home Assistant, Rachio, the weather station, CAO wireless tags, and lately some Kasa.... It would take "an hour or two' just to get everything on new accounts or pass on existing accounts to new owners, and that's before anything has been "explained".  And yea I really couldn't pic and choose which of those systems to leave behind because they all relate.... for example the CAO tags play a part in the fireplaces working via Insteon, and completed scenes bridge hue and insteon many places.  Unfortunately it would take a very special buyer to understand and appreciate what's here.

I wonder if your 30+ switches were really defective or just older single band devices that seemed to break because of noise.... that seems like an excessive amount of switches to die.

[MrBill]

12 minutes ago, iowaj said:

when no electrician could be found that would work with them.

Oh and I forgot to comment on that statement.   It is hard to find electricians that will touch an Insteon system.  They don't have a clue, and the learning curve is high.

My wife previously owned a high end lighting store.  We actually stocked X10 for the DIYer's.  X10 was much easier to understand, put this on B1 and this on B1 and they will (maybe) talk to each other, Insteon has to be linked and in simple 1:1 relationships its only difficult to do manually.... it more complex relationships you have to understand the ISY.

[iowaj]

1 minute ago, MrBill said:

It would take me much more than "an hour or two explaining things".  For the full picture there's ISY, Polisy, Insteon, Hue, Pentair/Autellis, Home Assistant, Rachio, the weather station, CAO wireless tags, and lately some Kasa.... It would take "an hour or two' just to get everything on new accounts or pass on existing accounts to new owners, and that's before anything has been "explained".  And yea I really couldn't pic and choose which of those systems to leave behind because they all relate.... for example the CAO tags play a part in the fireplaces working via Insteon, and completed scenes bridge hue and insteon many places.  Unfortunately it would take a very special buyer to understand and appreciate what's here.

I wonder if your 30+ switches were really defective or just older single band devices that seemed to break because of noise.... that seems like an excessive amount of switches to die.

No, trust me, some of the earlier switches were defective and that was acknowledged about 10-11 years ago.  Became impossible to turn the paddle switch on and off without touching them a certain way and then eventually stopped working completely. Smarthome stood behind them and replaced the 30+ switches, but I could find no electrician around at the time who would touch them.  So, with wonderful help through this forum, I jumped in with both feet to learn the system, and replaced all those switches myself.

[vbPhil]

Great comments that have helped me immensely! 

I am the DIYer that installed and maintained the system so without a doubt it's all coming out. This house is in the $550K range, 2400 Sqft so Home Automation isn't expected or even found that often.

Also, I can remember from other home selling that the relator never likes it when the seller talks to the buyer. It's best to remain out of the loop in most cases. So if it isn't something that can be maintained by local businesses it's best to get rid of it before hand.

 

[lilyoyo1]

Ive always left my stuff in place. I build my system from the ground up to be used without a controller first and foremost. That way should my system go down it'll still run. I'd lose the automations but those are for convenience anyway. 

Buttons are clearly labeled and voice control is limited to basic turn on and turn off commands. 

I can easily delete my personal programs and leave the basic programs in place such as those for outdoor lighting control or door lock alerts without major impact to someone new. 

Many people are interested in HA but most do not want to pay for it. While it may not increase home value, it could motivate someone interested in HA even more to buy it. It's just important for things to not be so reliant on the controller to make it easier to live in