Re: Insteon reliability

[Marc_F_Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 14 Sep 2006 19:14:20 -0700, "Josh B." <acurazrule@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message  <1158286460.538734.282580@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

On Thu, 14 Sep 2006 17:25:41 -0400, Marc_F_Hult
<MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
<mkgjg29qvb3p4g3jtau4vpggr17dsaelqc@xxxxxxx>:
>
>> Other functions such internal occupancy sensing and periphery security,
>> thermostats and so on are arguably better (also) done with hard-wired
>> systems, not RF or Powerline Control (PLC).  In general, think first of
>> opportunities for hard-wired systems and only after those are exhausted,
>> consider RF and PLC as needed because of practical considerations
>> including cost.

>I'm not going to disagree with you here.  Obviously wired connections
>are almost always better than anything wireless.  I come from a IT
>background so I'd be the first to admit that a cat 5 cable is better
>than 802.11g wireless anyday.  I'm looking more at automating some
>functions in my house.  My house is 50 years old so while I agree, hard
>wired is better, it just isn't viable for my application

I suppose it depends whether your house is, as the expression goes, 50 years
old or 50 years young ;-)

My house is 185 years young so it is worth the time, dirt, aggravation,
challenges and money to install hard-wired in my opinion. I agree that a
post-WWII, first-ring suburban tract house might be a different matter.

When I've changed houses (about every 10-15 years) I've included cost for new
infrastructure and improvements in the original purchase calculus. So, for
example, I enjoyed the benefits (actual $ savings, reliability/peace of mind,
environmental factors, subsequent resale value) of a vastly more efficient
boiler for the 13 years I owned my last turn-of-the-century home in Minnesota
because I installed it in year one. It paid for itself many times over. HA
can be similar if you install stuff that lasts.

>> If you want effective HA, do your cost calculations as % of home value, %
>> of cost of all installed electrical, % of 10-year HVAC bill, as a cost
>> amortized over your expected period of ownership, as an improvement that
>> you will recoup on sale,  and so on. Don't buy hometoys out of this week's
>> beer money and expect lasting value.

>Unfortunately, unless you have a lot of disposable cash, it's difficult
>to justify dumping a lot of money into something that you most likely
>won't recoup the cost.  For most home buyers, HA would be nothing more
>than a novelty.

It doesn't have to be so in my experience -- but I agree that it often is. I
lost _all_ my HA investment in the house before this one that I only owned
for two years during which I was rebuilding it.

>I'm a technical person who likes to dabble with stuff
>like this so installing Insteon would be more than a hobby than
>anything.  The price point of the Insteon stuff seems reasonable for
>what it does.  But even if I replaced all the switches in my house with
>Insteon products, I can assure you that it would cost more than cost
>more than a weeks worth of beer money.

For ~$500, you can add 20 INSTEON wall/module switches/dimmers, controller
and bridge. That's $10/week beer money for a year.

Its also equivalent to ~4 miles each way/day walking or biking at $2.50/gal
and 15 mpg.

Do both and you can have your lighting system *and* lose 30 pounds in six
months --- easy ;-)

For a mean value US home of $200k, $500 is 0.25% of purchase price. For a
$50K starter in one of the 39 "weak market" US metro areas, it's still only
1%. I dunno about you, but I could never predict/calibrate/control home
purchase prices to within a fraction of 1%.

My 4 cents ... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECONtrol.org