New house, clean slate. What ecosystem do you use?

[rorichmond]

I have been using ISY controllers with Insteon devices in three houses over the past 10+ years. My ISY 994i was integrated with the ISY portal, and google home minis were working well with all my devices. Many programs and scenes were in place.

All that said, we just moved again. I find myself with a clean slate regarding home automation. Given all the drama in the smartlabs/insteon space, I am very hesitant to just dive back in with the same. I want to start automating the new house ASAP, but I am not sure what ecosystem to go with. I am far less concerned about complication of install/configure than I am with reliability and availability. Money is certainly an important, but I don't mind spending a few extra bucks to get a better product.

What does your automation ecosystem look like? What would you use if you were starting over again today?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lilyoyo1]

I'd go with magic home bulbs for your color changing needs and sonoff switches for automation. All are pretty cheap so you can automate without the cost.

[Teken]

I have been using ISY controllers with Insteon devices in three houses over the past 10+ years. My ISY 994i was integrated with the ISY portal, and google home minis were working well with all my devices. Many programs and scenes were in place.
All that said, we just moved again. I find myself with a clean slate regarding home automation. Given all the drama in the smartlabs/insteon space, I am very hesitant to just dive back in with the same. I want to start automating the new house ASAP, but I am not sure what ecosystem to go with. I am far less concerned about complication of install/configure than I am with reliability and availability. Money is certainly an important, but I don't mind spending a few extra bucks to get a better product.
What does your automation ecosystem look like? What would you use if you were starting over again today?
Thanks in advance!
 

Smart panel as the cornerstone of the electrical system.

Add on any HA protocol you believe offers the reliability, features, and integration with the hub that ties everything together.

Smart panels have been in use for decades in enterprise and industry because it offers features not possible in a point of use system.

Think remote control of an entire branch circuit to manage power consumption. Prevent fire, theft, waste of electricity to ToU to capitalize on lower tier rates or reduce the load on the grid.

The vast majority of smart panels support all types of loads and are not impacted by RFI, EMI, range, and dirty power. Keep in mind only a few smart panels offer remote breaker level (tripping) on-off. As many simply allow the user to turn off (trip) a breaker and manual intervention to reenable the same.

This is separate from relay vs dimming of the load.

Lastly, the bulk of these smart panels incorporate or allow as a add on to monitor the energy. Some do better in this area while others just suck! Conditional logic and astronomical clock are built in to allow scheduling to meet the users needs.

Since this equipment is literally at the power source the hardware is 5-10 times more robust then a standard service panel. As you can’t have a surge event / brown out (SAG) take out the main power distribution centre!

[rorichmond]

On 8/27/2021 at 4:09 PM, lilyoyo1 said:

I'd go with magic home bulbs for your color changing needs and sonoff switches for automation. All are pretty cheap so you can automate without the cost.

Not that I want to throw away money or anything, but cost isn't the biggest factor for me. Functionality is really important. Also, the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). It needs to "just work" to meet that one...

I appreciate the feedback, but I don't think sonoff switches are going to cut it in my home. The insteons were great because people had no idea what was happening in the background. My 80 year old parents just used the switch the way they always had when they visited. That is the convenience and ease of use I need to find.

[rorichmond]

On 9/3/2021 at 8:57 AM, Teken said:

Smart panel as the cornerstone of the electrical system.

Add on any HA protocol you believe offers the reliability, features, and integration with the hub that ties everything together.

Smart panels have been in use for decades in enterprise and industry because it offers features not possible in a point of use system.

Think remote control of an entire branch circuit to manage power consumption. Prevent fire, theft, waste of electricity to ToU to capitalize on lower tier rates or reduce the load on the grid.

The vast majority of smart panels support all types of loads and are not impacted by RFI, EMI, range, and dirty power. Keep in mind only a few smart panels offer remote breaker level (tripping) on-off. As many simply allow the user to turn off (trip) a breaker and manual intervention to reenable the same.

This is separate from relay vs dimming of the load.

Lastly, the bulk of these smart panels incorporate or allow as a add on to monitor the energy. Some do better in this area while others just suck! Conditional logic and astronomical clock are built in to allow scheduling to meet the users needs.

Since this equipment is literally at the power source the hardware is 5-10 times more robust then a standard service panel. As you can’t have a surge event / brown out (SAG) take out the main power distribution centre!

I am not sure I am following here... are you saying I need a smart panel in my breaker box? I am not trying to control the power grid (or my little piece of it), but rather automate things in my home. 

[simplextech]

3 hours ago, rorichmond said:

the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor). It needs to "just work" to meet that one...

For lighting then go with Lutron.  Depending on budget and requirements there's a system for it.  If money isn't an object then you could go with a full Control4 system and their lighting (they work with Lutron too, so does every decent automation platform).

[rorichmond]

10 hours ago, simplextech said:

For lighting then go with Lutron.  Depending on budget and requirements there's a system for it.  If money isn't an object then you could go with a full Control4 system and their lighting (they work with Lutron too, so does every decent automation platform).

If only I could do the Control4 setup myself, I would be all over that. 

[simplextech]

4 hours ago, rorichmond said:

If only I could do the Control4 setup myself, I would be all over that. 

Look into RTI as well.  Depending on the size it's not that expensive in the long run.

[beninsteon]

Lutron radio Ra 2