Can I upgrade my ISY994i to control Z-Wave modules?

[Wes Westhaver]

Hello, I purchased an ISY994i with a Serial PLM about 2 years ago and have been using it to control a handful of Insteon modules (KeyPadLinks, FanLincs, Dimmer Switches and Plug-In Lamp Dimmers, etc.) I am very happy with the system. Unfortunately upon returning to SmartHome.com for more Insteon modules it appears that nearly everything I need is unavailable. Coming here it seems that many have lost confidence in Insteon as an ongoing concern. So, I'm pretty bummed about this. However, it now looks like Z-Wave modules may fill the void left by Insteon and at a lower price as well.

So, can I upgrade my ISY994i to control Z-Wave modules? If so is this (in your opinion) a good option for me?

-Wes

 

[lilyoyo1]

Yes. You can find it on UDI's website.

Unless this is a pressing need, you may be better off waiting until Polisy supports zwave and then getting polisy along with the zooz 700 series zwave module for future proofing as the 500 board (which the Isy currently supports) will not be upgraded in the future

Edited November 26, 2021 by lilyoyo1

[Wes Westhaver]

Forgive my many questions (I'm tech savvy but very unfamiliar with the UDI world.) Are you saying that the add-on board available from UDI for my ISY994i is already out of date? Should I be looking for a replacement or upgrade to my ISY994i along with replacements for my Insteon stuff?

Also, the shiny new blue Polisy box, is it a replacement for the ISY994i or an addition to the ISY994i? I read a lot of the messages here in the forum and it seems that (like other technology forums) the regulars are so familiar with the tech that they speak in abbreviations and outsider newbies like myself have a very hard time parsing the info presented.

Frankly the UDI web site also suffers from the same malady. They've been dealing with their own technology for so long that they have forgotten how to explain clearly what their products do in a way that is understandable to a newcomer.

[asbril]

4 minutes ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Are you saying that the add-on board available from UDI for my ISY994i is already out of date?

Yes and no.......  I am still using the ISY with the 500 series Zwave board. As mentioned, it is all about need, urgency and timing.

We already know that the future of ISY will be ISY-on-Polisy. Right now that mostly already works for Insteon but not yet for Zwave. UD is working on that, but we don't know how long this will take. My best guess is another few months. At that time, one should get a Series 7 Zwave dongle (Zooz is  suggested), as 7 Series is now the current Zwave model.

As such, if you can wait for a few months (with no guarantee of how long really), then don't get the 500 board. If you want Zwave on ISy faster, then go for the board.

[asbril]

11 minutes ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Also, the shiny new blue Polisy box, is it a replacement for the ISY994i or an addition to the ISY994i?

Also  yes and no.  Currently I use both ISY and Polisy, with the latter running my Nodeservers, but yes the upcoming development is that you will no longer need ISY as  ISY will run on Polisy. Eventually, ISY (as separate device) will reach EOL, but probably not any time soon.

Edited November 26, 2021 by asbril

[asbril]

12 minutes ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Frankly the UDI web site also suffers from the same malady. They've been dealing with their own technology for so long that they have forgotten how to explain clearly what their products do in a way that is understandable to a newcomer.

We are all here for you.

[lilyoyo1]

6 minutes ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Forgive my many questions (I'm tech savvy but very unfamiliar with the UDI world.) Are you saying that the add-on board available from UDI for my ISY994i is already out of date? Should I be looking for a replacement or upgrade to my ISY994i along with replacements for my Insteon stuff?

Also, the shiny new blue Polisy box, is it a replacement for the ISY994i or an addition to the ISY994i? I read a lot of the messages here in the forum and it seems that (like other technology forums) the regulars are so familiar with the tech that they speak in abbreviations and outsider newbies like myself have a very hard time parsing the info presented.

Frankly the UDI web site also suffers from the same malady. They've been dealing with their own technology for so long that they have forgotten how to explain clearly what their products do in a way that is understandable to a newcomer.

The 500 series board is not out of date. Im simply saying polisy and the 700 board prepares you for tomorrow. 

Most zwave devices available are 500 series. 700 is currently the newest release but it'll be another year or 2 before the market is saturated with those devices. With that said, even then, zwave will have a newer release and 700 will be considered old by then. 

 

[Wes Westhaver]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

...the upcoming development is that you will no longer need ISY as  ISY will run on Polisy.

Meaning the ISY hardware will no longer be needed as the ISY functionality will be moved to the Polisy box?

[Wes Westhaver]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

Currently I use both ISY and Polisy, with the latter running my Nodeservers

Unfortunately I don't know what nodeservers are. Again, a certain level of familiarity with UDI systems is assumed.

[Wes Westhaver]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

...At that time, one should get a Series 7 Zwave dongle (Zooz is  suggested), as 7 Series is now the current Zwave model.

Are you talking about a USB dongle? If so, is this what you are refering to:

https://www.getzooz.com/zooz-zst10-s2-stick.html

And this plugs into the Polisy box to provide an interface between UDI and Z-Wave modules?

 

[Wes Westhaver]

1 hour ago, asbril said:

As such, if you can wait for a few months (with no guarantee of how long really), then don't get the 500 board. If you want Zwave on ISy faster, then go for the board.

OK. I just purchased the Z-Wave add-on board. Apparently I got the last one in stock according to the UDI website.

Before it arrives I will need to update my ISY firmware? I am currently running version 5.0.16B. Can you tell me where to find the latest stable firmware?

[lilyoyo1]

25 minutes ago, Wes Westhaver said:

OK. I just purchased the Z-Wave add-on board. Apparently I got the last one in stock according to the UDI website.

Before it arrives I will need to update my ISY firmware? I am currently running version 5.0.16B. Can you tell me where to find the latest stable firmware?

I'm surprised you were able to upgrade your Isy to. 16b but don't know where to find updates. 

It can be found on the sub-forum that says software releases and updates

[Wes Westhaver]

15 minutes ago, lilyoyo1 said:

I'm surprised you were able to upgrade your Isy to. 16b but don't know where to find updates. 

It can be found on the sub-forum that says software releases and updates

The pinned item at the top of the sub-forum says "test build". Where's the latest stable release? Is 4.9 considered the latest stable release?

Edited November 26, 2021 by Wes Westhaver

[MrBill]

6 minutes ago, Wes Westhaver said:

The pinned item at the top of the sub-forum says "test build". Where's the latest stable release? Is 4.9 considered the latest stable release?

Use 5.3.4 even if tho it's labeled test build, it is stable.  The problem with "official" labeling in the 5.x branch is that UDI has to pay out (rumor is in the $10K range) to have a release z-wave certified.  Therefor there's only one 5.x release that's labeled official.  there's two or three releases after that are labeled "test build" but are really more like "bug fix" releases.  "Test build" after the "official" is better than 5.0.16b which is a "beta build".

[MrBill]

1 hour ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Meaning the ISY hardware will no longer be needed as the ISY functionality will be moved to the Polisy box?

Correct, the 994 hardware is nearing it's 10th birthday.  The hardware will be supported for years to come, but soon all newcomers will be running only on Polisy, both for nodeservers and the functions that are today built into the 994.

1 hour ago, Wes Westhaver said:

And this plugs into the Polisy box to provide an interface between UDI and Z-Wave modules?

The Zooz Series 7 module is how "ISY on Polisy" will speak z-wave.  The 994 speaks z-wave using a native board, manufactured and sold by UDI.  (the current version is a 500 series z-wave board, while there was once a 300 series z-wave board.)  The Series 7 dongle actually means 700 series z-wave.

[asbril]

1 hour ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Meaning the ISY hardware will no longer be needed as the ISY functionality will be moved to the Polisy box?

yes

[asbril]

1 hour ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Unfortunately I don't know what nodeservers are. Again, a certain level of familiarity with UDI systems is assumed.

Nodeservers are almost the best since sliced bread was invented..... These are integrations with multiple systems, curtains, thermostats, calendars, wifi devices...... etc etc. the nodeservers allow you to control these 3rd party systems from within ISY.

[asbril]

1 hour ago, Wes Westhaver said:

Are you talking about a USB dongle? If so, is this what you are refering to:

https://www.getzooz.com/zooz-zst10-s2-stick.html

And this plugs into the Polisy box to provide an interface between UDI and Z-Wave modules?

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Stick-Assistant-HomeSeer-Software/dp/B07GNZ56BK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=CPXT6IJBACKB&keywords=zooz+zwave+stick&qid=1637958293&sprefix=zooz+zwave+%2Caps%2C267&sr=8-2

[asbril]

1 hour ago, Wes Westhaver said:

OK. I just purchased the Z-Wave add-on board. Apparently I got the last one in stock according to the UDI website.

Before it arrives I will need to update my ISY firmware? I am currently running version 5.0.16B. Can you tell me where to find the latest stable firmware?

Here it is and make sure to EXACTLY follow the steps.

[Wes Westhaver]

Thanks guys, I updated my ISY994i to the 5.3.4 firmware, installed the Z-Wave daughter-board and paid the $1.00 activation fee. I purchased a single Z-Wave Outdoor Dimming Plug and was able to add it to my ISY994i and control it via several scenes and a scheduled program. So now I have the beginnings of a Z-Wave and Insteon hybrid system.

I'm feeling much better about the future of my home automation endeavors now that I see a way forward even if Insteon goes away.

Thanks again for your patience in answering my many questions.

-Wes

[bmah]

Thanks to the participants in this thread! I recently learned of the various issues and concerns over Insteon as a technology and SmartHome as a business entity. (I am much less active in the Insteon / UDI communities than I used to be, so this was a bit of news to me.)

Anyway. As a bit of future-proofing, I just purchased and installed a Z-Wave dongle into my ISY994i. So far so good, although I haven't acquired any Z-Wave devices for it to control. Couple of things I discovered when doing the install:

1. When unscrewing the back plate, I discovered that the four standoffs in the main case, where the screws go into, were all split (presumably from over-tightening during from manufacturing?). I was extra-careful not to over-tighten when putting everything back together. Because my ISY994i doesn't get moved during normal operation, I figured it was OK to leave the screws a little loose to prevent any more damage to the standoffs.
2. In the wiki page that documents the installation of the Z-Wave dongle (https://wiki.universal-devices.com/index.php?title=Z-Wave:_Ordering/Assembly_Instructions) the picture for the "Attach the Dongle to the ISY' expansion slot" step seems to show a different dongle...maybe it's the previous version of the dongle? This caused a little bit of confusion.

Other than that, the installation process was pretty straightforward. Now need to go find a Z-Wave module or two test with.

Happy holidays!

Bruce.

 

[larryllix]

Awesome! I am sitting about the same spot as you are Zwave wise. Although, I have a dozen Zwave inline power plugs that I inherited in another deal but I believe they are all series 300 devices. I am not sure how I would tell except they require polling to access load information. May become useless for me as I don;t want to develop so many ISY programs to keep the protocol traffic limited to critical times abased on who knows what for triggers.

When did a daughter board ever become a "dongle"?  I always thought part of that portmanteau word was "dangle" meaning it hung off the back of a USB port, or cable., outside of the main device.

[Techman]

The original Z-wave dongle used the 300 series chip, the current Z-wave dongle uses the 500 series chip. The latter has improved speed and range.

The Polisy, which will be the ISY replacement, uses the 700 series chip in its exterior dongle. The 700 series offers improved performance over the 500 series.  

Currently in development is the 800 series which also has a long-range version with a 1.5 mlle range.