Comments on: mControl 2.1, so close, yet so far away

By: Noel

Noel — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:38:55 +0000

Have you tried PowerHome? It handles everything you mentioned plus syncs the KPL button lights. You create groups and have PH execute the groups when a button is pressed. There is a learning curve but for $69.95 it’s well worth it. You can try it for 30 days before you buy.

By: Chris Lanier's Blog : Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation

Chris Lanier's Blog : Getting Started with Lighting Control and Home Automation — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:32:42 +0000

[...] Drawbaugh has had a few recent posts on lighting control and his INSTEON setup. DW writes about his X10 setup and not [...]

By: » The ISY-99 is the best thing that ever happend to my automated lights » Ben Drawbaugh

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:09:30 +0000

[...] and I even tried Smart Home’s software HouseLinc. Upon evaluating mControl and discovering it couldn’t master Insteon either, I was telling my new friend Ted Singh from Embedded Automation that I was thinking about ditching [...]

By: Ben Drawbaugh

Ben Drawbaugh — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:31:56 +0000

Blake, I love wires, it just isn’t within reason to run 43 wires to all my switches.

As for USB, no one makes a Z-Way RS-232 interface? I find it much more flexible.

But the real problem is the cost. I have over $1000 invested in Insteon and the Vizia-RF for example costs twice as much.

Yeah, the VAVE100 looks really sweet, I hope it hits the market soon.

By: Blake

Blake — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:07:35 +0000

Hi Ben,

I am not sure what your situation is at your home so these suggestions may not be relevant. First, I see that you are averser to wires. That being said, I would recommend using Z-Wave compatible devices instead of Insteon. mControl has a longer track record with Z-wave than with Insteon. (I also personally feel that Insteon is currently a functionally inferior technology.)
In order to make this happen you will need a z-wave controller. The USB controller from Intermatic works great. If you have a ton of electrical equipment around the USB dongle, you will want to use a USB extension cable to move the dongle away from the interference.
Some of the really sweet things about 2.1 are the sideshow integration (which will be *really* sweet when the VAVE100 comes out…if ever) and, while not “officially” part of the release, the work done by other users to show multiple machine control of a single environment is really strong. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have questions. The forum at Embedded Automation is also a good resource.

By: Utah

Utah — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:23:28 +0000

As far as I know, HAI switches are UPB (which is a powerline technology) so they would require a nuetral wire, but not a “control” wire.

By: Ben Drawbaugh

Ben Drawbaugh — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:41:50 +0000

Dennis,
That link says it’s powerline.

As much as I’d love to have hard wired, I don’t think it’s worth it to run that many wires.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:10:56 +0000

I use OnQ/HAI for lighting control. Each light switch works just like a normal switch but can be programed through the controler board or as I do it by RS-232 through my Crestron controler. The switches were very pricey when I got them, but they are $75 now. You have to run a control wire to each switch though. Thats not an issue for me since I always perfer to hard wire any control systems to inusre reliability.

http://www.smarthome.com/110521.html