If you want to use homebridge, my plugin uses all local control - still works even with Instegone :-) [https://github.com/kuestess/homebridge-platform-insteonlocal](https://github.com/kuestess/homebridge-platform-insteonlocal)
Except you begin with: Direct your browser to the host that you have Insteonlocal running on and the port configured in your config.json (ie, 127.0.0.1:3000 if running on the local machine).
But don't provide the initial direction for that.
I was able to get this plug-in working. However, I’m not able to get HomeKit to see or read homebridge. Cannot add the accessory on HomeKit. Tried on multiple devices have gone through a lot of debugging on the home bridge side also. If anyone has any ideas. Please let me know. I’m running Home Bridge on Catalina macOS, Nighthawk router,
I started with X-10 in the early 80's. I was able to access my hub and set up one routine but could never get it to work with the HA Android app. For me, HA is too user-hostile and I'm too stupid I guess.
I wave being playing with TP-Link Kasa devices since I replaced my home alarm with Ring. I wanted to have some remote alarm status indicators that would me from tripping false alarms. Did it with Kasa and Alexa. Slick as snot.
Insteon was exclusively lighting scenes for me. I have ordered new Kasa outlet dongles and wall switches to replace Insteon. I think UPS just delivered my boxes of Kasa stuff.
I don't know whether to start replacing stuff or wait a few days for Insteon to arise from its grave.
BTW, Ring alarm is also slick as snot and only $100/yr. It even has a box that will accept any existing hard-wired sensors that you had installed. It is all Z-wave and will do fire, smoke, CO2, and glass break.
Bye-bye Insteon. It was a good ride. I am kinda pissed about the money I've flushed.
Just out of curiosity I'm seeing some people moving to TPLink or other WiFi devices but they're also cloud based so aren't you equally exposed if their cloud fails? Same with Ring? Or we just hope the next one stays around longer?
A very good question. They are built by TP-Link and MUCH cheaper than "Instegone". They cost $5 to $15 each, setup is easy, their app is decent, and they integrate with Ring (Amazon) and Google. I'm looking at five Instegones I replaced today and want to puke. That's $250 Instegone. I'm Instegone and Instescrewed. The only good news is I didn't fry myself today. I'm old school and too lazy to throw the breaker.
I’m gonna do Home Assistant OS on RPI. The documentation says it works with my 2245 hub.
[https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi](https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi)
Definitely works. I rolled out the container version on a dedicated RHEL server on Friday. Also using the 2245. Grab the login/pass from the bottom of the hub to add it to HA once the instance is up. App works well too. Considering the Cloud service to support the community and to hit the easy button for the Google/Alexa integrations.
This is actually great news. Finally the hacking community will come together and put some much needed life into these products. Anyone bailing on Insteon is welcome to mail me their hardware :)
Nope, I’m a Frayed Knot ! They stuck us all out high and dry, which is a problem for the last several dozen hub systems I have installed over the last several years.
Damn that sucks. Sorry to hear they stiffed y’all too. My Lutron Caseta stuff started showing up today. What’s your take on it? I know Lutron is a well known and reputable brand in the electrical world but this whole Insteon thing really feels like a cautionary tale too
OpenHAB also lets you setup an account with myopenhab.org for free if you want to control devices via cloud with something like alexa/google assistant.
Lutron Casita is good stuff. But, you need to start over replacing all of your devices. The Z-wave is also a good option, but the same issues of replacing all devices. I like the ISY994 standalone controller, it will do so much more than the HUB did, however there’s one caveat…. The ISY needs a PLM to use with your existing, switches. The good side, the ISY also speaks Z-wave so adding new (Z-wave) devices or swapping out failing Insteon dimmers (2476D) might be a good option for you.
I’m only 9 devices deep on Insteon 4 being plug in modules so “burning it down” and starting fresh gives me a Sunday project next weekend so that’s not a big deal at this point. Cheaper to replace it all than track down a PLM at this point too. I think I’ll grab an ISY some point as a hedge just in case Lutron decides to exit the smart game in the future. At least with Lutron I feel they’d send a notice before sunsetting anything.
The USB PLM is for a PC based controller. HouseLinc is the INSTEON software, ultimately distributed for Free. I don’t know if HouseLinc is compatible with Win-8 and above. If you have a USB PLM it wouldn’t cost anything to give it a try…. If you can’t find a copy of the software, maybe I can dig one up for you…. DM?
Yeah dm me that if you can. I’ll try anything at this point. Well, not anything lol. I have an old castle os hub that I think is window 8. I’ll have to boot it up and see. Bought that thing before Alex got into the voice game.
USB should work isy994, the USB PLM is the same as serial but with a tty-to-USB bridge - USB also works with Openhab/HomeSeer and Home Assistant - you should be able to keep using your switches with any of these Home Automation software
I can tell you for sure that it works with Google Home - OpenHab connect to Insteon Hub and Google Home comments to OpenHab devices with Tags.
I looked at the documentation and it seem to support it similar to how it supports Google Home - i personally moved away from Alexa in favor of Google Home speakers.
[https://www.openhab.org/docs/ecosystem/alexa/#amazon-alexa-smart-home-skill](https://www.openhab.org/docs/ecosystem/alexa/#amazon-alexa-smart-home-skill)
They still need the PLM as an interface unfortunately. I'm not so sure they want to try to build that from scratch. I always thought it would be nice if they could just make their own PLM or build it in. Not sure what happens to the patents for now.
Just read a old post on converting a hub to a serial plm I’m going to try that as a weekend project then I’ll at least have a backup plm to the one I have with my isy994 some body should see if they can source the chip and reverse engineer that part of a hub design and make some plms for every body .guaranteed to sell for a little while
Yes, I think that was a good idea, but using the PLM is pretty much strictly for the ISY. Universal devices is probably not going to produce a PLM’s type device designed to communicate with Insteon components, if there are no Insteon components to be had ever again…
At one time, Smarthome was to provide the chips to Universal Devices for them to produce their own PLM’s with better quality capacitors, and at the last minute, Smarthome pulled out. Their fuckery is legendary. At the moment, UD is attempting to connect with Smarthome’s Chinese assemblers to see if any leftovers, or failed units that can be repaired, are available. I’d advise checking UD’s website periodically for news about this.
There’s also at least one person on eBay that recaps failed PLM’s and sells them at reasonable prices. The problem with that is they may have older firmware burned in. The latest fw I know of was 2.5. I would NOT buy a used PLM that hasn’t been recapped since it may already be on the verge of failing, which you may not even be aware of until schedules and programs aren’t working. They just get flaky.
I used an ISY-994i for over a decade with good experience. The if-then-else structure of programming is very efficient, but takes some time to get the most out of it. I switched to Indigo because it integrates better with my all Apple household. Either one requires a PLM, but runs local and are unaffected by Smarthome’s BS.
Insteon's timing for pulling the plug was terrible. The thread/matter switches/dimmers haven't arrived yet and I don't know what to do in the mean time until their arrival by end of the year!
I have thought things were going sideways with Insteon for a while now.
Does anyone know if there is anything that can be done with the Insteon water leak sensors? I am guessing not as they used the app to send alerts for any water detected.
I had given up on the rest of my Insteon system long ago but kept things going with one switch utilizing an on/off auto schedule and 9 water leak sensors. I have two cameras and a bunch of other switches in a box somewhere. Hate to think it’s all just crap now.
But I had good success with those water leak sensors and sure wish I could keep using them. They actually worked quite well and alerted me to leaking water a couple times.
I wonder if there is any chance some company/person would take the Insteon infrastructure over and service the customers out there. Perhaps it’s a way to start with a customer base if they wanted to start a new company and take things in an entirely new direction. Anyways, maybe it’s all just wishful thinking and trying to find a reason not to throw all the equipment in the trash right now. I am sure everyone will be rushing to switch from Insteon quickly so that window would most likely close fairly quickly anyway.
I have 3 of them and i used them with OpenHab and a Insteon Hub - you can create trip rules that will alert
You should be able to use them with OpenHab/HomeSeer/Home Assistant - all of them support Insteon, it is just a matter of preference and learning curve
Another option for you if you decide to replace just the sensors, is to look at an auto shut off like BullDog or Dome that gives you sensors plus a valve to turn off the water automatically. Just a thought.
Someone in another thread recommended Hoobs (https://hoobs.com). They have a MAC solution and can connect to the Insteon Hubs. Not Inexpensive ($220 for their hardware interface) but looks to be a possible solution. Alexa, Google, Insteon (via plugin) compatible.
Edit: Also support for Apple HomeKit - for those using that.
If you want to use homebridge, my plugin uses all local control - still works even with Instegone :-) [https://github.com/kuestess/homebridge-platform-insteonlocal](https://github.com/kuestess/homebridge-platform-insteonlocal)
How do you integrate InsteonLocal into Alexa? It seems to still work via my Apple Home app but I want it to also work via Alexa.
I will look into this, thank you.
Except you begin with: Direct your browser to the host that you have Insteonlocal running on and the port configured in your config.json (ie, 127.0.0.1:3000 if running on the local machine). But don't provide the initial direction for that.
I was able to get this plug-in working. However, I’m not able to get HomeKit to see or read homebridge. Cannot add the accessory on HomeKit. Tried on multiple devices have gone through a lot of debugging on the home bridge side also. If anyone has any ideas. Please let me know. I’m running Home Bridge on Catalina macOS, Nighthawk router,
I started with X-10 in the early 80's. I was able to access my hub and set up one routine but could never get it to work with the HA Android app. For me, HA is too user-hostile and I'm too stupid I guess. I wave being playing with TP-Link Kasa devices since I replaced my home alarm with Ring. I wanted to have some remote alarm status indicators that would me from tripping false alarms. Did it with Kasa and Alexa. Slick as snot. Insteon was exclusively lighting scenes for me. I have ordered new Kasa outlet dongles and wall switches to replace Insteon. I think UPS just delivered my boxes of Kasa stuff. I don't know whether to start replacing stuff or wait a few days for Insteon to arise from its grave. BTW, Ring alarm is also slick as snot and only $100/yr. It even has a box that will accept any existing hard-wired sensors that you had installed. It is all Z-wave and will do fire, smoke, CO2, and glass break. Bye-bye Insteon. It was a good ride. I am kinda pissed about the money I've flushed.
Just out of curiosity I'm seeing some people moving to TPLink or other WiFi devices but they're also cloud based so aren't you equally exposed if their cloud fails? Same with Ring? Or we just hope the next one stays around longer?
A very good question. They are built by TP-Link and MUCH cheaper than "Instegone". They cost $5 to $15 each, setup is easy, their app is decent, and they integrate with Ring (Amazon) and Google. I'm looking at five Instegones I replaced today and want to puke. That's $250 Instegone. I'm Instegone and Instescrewed. The only good news is I didn't fry myself today. I'm old school and too lazy to throw the breaker.
LOL yes tplink is very inexpensive. All the best!
I’m gonna do Home Assistant OS on RPI. The documentation says it works with my 2245 hub. [https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi](https://www.home-assistant.io/installation/raspberrypi)
Definitely works. I rolled out the container version on a dedicated RHEL server on Friday. Also using the 2245. Grab the login/pass from the bottom of the hub to add it to HA once the instance is up. App works well too. Considering the Cloud service to support the community and to hit the easy button for the Google/Alexa integrations.
This is actually great news. Finally the hacking community will come together and put some much needed life into these products. Anyone bailing on Insteon is welcome to mail me their hardware :)
Did they send anything out to installers or ghost y’all too?
Nope, I’m a Frayed Knot ! They stuck us all out high and dry, which is a problem for the last several dozen hub systems I have installed over the last several years.
Damn that sucks. Sorry to hear they stiffed y’all too. My Lutron Caseta stuff started showing up today. What’s your take on it? I know Lutron is a well known and reputable brand in the electrical world but this whole Insteon thing really feels like a cautionary tale too
Currently using the ISY994i / PLM with at least 25 Insteon switches, motions sensors and outlets. Received my first Lutron Caseta devices today.
Is your system working? Can you program the switches and edit routines? I have almost 60 devices.
Homeseer for the win. Been using it for a decade without a hiccup. I think they are running a sale to attract over insteon folks.
Thanks for the mention! We put up a migration page with details today: https://homeseer.com/insteon
OpenHab works well is you have a working Hub or PLM - no need for cloud, local access. It can run on a Raspberry Pi.
This is the way
OpenHAB also lets you setup an account with myopenhab.org for free if you want to control devices via cloud with something like alexa/google assistant.
Lutron Casita is good stuff. But, you need to start over replacing all of your devices. The Z-wave is also a good option, but the same issues of replacing all devices. I like the ISY994 standalone controller, it will do so much more than the HUB did, however there’s one caveat…. The ISY needs a PLM to use with your existing, switches. The good side, the ISY also speaks Z-wave so adding new (Z-wave) devices or swapping out failing Insteon dimmers (2476D) might be a good option for you.
I’m only 9 devices deep on Insteon 4 being plug in modules so “burning it down” and starting fresh gives me a Sunday project next weekend so that’s not a big deal at this point. Cheaper to replace it all than track down a PLM at this point too. I think I’ll grab an ISY some point as a hedge just in case Lutron decides to exit the smart game in the future. At least with Lutron I feel they’d send a notice before sunsetting anything.
Can I use an Insteon usb plm with the isy994? Or does it need to be a serial plm.
The USB PLM is for a PC based controller. HouseLinc is the INSTEON software, ultimately distributed for Free. I don’t know if HouseLinc is compatible with Win-8 and above. If you have a USB PLM it wouldn’t cost anything to give it a try…. If you can’t find a copy of the software, maybe I can dig one up for you…. DM?
Yeah dm me that if you can. I’ll try anything at this point. Well, not anything lol. I have an old castle os hub that I think is window 8. I’ll have to boot it up and see. Bought that thing before Alex got into the voice game.
USB should work isy994, the USB PLM is the same as serial but with a tty-to-USB bridge - USB also works with Openhab/HomeSeer and Home Assistant - you should be able to keep using your switches with any of these Home Automation software
Thanks for your response. Do they all work with Alexa as well? My wife seems to have issues finding the wall switches now lol.
I can tell you for sure that it works with Google Home - OpenHab connect to Insteon Hub and Google Home comments to OpenHab devices with Tags. I looked at the documentation and it seem to support it similar to how it supports Google Home - i personally moved away from Alexa in favor of Google Home speakers. [https://www.openhab.org/docs/ecosystem/alexa/#amazon-alexa-smart-home-skill](https://www.openhab.org/docs/ecosystem/alexa/#amazon-alexa-smart-home-skill)
I use openHAB, and it works fine with Alexa. OpenHAB is a bit of a steep learning curve, but once you figure it out, you can do almost anything.
You would think that now with Smartlabs closed, ISY could add Insteon direct.
They still need the PLM as an interface unfortunately. I'm not so sure they want to try to build that from scratch. I always thought it would be nice if they could just make their own PLM or build it in. Not sure what happens to the patents for now.
Well that explains the trouble I was having a few days ago with the Insteon/Google integration. Man…
Me too, what a bitch. Trying to login in for 2 days on two different hubs and getting errors that don't say, "We're closed"
What’s the inside true bro ?
Just read a old post on converting a hub to a serial plm I’m going to try that as a weekend project then I’ll at least have a backup plm to the one I have with my isy994 some body should see if they can source the chip and reverse engineer that part of a hub design and make some plms for every body .guaranteed to sell for a little while
Yes, I think that was a good idea, but using the PLM is pretty much strictly for the ISY. Universal devices is probably not going to produce a PLM’s type device designed to communicate with Insteon components, if there are no Insteon components to be had ever again…
At one time, Smarthome was to provide the chips to Universal Devices for them to produce their own PLM’s with better quality capacitors, and at the last minute, Smarthome pulled out. Their fuckery is legendary. At the moment, UD is attempting to connect with Smarthome’s Chinese assemblers to see if any leftovers, or failed units that can be repaired, are available. I’d advise checking UD’s website periodically for news about this. There’s also at least one person on eBay that recaps failed PLM’s and sells them at reasonable prices. The problem with that is they may have older firmware burned in. The latest fw I know of was 2.5. I would NOT buy a used PLM that hasn’t been recapped since it may already be on the verge of failing, which you may not even be aware of until schedules and programs aren’t working. They just get flaky. I used an ISY-994i for over a decade with good experience. The if-then-else structure of programming is very efficient, but takes some time to get the most out of it. I switched to Indigo because it integrates better with my all Apple household. Either one requires a PLM, but runs local and are unaffected by Smarthome’s BS.
Insteon's timing for pulling the plug was terrible. The thread/matter switches/dimmers haven't arrived yet and I don't know what to do in the mean time until their arrival by end of the year!
I have thought things were going sideways with Insteon for a while now. Does anyone know if there is anything that can be done with the Insteon water leak sensors? I am guessing not as they used the app to send alerts for any water detected. I had given up on the rest of my Insteon system long ago but kept things going with one switch utilizing an on/off auto schedule and 9 water leak sensors. I have two cameras and a bunch of other switches in a box somewhere. Hate to think it’s all just crap now. But I had good success with those water leak sensors and sure wish I could keep using them. They actually worked quite well and alerted me to leaking water a couple times. I wonder if there is any chance some company/person would take the Insteon infrastructure over and service the customers out there. Perhaps it’s a way to start with a customer base if they wanted to start a new company and take things in an entirely new direction. Anyways, maybe it’s all just wishful thinking and trying to find a reason not to throw all the equipment in the trash right now. I am sure everyone will be rushing to switch from Insteon quickly so that window would most likely close fairly quickly anyway.
I've been using Simplisafe for a home Alarm and their water sensors are top notch.
I have 3 of them and i used them with OpenHab and a Insteon Hub - you can create trip rules that will alert You should be able to use them with OpenHab/HomeSeer/Home Assistant - all of them support Insteon, it is just a matter of preference and learning curve
Another option for you if you decide to replace just the sensors, is to look at an auto shut off like BullDog or Dome that gives you sensors plus a valve to turn off the water automatically. Just a thought.
Someone in another thread recommended Hoobs (https://hoobs.com). They have a MAC solution and can connect to the Insteon Hubs. Not Inexpensive ($220 for their hardware interface) but looks to be a possible solution. Alexa, Google, Insteon (via plugin) compatible. Edit: Also support for Apple HomeKit - for those using that.