Re: Time for HA, finally. Thinking Insteon. Mulling this for 20 years. What is best?

[Marc_F_Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for the info/tip on ramp rate. That's a feature I don't use (yet)
but there may be reasons to.

I prefer the single LED's of the ICON to the multi-LEDs of the more
expensive V2's. The feedback that matters (to me and mine) is the actual
dim level of the light being controlled for which looking at LEDs is almost
always superfluous and less informative.

It has taken me a while to get used to an LED that is ON when the light is
OFF and OFF when the light is ON. This is counterintuitive for me. If I go
to turn OFF one of two lights in a bank of two in which one is currently ON
and the other OFF, if I don't consciously stop to think, I invariably hit
the wrong switch.

As I've written here before, based on my dissection/inspection, the ICONs
are visually identical to the V2's except for number of LEDs populated on
the PCB. For all I know, one could solder on more LEDs to the ICON dimmers
if one were so inclined.

... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:53:12 -1000, "BruceR" <razrbruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote in message  <459daf89$0$5218$4c368faf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

>Except for scene control (which I don't use) the ICON and V2 lines are
>pretty much the same. The V2's have the extra LEDs but they're nothing
>special. I ended up with mostly V2's because they had a special sale
>that made them the same price as the ICONs for a while.  I did learn, by
>trying, that the adjustable ramp rate and dim levels on the ICON are
>programmable just like on the V2's even though the catalog says the ramp
>rate is fixed.  If it weren't for the opportune timing of that special
>sale, I'd have a house full of ICONs instead of V2's.
>
> Marc_F_Hult wrote:
>> Got it.
>>
>> I asked in part because it seems that you are well satisfied with the
>> X-10 (protocol) installation using INSTEON hardware. One of the
>> primary, long-standing complaints about X-10 has been the poor
>> tactile feel of the X10 (brand) and most other (eg Leviton) X-10
>> hardware. Years ago I spent $$ on a few expensive non-X10 X-10
>> switches that also disappointed in one way or another including touch
>> and feel.
>>
>> After living with 15 or so INSTEON ICON (the inexpensive ones) dimmer
>> switches for a few months, I've concluded that they are 'good enough"
>> to serve as primary switches even if they weren't used in HA with a
>> controller. In other words, they would not need to ripped out on sale
>> of the house, and don't irritate the SO, or confound Grandma.
>>
>> Being able to dependably control them with either protocol (X-10 or
>> INSTEON) is -- from that most basic, practical homeowner perspective
>> -- effectively an 'optional extra'. Which option you take becomes less
>> important because the most important consideration (the infrastructure
>> equivalent of "do no harm") is satisfied.
>>
>> Mis dos limpuras ... Marc
>> Marc_F_Hult
>> www.ECOntrol.org
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 13:01:39 -1000, "BruceR"
>> <razrbruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> <459d8753$0$7701$4c368faf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>>
>>> I'm using most of the Insteons in X10 mode until the RoZetta is
>>> ready. The problem is that I have everything programmed in my
>>> Stargate and there is no Insteon equivalent to the Stargate. Alas,
>>> Stargate only sends X10 so I need to translate the X10 signals to
>>> Insteon.  The Insteon translator that I got as a beta is frozen in
>>> some unknown mode and has lost about half of the programmed
>>> translations.  Once I have the RoZetta installed (soon!) I will be
>>> able to pretty much eleiminate X10 signaling entirely.
>>>
>>>  At that point the XTB II will most likely move to my Houston home
>>> which will continue to use X10. I will, however, use XTB I units to
>>> amplify signals from X10 controllers that I still may need.
>>>
>>> Marc_F_Hult wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 10:33:31 -1000, "BruceR"
>>>> <razrbruce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>>>> <459d649d$0$8958$4c368faf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>>>>
>>>>> Jeff, Right you are about X10 reliability falling off as more
>>>>> Insteon devices are installed but you, sir, have solved that
>>>>> problem (at least for me) with your XTB II product.  I have about
>>>>> 60 Insteon devices right now and untill installing the XTB II the
>>>>> X10 signals were almost worthless evem with an ACT repeater.  Now,
>>>>> with the XTB II installed at a panel and in TW523 emulation mode,
>>>>> I have no X10 problems at all!
>>>>
>>>> Bruce,
>>>>
>>>> Please refresh my memory. Why is it that you use INSTEON in the X-10
>>>> compatibility mode rather than natively?
>>>>
>>>> The native mode has numerous capabilities that (at least) legacy
>>>> X-10 does not including signal repeating, the ability to 'discover'
>>>> INSTEON devices, give them names/descriptors ("bathroom mirror
>>>> light") and download them to the devices for future reference,
>>>> determine device type and revision number, and so on.
>>>>
>>>> Are these capabilities also available in the X-10 compatibility
>>>> mode?
>>>>
>>>> TIA ... Marc
>>>> Marc_F_Hult
>>>> www.ECOntrol.org
>