Re: Laying out a new house - looking for Wiring and controller advise

["BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm not too concerned with the fact that only Smarthome currently builds
product as they are making the chips available to all takers so new
products should be forthcoming. Worst case - it dies off - I can still
use what I have and even reprogram them to work as standard X10 devices.
If I had to scrap the whole investment - as I've done with the X10 stuff
I've removed - the cost to date has "only" been about $1000 (for approx
50 devices) due to some very special pricing offered for a very short
time to those who signed up as developers (best $99 I ever spent!).

Key to my decision was the ability to translate X10 commands to Insteon
(as can now be done with UPB too) to protect the investment and hours of
programming in the Stargate.


>> It does work quite reliably and overall I'm pleased with
>> it. I had tried a UPB starter kit before Insteon and found
>> that it worked no better than X10.  IOW, in the two
>> areas of my home where X10 flat out won't work, UPB
>> didn't either. Insteon, with the RF bridges strategically
>> located, does the job beautifully.  I do miss code wheels
>> though.
>
> Your experience is encouraging.  I also appreciate the fact that you
> make clear whether your statements are based on experience or
> supposition.  My biggest concern with Insteon is that only one
> company supports it.  When they move on or should they experience
> business troubles (certainly not unheard of in our industry) you
> could wind up with an unsupported system -- no repair or replacement
> parts and no add-ons for the next project.
> This is related to the reason I've always avoided proprietary
> technology in security systems.  If the entire system is dependant
> upon a single manufacturer it can become completely unsupportable at
> the stroke of a comptroller's pen.
>
> While I have not yet tried either Insteon or Z-Wave, my inclination is
> toward Z-Wave because it has garnered support from a vast number of
> manufacturers.  We're going to do some remodeling in our new place
> shortly. Our home has 3800 sf under air and over 2000 sf on the
> lanai.  We're going to add an outdoor kitchen / dining room as well
> but that will have to wait a couple of years.  The house has one
> floor on a slab with 12 foot ceilings and concrete floors.  Rewiring
> the electrical system would be difficult and time consuming.
> Fortunately, the builder installed wiring for a comprehensive
> security system.
> The project will of course include installing a home automation
> system.  For the controller I've chosen ELK's M1G.  I plan to use
> Z-Wave for the lights and thermostats.  We also need to replace the
> pool / Jacuzzi controller. I'm looking into a Z-Wave option for that
> as well.