Re: What is the best solution for PC based lighting control?

[Marc_F_Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:54:03 GMT, "Steve" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message  <LeOPg.976412$084.916668@attbi_s22>:

>Looking at UPB, Insteon and Z-wave.  Hard to tell which one of those will be
>the winner.  Anyone have a hot pick, and more importantly why?

A bit like asking whether Harley-Davidson, GM or Boeing "will be the winner".
>Not sure which PC package I will use.  Homeseer is the big dog,  but others
>seem to have come along smartly.

There were much better PC applications than Homeseer long before HomeSeer.

In my opinion and experience, HomeSeer is a mutt with X-10-centric parentage
that has been cross-bred beyond recognition (and without adequate QA/QC and
design). I'd monitor the HomeSeer discussion forums for progress on stability
before going that route (again). Don't buy hardware without identifying and
verifying the suitability for your needs of software that works with the
hardware.

The demise of the two most stable and comprehensive PC-centric software
(Savoy's CyberHouse and Premise Systems) leaves us with choices like Crestron
and AMX (expensive, proprietary), HomeSeer (unstable, esp. importantly the
lighting interfaces such as INSTEON) and Charmed Quark (relatively few
hardware interfaces), and HAL (moribund).

Of these, (and I  own/have experimented with all but Crestron and AMX)
Charmed Quark with INSTEON through an ELK MG1 hardware panel would be my
choix-du-jour. The Elk panel is a capable bargain, and INSTEON hardware woes
(in an all-INSTEON -- not hybrid INSTEON/X-10 system!) has been subjected to
much hippo-speak in this newsgroup by folks with insufficient actual
experience in my opinion. CQ seems rock stable and soundly designed which are
the most important criteria in my opinion.

FWIW, the entire, last/final  Premise Systems v2.1 software suite is
available for 'free' download. This was the most capable, best supported,
most promoted, top-of-the heap PC-centric software before being sold to
Motorola and going belly up. Ran/runs rings around HomeSeer.

http://www.premisesystems.com/downloads/

Premise Home Control Software Version 2.1
This release is free to all users.  It is a full version (formally called the
'Dealer Edition') with no license key or activation code restrictions.  This
is the last currently planned release of Premise Home Control Software
Version 2.x.
Published: May 19, 2006
Build 15117

Whether anyone cares that you do so without having purchased a license (given
its apparent demise) is another question. Previously, full-featured demo
versions were freely available.

... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org