Trying to de-mystify / simplify Polisy

[ewind]

Some questions / statements I am looking to get clarified if anyone can dumb this down for some of us.

There' way too many comments in this forum to read to keep this clear for me . I have many Insteon and Z-wave devices in place and do not wish to start over with device purchases.

 

Polisy HW is the current / future replacement for ISY994i?

ISY programs and devices can be imported to Polisy, and ISY can be unplugged?

Polyglot on board or Polyglot cloud or both is the future software repository?

Is Z-wave native on Polisy or does it require a USB adaptor?

Does Serial PLM plug in directly?

Is there anything the Polisy Pro offers besides Wi-Fi & Bluetooth?

If I have a healthy Ethernet network what would Wi-Fi & BT benefit other than laternate network paths?

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by ewind

[vbPhil]

Looking forward to answers to your questions.

I kinda get what's it's for and where it's going. I have the Pro but don't use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (wouldn't know how to). Have a couple Polyglots going, Hue and Wireless Tag. Only using Wireless Tag nodes in ISY programs. Too scared to try using the Polisy ISY, not sure it's even ready for the masses. Definitely could use a good manual. Forums and Wiki's don't seem to cover it all. I struggle but get thru it eventually. My ISY 994i with Z-Wave is working pretty good to give it up just yet. In fact, I just moved it to the garage nearer the breaker panel and it's even more reliable. Polisy is still in my office on the tech workbench.

[kzboray]

@ewind

 

Polisy HW is the current / future replacement for ISY994i?

Future. ISY on Polisy is in beta and being tested, that being said it's better than a lot of released software I've used.

ISY programs and devices can be imported to Polisy, and ISY can be unplugged?

The migration tools for ISY994i to Polisy ISY are going to be released soon. Probably before the end of the year.

Polyglot on board or Polyglot cloud or both is the future software repository?

I want to be careful here as some Node Servers access cloud based device accounts i.e. Hue, LifX,Ring, Sonos etc Polyglot Node Servers for PG2 are available via a store which is accessible in two ways. First via the local Polyglot web interface:

https://the IP address of your Polisy

And via the web at:

https://polyglot.isy.io/

Some of the available Node Server are duplicated in both stores, and the opposite is also true. Some of the Node Server currently available can only be found in one or the other, not both.

PG3 will continue this evolution to an online store making installation of new Node Servers available by simply clicking on the Node Server you want to install and use on your Polisy.

Is Z-wave native on Polisy or does it require a USB adaptor?

You will need to purchase a Z-Wave adapter. UDI is testing on a Zooz 700 z-wave plus (S2) adapter. It is available from Amazon:

Zooz 700 Plus

Does Serial PLM plug in directly?

Both the serial using the cable provided with your serial PLM and the USB PLM plug directly into the Polisy.

Is there anything the Polisy Pro offers besides Wi-Fi & Bluetooth?

I'm not sure what you're really asking. Maybe a read of the product page will help:
http:// https://www.universal-devices.com/product/polisy-pro/

If I have a healthy Ethernet network what would Wi-Fi & BT benefit other than laternate network paths?

If you are using Wi-Fi connected devices that a Node Server talks to...say a LifX light bulb then a healthy Wi-Fi network is required. There are currently no supported devices for the Bluetooth receiver.

Edited December 18, 2021 by kzboray

[Geddy]

 @ewind I agree there are tons of posts on the forums to try to find everything relevant to such a wide range of questions. But, those tons of posts do help when digested in small portions. Let's see how this can help you!

 

1 hour ago, ewind said:

Polisy HW is the current / future replacement for ISY994i?

Future replacement. (Near current, but still mostly considered "future")

  

1 hour ago, ewind said:

ISY programs and devices can be imported to Polisy, and ISY can be unplugged?

Not as of TODAY, but @Michel Kohanim has recently posted that a migration process is pending and very close to being able to be released. However, as with everything there will probably be some conversion issues so get ready to really read through the migration steps and be ready to work the process.

  

1 hour ago, ewind said:

Polyglot on board or Polyglot cloud or both is the future software repository?

I'm not the best to answer this one. I think @Michel Kohanim or @bpwwer might be better able to answer. From my chair I think the "future" will be PG3. That will ONLY run on the Polisy. There is uncertainty if PG2 and/or PGC will be maintained. It will be up to the individual node developers if they continue to support prior versions. PG3 offers the ability for developers to be compensated for their work and support of their products. So this might mean some only focus on PG3, but others might still offer some updates to PG2/PGC.

  

1 hour ago, ewind said:

Is Z-wave native on Polisy or does it require a USB adaptor?

Adaptor is needed. In this post @Michel Kohanim states what device UDI has been using for testing. He linked to the product at Amazon, and they appear to be in stock currently. NOTE: some have suggested getting a USB extension cable or 90° USB adaptor to angle the stick differently to try to get better z-wave signal propagation. I don't use z-wave so do not know anything about reliability and necessity, but have read those posts so wanted to include the information here for you.

 

1 hour ago, ewind said:

Does Serial PLM plug in directly?

Yes...well...sort of. The Polisy needs the PLM connected. I think there's a different cord that is needed (DB9) that came with the serial PLM. Some might not still have it if purchased years ago and Serial PLM are not currently in stock (at Smarthome). There have been tons of post on this in the last 12+ months. Currently even USB PLM are unavailable at Smarthome. They appear to have a listing at Amazon, but $20 over list price. There was mention of an adaptor being available in a post by @MrBill so if needed you might check that out. 

 

1 hour ago, ewind said:

Is there anything the Polisy Pro offers besides Wi-Fi & Bluetooth?

If I have a healthy Ethernet network what would Wi-Fi & BT benefit other than laternate network paths?

These two are about the same thing...

What do you mean "offer"? It's a little unclear as to the direct future implementation of the Wi-Fi & Bluetooth abilities of the Polisy Pro, but my expectation is that it will be a device that will be able to attach to your network wirelessly rather than having to be near a router/switch for wired connection. As for Bluetooth, I'm not sure how that will be incorporated down the road. Most posts currently suggest getting just the standard Polisy if budget is of concern. However, if you want to have all the bells and whistles that the Polisy Pro has to eventually offer than go for the Pro version. It's personal preference and budget based considerations at this point. (at least IMO) 

 

Hope this helps. 

[ewind]

Thanks all for the replies Interpreting what I've read in this thread and others, purchasing the Polisy Pro soon to spend cold months doing some dabbling and learning, but keeping the ISY in place for a bit of time until it can be smoothly consolidated.