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Replacing Insteon On/Off Outlet with Z-Wave (or other)?


windrockwater

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I have a houseload of Insteon devices. Including a few insteon On/Off Outlets. One of the outlets is dead so i was looking for a replacement on eBay. But of course they are hard to come by, overpriced and used. Then i realized there might be an alternative that would work.

Can i simply purchase something like the Leviton ZW15R-1BW and use my ISY to control that the same way it does all my insteon devices? Do I need any other sort of hub to make it work?

Or is there another remote control Outlet that is recommended? Thanks in advance.

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24 minutes ago, windrockwater said:

I have a houseload of Insteon devices. Including a few insteon On/Off Outlets. One of the outlets is dead so i was looking for a replacement on eBay. But of course they are hard to come by, overpriced and used. Then i realized there might be an alternative that would work.

Can i simply purchase something like the Leviton ZW15R-1BW and use my ISY to control that the same way it does all my insteon devices? Do I need any other sort of hub to make it work?

Or is there another remote control Outlet that is recommended? Thanks in advance.

If you have the zwave board for your Isy (or can find one) then yes you can use a zwave outlet with your Isy. Depending on both end device and isy locations, you may need additional devices to build a strong mesh network in order to get the signal to your outlet. 

 

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While that item is not back in stock yet, Insteon is back in business.  I expect at some point in the coming months you'll be able to order. https://shop.insteon.com/

You didn't mention if you have a Polisy to run node servers.   If that's possible you might want to look at Kasa smart plugs.  True it's not an in-wall option, but it's inexpensive and works via wifi..    to support through ISY tho you'll need to run the node server, to run the node server you need a Polisy.

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I've been enjoying a (mostly) stable house of Insteon for the last few years. Yes i go way back to the early days. I didnt realize Inston might be back?!? Thats great news. No more blood bath bidding on eBay?

I am out of the loop and not even sure what Polisy is. I have an ISY 994i 1024 IR currently.  How would i add a Z-wave functionality?

The issue: I have two Insteon ON/OFF outlets that control landscape lighting transformers. They've been working great for years. I need to replace one of the outlets that died.

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I have a houseload of Insteon devices. Including a few insteon On/Off Outlets. One of the outlets is dead so i was looking for a replacement on eBay. But of course they are hard to come by, overpriced and used. Then i realized there might be an alternative that would work.
Can i simply purchase something like the Leviton ZW15R-1BW and use my ISY to control that the same way it does all my insteon devices? Do I need any other sort of hub to make it work?
Or is there another remote control Outlet that is recommended? Thanks in advance.

The dimmer outlet is in stock right now but you said you need relay on/off.

https://shop.insteon.com/products/insteon-remote-control-dimmer-outlet?variant=39902576607365
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14 minutes ago, windrockwater said:

I see that the OutletLinc dimmer is available. If i only ISY program it to turn things on to 100%, could i use that to control a low voltage transformer? Or is that too risky?

I wouldn't add a dimmer to anything that is not designed to be dimmable

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7 minutes ago, windrockwater said:

I see that the OutletLinc dimmer is available. If i only ISY program it to turn things on to 100%, could i use that to control a low voltage transformer? Or is that too risky?

Not a good application for the dimming outlet, its triac based with a maximum load of 300 watts.  It would likely burn out soon.

You might also check try getting your current outlet repaired but the guy on ebay.  He doesn't actually list the outlet in his device repair ad, but if you contact him he may be able to assist.   The basic problem is usually failed capacitors, I suppose with the on/off plug tho there could be more possible issues, like a welded relay.

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Thanks for the reply Bill. You know, the issue i am having is that the outlet might just be having communication issues. Its located in the backyard pretty far from the house. (Although another outlet is also out there and has no issues).

The issue with the outlet is although the ISY sends ON/Off signals, they are not actually received. ISY will show the status changing but it doesnt actually change and if i query the outlet, it reverts shows it in the previous status.  If querying works at all as sometimes i get the red exclamation point.  In other words, its like its just not receiving ISY commands.

Its not a very old Outlet and all other aspects of it seem to work fine. I have full manual control at the outlet. etc. I suppose i can try installing the outlet in an inside box and see if it works more reliably...

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@windrockwater Is it both ON and OFF commands that have issue, or does it more or less always turn on, but then fail to turn off.    If thats the case the landscape transmitter itself may be the noise maker.  Transformer off... no noise so ON always works.... transformer turns ON and so does the noise.... OFF doesn't work.

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40 minutes ago, windrockwater said:

I think the issue is even when nothing is plugged in. Its an off-shoot branch circuit off the detached garage. I suspect something in the garage is creating interference noise possibly.

doesn't sound hard to test.  unplug and turnoff everything on the circuit.

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