Any S/W to simplify linking Insteon switches?

I have 68 Insteon (including Icon) switches in my new addition to home. I have linked a few of them but feel that there must be an easier way. Ideally, what I would like a software and hardware (connected via USB) on a PC that would identify all the Insteon devices, allow me to label each one, link and delink as needed and record all the links in a database. Is there such a thing?

Manny

Reply to
Manny Bhuta
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Right now, the best linking software available is from PowerHome

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The software is not all that user friendly, but it the most comprehensive and reliable of all the software packages available right now that support Insteon (it's also the only program that fully supports KeyPadLincs). It also has fully functional free 30 day trial, so you can really give it a good tryout.

Support from the author is excellent he is very responsive to questions and solving problems.

Reply to
none

In addition to PowerHome, which I'm having a devil of a time trying to understand, Smarthome has a package due out in July called HouseLinc. If you order before 6/15 you get a $20 rebate making the final cost $50. They've stopped accepting orders for the Beta but the final is due in July. I have a copy of the Beta coming, hopefully this week, so I'll review it when I've played with it. It's supposed to do all the spidering and make management, well, manageable.

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Reply to
BruceR

I don't think there's much out there, as yet. I had assumed Smarthome would supply rudimentary software that would handle linking/delinking and other tasks but as I've gotten deeper into developing roZetta I've discovered that I'm going to need to do this myself. I'm still struggling with it. I think the software that Bruce Robin has mentioned will do this but I'm basing that on screenshots - I haven't seen any documentation for it.

The link table is stored in the controller using the 24-bit ID that's on each device so there are ways to link and delink by directly manipulating this low level memory. I was hoping to avoid this. roZetta will have limited memory of its own and any that has to be devoted to code for these types of tasks reduces the space available for other tasks. One thing you should do, if you haven't already done it, is to build your own list of device IDs and locations. This will simplify linking/delinking once you have software.

While linking by pressing buttons on the hardware is a PITA, delinking is more troublesome. Doing it manually with button presses requires that the hardware be "in the network" and functioning but that's impossible if the device you need to delink has become defective.

This is a much bigger problem than it might appear >I have 68 Insteon (including Icon) switches in my new addition to home. I

Reply to
Dave Houston

It sounds like a serious problem that could lead to lots of other trouble.

I'm liking codewheels more and more although I am finding that among the twenty year old modules it takes a bit of wiping to get a good contact if you want to change an address. Still, that's better than having to run around the house pressing buttons within preset time frames. It sounds more like a relay race than a home automation system!

-- Bobby G.

Reply to
Robert Green

It's the way they've chosen to prevent casual interference from neighbors.

I think Insteon has the best way to handle this but they haven't yet supplied any end-user software to do it. While one shouldn't draw conclusions based on screenshots, the screenshot for the coming software shows how to link but not how to unlink.

Their inane license terms pretty much prohibit anyone from supplying simple, free software to manage linking/unlinking or even commenting on their hardware. Up to this point I've been trying to avoid buying their SDK in order to keep clear of their licensing. The linking/unlinking issue has forced me to order the SDK and, as soon as they send me the details for accessing their developer's forum, etc. I'll have to quit making posts like this. :(

However, if you read the link I provided you will see that this is a major flaw in Z-Wave. You apparently have to reset to factory defaults and relink all good units in order to delink a defective unit. Given the high failure rate of the modules, I think this is just one more fatal flaw in their system. It's really ironic that they are seeing a high failure rate of the USB interface given that they merely grafted an FTDI chipset onto what was originaly designed as RS232.

Reply to
Dave Houston

There is an alpha level open source (GPL) package for linux that can set up the links and unlink devices even if they are no longer in service. See

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Reply to
Steve Schlaifer

I have just learned that the HouseLinc Desktop software mentioned by Bruce and shipping in July does allow for unlinking orphaned devices.

Reply to
Dave Houston

I'm glad to hear that. Leaving a device linked after it's been removed really slows things down when a macro is used as the unit sending will retry several times before moving on to the next command.

Reply to
BruceR

Reply to
Dave Houston

I think that the seperate Win App makes the most sense.

Reply to
BruceR

Manny,

The name "InHomeFre" just came up in another thread. It's free beta software that appears to handle linking/unlinking, timers, macros, etc.

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I have 68 Insteon (including Icon) switches in my new addition to home. I

Reply to
Dave Houston

Reply to
Dave Houston

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