Migrating from Insteon Hub to EISY

[GregKY]

Hello.  I am considering the purchase of an EISY to control my 50 device Insteon system and possibly start migrating to newer options.  Before I purchase one I want to see what I am in for in terms of programming/onboarding. Obviously since I have a fairly robust Insteon system I probably know more that the average guy on the street about this stuff, but I can tell just from the help section on this page that I might be getting in WAY over my head.  I am not a hobbyist, just a guy that wants every switch/scene to work as it should.  My Hub is giving me some trouble so now is the time to make a change if I am going to do it.  I have searched the web and this site/forum, but I see surprising little information and no helpful YouTube videos.  This means there are exactly 187,245 more videos about how to pain your cat's nails than there are about EISY migration.  I did see an unboxing video produce by UD.  You know what I did not see come out of that box?  Instructions.  I think this is going to be a real problem for a man of limited technical abilities like myself.  It's possible I don't even know enough to Google the right terms.   Can someone point me in the right direction for migration help?  

[oberkc]

As far as I know, all the instructuions are online.  There is a user manual, a wiki, and other documents.  I think most are available here: https://wiki.universal-devices.com/Eisy:User_Guide and https://wiki.universal-devices.com/Main_Page

I suspect most here would recommend a fresh start: a foctory reset of all your insteon devices then adding them to the eisy.  This could be done in small increments, first removing a small number (or one) of devices from the hub, resetting them, then adding to the eisy.  Then experiment with scenes and programs until you are comortable with the process.  Bring the others over after that.

yes, there is a learning curve.  Unfortunately, this will probably be true with most hubs or software capable of working with insteon devices.  The simpler options such as alexa and nest require the i ternet and cloud to work and do not natively support insteon.

You might consider posting your location.  Perhaps you will get lucky and find someone nearby willing to help.  Most here are also willing to help out answering questions, but will also suggest helping yourself by familiarizing yourself with the resources on the wiki.

Edited October 21 by oberkc

[paulbates]

Having done several controller software jumps on top of insteon, I suggest breaking the migration into functions or rooms.

Start simple and migrate a handful of devices in one room that are fairly simple. Get those back to their original functionality on eisy with programs, scenes, etc.

Then pick another room/function. Move at a pace that lets you learn while not frustrating the other occupants. As you learn, you can convert more and go faster.

Do not try a "big bang" conversion

Edited October 21 by paulbates

[Guy Lavoie]

Yes, that's the trick. I migrated from X10 to Insteon that way, doing 3 or 4 devices, then programming them the way I wanted them to work together, to learn the programming at the same. Then a few more. As usual, the first time can be daunting. Yes, there is a learning curve. Not being in a hurry is the best approach.

[Geddy]

@GregKY Welcome to the UD forums! I'm sure you'll get lots of help in the process should you continue with a product from UD.

 

12 hours ago, GregKY said:

My Hub is giving me some trouble so now is the time to make a change if I am going to do it. 

If you're using an Insteon hub then I would suggest contacting them for support. They've got a good support staff to try to help resolve any issues you're having with a current product they offer. They have recently updated their hub so perhaps if you're accustomed to what that offers you might be better off staying with their new hub.

It sounds like you're taking the plunge into the Universal Device product line rather than replacing an older ISY994 (or even old ISY device). There's a big learning curve to work through, but again lots of users here that will help on the way if you do indeed change to the eisy. 

But it would help all of us if you describe a little more about your current hub and your automations that you're looking to control. The eisy has a lot of plugins that can control more than just Insteon devices. You can find the plugins in other areas of the forums to get an idea of what the eisy can fold into the IoX/ISY mode of automation. 

Again, welcome to the forums! 

[Brian H]

If some of your modules are the older power line only models. They can be effected by power line devices as the new devices in the house are added.

So in theory older modules may not fair better. Even with the great UDI products.

[ELA]

22 hours ago, GregKY said:

Hello.  I am considering the purchase of an EISY to control my 50 device Insteon system and possibly start migrating to newer options.  Before I purchase one I want to see what I am in for in terms of programming/onboarding. Obviously since I have a fairly robust Insteon system I probably know more that the average guy on the street about this stuff, but I can tell just from the help section on this page that I might be getting in WAY over my head.  I am not a hobbyist, just a guy that wants every switch/scene to work as it should.  

Hello and Welcome to this forum,

   Are you willing to become an Automation Hobbyist?  

If not then I would recommend you stay with the Hub.  I may be incorrect but I would think that most here would consider their automation interest a hobby.  It definitely demands a bit of your time if you want to explore all the powerful features that an ISY/EISY can add to your existing automation installation.

If you are willing to spend the time required the people on this site are great at offering their time to help you along the way.  As already mentioned it would be helpful if you described a bit about your existing installation.

  I would suspect that you had to spend some time getting your existing installation up and running reliably.  You say you are having some issues now with the Hub.  Are you sure it is the hub?    Many experience issues with getting their communications between devices reliable.   If existing issues are communications related, then changing to an EISY alone may not  be all that is required.   

Having to resolve communications issues can make you a hobbyist :)