X10 & The ISY

[aLf]

I've got one spectacular ISY setup in home #1. I never could have wished for more.

 

Thank you Michel & team.

 

My story is:

 

In home #2 I have some original SH 2300 series switches and a couple old version X10, 8 button keypads. It is currently run by a (as you all know) a primitive, 1132CUP. It works, but my wife (who thought I was squandering our retirement on HA) now thinks that it would be nice to have a dimmer here and a dimmer there... Oh and by the way one of those nice switches with all the buttons would be nice in the Master Bedroom, etc. I'm now contemplating converting home #2 to full authority HA. Two questions:

 

1) Should I just bite the inevetable eBay sale and get rid of the SH 2300's and replace with Insteon.

 

2) If not, can I include all the X10 stuff easily through ISY as scenes, etc.

 

I know all the drawbacks of X10 (many years of frustration) but also, they do work, they do respond and the should be way more manageable with ISY.

 

I'd like to hear from others as to their results of trying. My wife is vulnerable, but I'm still basicaly cheap. I'm more than happy to add to Michel & Chris' IRA's, I'm not so sure I feel that benevelant to SH management. I'll go either way----You the ISYers will answer the questions.

 

Thanks from Melmac.

 

aLf

[Algorithm]

Hi aLf!

 

Well, you know all the advantages of the ISY, so no need to sell you on that! How much time do you spend in home #2 vs home #1? Is security a consideration? I see several possible courses:

 

1. Keep your existing setup, since it works. You may even expand it with additional X-10 devices.

 

2. If you wish to increase your capabilities while remaining strictly X-10 (no Insteon), consider replacing your 1132CUP with an Ocelot. Ocelot is to X-10 what ISY is to Insteon!

 

3. While remaining X-10, replace your 1132CUP with an ISY. While ISY's X-10 capabilities are getting better, ISY is truly an Insteon controller, and that's where you'll see maximum effectiveness with it, eg. using Insteon scenes. But a mixed Insteon/X-10 network is not really recommended. While most X-10 devices are only one-way, all Insteon devices are, by definition, two-way, and all of these extra transmitters act as sinks, draining away the X-10 signal until the X-10 network no longer functions.

 

4. Replace the entire network with ISY/Insteon. Again, you already know all of the advantages that brings ! One that may be of major concern to you (though you haven't mentioned it) is the ability to manage home #2 from home #1.

 

It seems to me that it basically comes down to choosing between X-10 and Insteon. If I were making the decision, it would be option 4, hands down! But you must decide what's right for you.

 

One other possibility: The UDI products page shows an ISY-99u (UPB) and ISY-99z (ZWave) as 'Coming Soon'. I know nothing about the time-frame, but if you were interesting in experimenting with, say UPB in home #2, you could always call UDI to find out.

 

Thanks from Melmac.

 

aLf

 

I like cats, too!

[aLf]

Joe:

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I have only two options, neither one involves the purchase of a second ISY. THERE WILL BE A SECOND ISY. The only question really is, Can I get the old X10 stuff to scene and operate OK with ISY? I only have a dozen or so 2300's in this place (#2) and the cost won't kill me. I hate to overbuild, but Insteon definetly is the better switch hands-down. And I can still re-coup $30 a switch on eBay. I'm 50x50 in both homes and do use the ISY remote function. House #1, I took every X10 out as it was a constant headache with power outages. #2 doesn't lose power very often so that isn't a huge concern. I know Insteon will still be better. Does the old X10 work in scenes, ect?

 

Back to my original question, Can you ask ISY to include an old 2380 to turn on/off and scene OK? And can these old 8 button X10 Sh KP's work with ISY? The KP's will probably be the deal-breaker as I need them as the second backbone.

 

Again, Thanks and I'm open to all banter.

 

aLf

[Algorithm]

Hi aLf, sorry, didn't realize the second ISY was already allotted. Good choice !

 

Some of the more expensive X-10 switches had scene capability, and status capability with two-way, etc. I don't know about the 2380, and can't find any information about these old switches on SmartHome's site. You mentioned On/Off--are these switches relays as opposed to dimmers? Again, I haven't used the old SmartHome X-10 keypads. Do they send an X-10 code whenever a button is pressed? If so, they will work fine with the ISY. Depending on their capabilities, you might not get all of the niceties of Insteon switches, such as FastOn/FastOff, or even holding to brighten/dim.

 

In any case, I don't think you can use X-10 devices in scenes within ISY. So if your network is strictly X-10, then all of your ISY programming will have to be done with X-10 commands, rather than with ISY scenes. Having said that, if your X-10 switches are scene capable, you can still do amazing things with X-10 scenes and ISY programming.

 

And, you can program ISY to refresh the entire network every half-hour, for example. What I mean is that when you are not at that home, you can have ISY periodically turn all devices off, or set all devices to a known state determined by time-of-day in order to make the house look occupied. This will provide recovery after a power failure (or other times) due to X-10's inclination to turn on unexpectedly or come back in unknown states after a power failure.

 

Using Insteon would add robustness, speed, and perhaps additional capabilities depending on your present X-10 devices. It would also make programming much easier using scenes within ISY.