Matt:
Do you have any plans to extend coverage to include control over these new devices? I'd like to try out the Z-Wave units but I'm reluctant to give up Indigo. Will there be any support in the near future?
Cheers,
Mike

I'm looking into adding UPB and Insteon support. Z-Wave may happen also, but they are not small developer friendly (they want $$$ for the protocol I need to add support) so they are towards the bottom of my list.

ZigBee is also very interesting but seems a bit further behind the others in development. I suspect ultimately it may catch up and win the race though...

Regards,
Matt

I agree. I think ZigBee just might be the winner in the end. There is a standards group driving the spec that includes phillips, samsung, honeywell and motorola. I'll be at CES 2006 and will be stopping by the ZigBee Tech Zone to see just how far they are. Pretty interesting.

I'm not sure at all about Zigbee. A lot of talk and hype but no product. Only 1 company I know of is actually shipping product and that's Control4. The problem with Control4 stuff is that, so far, they don't allow DIY installation. All Control4 products are sold through installers/dealers only.

Another problem with Zigbee, if I understand the technology correctly, is that it requires a central hub/controller. Even though Zigbee is a wireless mesh network, I think all the modules must be registered first to a central unit. This may be the reason why Control4 stuff requires professional installation. They don't want people to have to deal with setup hassles.

I was very interested in Zigbee stuff from even before CES 2005. I had emailed Control4 several times inquiring about their products. But their response was, basically, go talk to one of our local dealers. When a big electronics store near me was listed as a dealer, I asked them about it. They told me to count up all the switches/modules I'd need and then give them a call. Then they'll setup an appointment with the installer to come to my home and discuss my options. Needless to say, none of this sounded cheap. It also begs the question of what happens if I want to add switches or move switches around? Do I have to call the installer every time?

Anyway, I don't think Zigbee will go anywhere until someone comes up with DIY installation and some real shipping product. Even so, with Zigbee touting low cost as one plus of their system, I don't think their switches will be priced lower than $40 (Smarthome Switchlinc V2 price).

We'll see what happens with Zigbee, but I think Insteon has it's advantages and a good head start.

Thomas

roundy wrote:We'll see what happens with Zigbee, but I think Insteon has it's advantages and a good head start.

Agreed. Smarthome is pushing INSTEON up from the DIYer market, but the products are professional quality and can be used by installers as well. Control4 is pushing the pro/integrator market, and hasn't shown any sign of wanting to sell to the DIYers yet.

The feature-and-reliability to price ratio for INSTEON devices is excellent.

Matt

I'm not sure at all about Zigbee. A lot of talk and hype but no product.

I have to agree with Roundy. I was also very excited about Zigbee when I first read about it, however, the large number of companies that are "Members" of the ZigBee Alliance is not necessarily a good thing. There have been groups like this in the past and nothing ever really came of them. I look at it as "too many cooks..." type of thing.

From the products I on the market so far, it looks like ZigBee may have a better chance of life in the commercial building sector first. The products may eventually trickle down to the DIY type of user but installation would have to be easy.

It seems like the standards that have really taken off were primarily driven by one company in the beginning; X-10, PLC (UPB) etc... For this reason I give Insteon a better chance for the near future. I am still lobbying for UPB support and I think Matt is considering it.

The other thing Insteon has going for it is the backwards compatability with X-10. Look how many people on this forum are slowly changing over without having to outlay a bunch of cash all at once. X-10 claims over 10 Million users; that's a nice base to tap into.

I am really glad to see Insteon support on the Mac. I've read that the only other serious Mac HA application is still waiting to see what happens with Insteon. Indigo users are fortunate to have such a proactive, involved developer. I have not yet been able to test Indigo 1.8 because my HA Server died after a power surge/blackout the other day. I am looking forward to testing it out, when I get a new machine.

I'll be at CES 2006 and will be stopping by the ZigBee Tech Zone to see just how far they are.

I would be very curious to find out what you see at CES. Please update us if you have a chance. Have fun, I'm jelous.

Scott M.