My locks (doors with deadbolts) work very well using a multi-device standard insteon solution with the standard Indigo support. No hacking required.
All doors (even glass sliding doors) have two hidden door sensors (HDS's). For normal doors (not sliding) I use one HDS usually above the uppermost hinge to tell me if the door is open or closed and I use a 2nd HDS for those doors that have deadbolts in the deadbolt pocket to let me know if the deadbolt tongue is extended or not. usually I drill the hole 3/4" hole 4" deep in the deadbolt pocket, and then wrap a rubberband or two around the HDS to make it fit tight in the deadbolt pocket.... this sets the depth of the HDS and allows me to pull it out when the battery needs to be replaced... on the deadbolt HDS, I generally remove the mounting screw plastic with a knife. Rubber bands are a very scientific high tech solution which actually work out slightly better than duct tape. No seriously, the rubber bands really do make it work since the deadbolt opening and closing against the HDS button makes it difficult to set the depth of the HDS in the deadbolt pocket any other way... and miricle of miracles, it works. Dad-gum-it.
For sliding glass doors, I mount an HDS in the frame to indicate if the door is open or closed... and a 2nd HDS under a plastic tongue lever such that when the latch catches, the tongue depresses the HDS button. I posted a picture DIY on this a while back if interested (works great now for nearly 3 years on 3 sliding doors).
Next, if I want to control the door lock itself using insteon, I've been buying a MiLocks QF-01SN rf lock and an Insteon Lock Controller. Works great, batteries last and last (almost 2 years on one) and these give me accurate control of locking and unlocking. Note that the HDS sensor in the deadbolt pocket provide positive indication of the state of the MiLock. The fact that the MiLock has no feedback is of no concern if you already have an HDS sensor installed in the deadbolt pocket.
For control pages, I use a combination of controls... here is what I use for "floorplan" lock controller controls:
The icons on the left are a sandwich of two icons (a small red rounded corner "chicklet" button which glows bright red if the door is open... and a "lock status" icon sitting on top of that which is either locked or unlocked. The lock control buttons are obvious.
- Locked... door not open.
- 5.jpg (5.53 KiB) Viewed 4646 times
- Unlocked... door not open.
- 6.jpg (4.93 KiB) Viewed 4646 times
In both images, the HDS door sensor indicates that the door is closed... at least.
Cost with no sale prices:
MiLock $99
Insteon Door Controller $49
Two Insteon HDS $70 ($35 each).
Total cost $220 per door. Not cheap but you get two sensors plus lock control and long battery life. For me this has been very reliable.
My locks (doors with deadbolts) work very well using a multi-device standard insteon solution with the standard Indigo support. No hacking required.
All doors (even glass sliding doors) have two hidden door sensors (HDS's). For normal doors (not sliding) I use one HDS usually above the uppermost hinge to tell me if the door is open or closed and I use a 2nd HDS for those doors that have deadbolts in the deadbolt pocket to let me know if the deadbolt tongue is extended or not. usually I drill the hole 3/4" hole 4" deep in the deadbolt pocket, and then wrap a rubberband or two around the HDS to make it fit tight in the deadbolt pocket.... this sets the depth of the HDS and allows me to pull it out when the battery needs to be replaced... on the deadbolt HDS, I generally remove the mounting screw plastic with a knife. Rubber bands are a very scientific high tech solution which actually work out slightly better than duct tape. No seriously, the rubber bands really do make it work since the deadbolt opening and closing against the HDS button makes it difficult to set the depth of the HDS in the deadbolt pocket any other way... and miricle of miracles, it works. Dad-gum-it.
For sliding glass doors, I mount an HDS in the frame to indicate if the door is open or closed... and a 2nd HDS under a plastic tongue lever such that when the latch catches, the tongue depresses the HDS button. I posted a picture DIY on this a while back if interested (works great now for nearly 3 years on 3 sliding doors).
Next, if I want to control the door lock itself using insteon, I've been buying a MiLocks QF-01SN rf lock and an Insteon Lock Controller. Works great, batteries last and last (almost 2 years on one) and these give me accurate control of locking and unlocking. Note that the HDS sensor in the deadbolt pocket provide positive indication of the state of the MiLock. The fact that the MiLock has no feedback is of no concern if you already have an HDS sensor installed in the deadbolt pocket.
For control pages, I use a combination of controls... here is what I use for "floorplan" lock controller controls:
The icons on the left are a sandwich of two icons (a small red rounded corner "chicklet" button which glows bright red if the door is open... and a "lock status" icon sitting on top of that which is either locked or unlocked. The lock control buttons are obvious.
[attachment=1]5.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=0]6.jpg[/attachment]
In both images, the HDS door sensor indicates that the door is closed... at least.
Cost with no sale prices:
MiLock $99
Insteon Door Controller $49
Two Insteon HDS $70 ($35 each).
Total cost $220 per door. Not cheap but you get two sensors plus lock control and long battery life. For me this has been very reliable.
