Insteon camera setup guide install#
Insteon camera setup guide plus#

So if you build a connected-home system with Insteon, donвЂ™t consider the hub to be an optional component. The living room scene, on the other hand, ceased to operate, because it was operating according to a schedule that was controlled by the hub. As a result, the Insteon motion and door/window sensors continued to control the lights, even after I unplugged the Insteon hub. Unlike Z-Wave, however, Insteon doesnвЂ™t rely on a routing table. Like the RF-only Z-Wave technology, each Insteon device is both a transmitter and a receiver, and the resulting network forms a mesh. You manage your Insteon system through a web portal or with this mobile app. Insteon will even print custom labels on the keypads for you (for an additional fee, of course).

Insteon camera setup guide plus#

While I didnвЂ™t test any of them, Insteon also sells a variety of in-wall keypad dimmers that can control a local load plus other devices or groups of devices on the Insteon network. You can create different schedules for every day of the week, if desired, or you can establish scenes with different combinations of lighting for particular scenarios: Reading, watching movies, or even the time of day. You can specify the level of dimming for each device, with ramp-up times as long as eight minutes. Sunset and sunrise are determined by the Internet-connected hub based your time zone and the current date. Using the Insteon app, I grouped these devices into a room and created a scene that turned all the lamps on at sunset and off at 10pm. Insteon also offers in-wall dimmers and switches (priced from $50 to $80, depending on their capabilities). I replaced one light bulb with a dimmable Insteon 60-watt-equivalent LED bulb and plugged two other lamps into plug-in dimmer modules (these cost $50 each if you need more than the two that come in the kit). My living room is lit by an overhead light and several lamps.

InsteonвЂ™s thermostat is no great shakes, and the only alternative is Nest Learning Thermostat.

Insteon camera setup guide install#

That includes the time it took to download and install the control app on my iPhone (there are Android and Windows Phone versions available, too) and to program rooms (groups of devices) and scenes (rules for controlling those devices). I installed everything besides the thermostat and the IP camera in less than two hours. The company just announced that it has joined the Works with Nest program. Fortunately, youвЂ™re not limited to InsteonвЂ™s thermostat. On the other hand, itвЂ™s aesthetically ugly compared to just about any modern thermostat on the market, it lacks a touchscreen user interface, and it doesnвЂ™t support heat pumps or three-stage HVAC systems. On the one hand, it supports advanced features such as support for two-stage heating and cooling systems, duct dampers, and remote sensors. I wasnвЂ™t able to test the thermostat, but it represents another weak spot in the Insteon ecosystem. If you buy an Insteon starter kit, make sure that it comes with the latest Insteon hub, as this kit does.

Insteon also sent a pair of 60-watt-equivalent LED light bulbs (these are very expensive at $30 each-thatвЂ™s twice the cost of the GE and Cree bulbs recently reviewed). The Connected Kit consists of InsteonвЂ™s latest hub, which you hard-wire to your home router/Internet gateway a standard-definition pan/tilt security camera motion, door/window, and leak sensors and a wired thermostat.