Indigo Domotics

I saw a previous conversation in the Europe thread about support for new INSTEON Hub. The comment at that time was it wasn't on the radar for Indigo support. I'm interested if that has changed or will change.

Hub appears to be Smarthome's way forward for an off-line modem. I don't think we'll see a off-line version of the 2413U anytime soon (other than hub). What's the way forward?

Nothing has changed - we're focusing on Z-Wave support since it's available worldwide.

Read our thoughts on the SmartLinc/INSTEON Hub on our Standalone Controllers wiki page. The main takeaway is that there is no API for Indigo to program schedules and triggers in the Hub like we could for the 2414 (even if we could find a reasonable mapping).

If Smarthome should ever decide to make a version of the 2413U available in Europe then we'd definitely consider that.

I guess what I was looking for with Hub was to be a dedicated modem for Indigo, but something that could be an off-line stand alone device that does the basic stuff when I'm traveling so that the A/C can get shut off and the server shut down. I guess if there are no API's there are no API's, but it wont take all that much more functionality for HUB to replace my Indigo setup if the remote access and email alerts work as they are advertised.

saltsman1 wrote:

it wont take all that much more functionality for HUB to replace my Indigo setup if the remote access and email alerts work as they are advertised.

Indigo does a lot more than the Hub:

• Variables
• Custom graphical control pages
• Z-Wave support
• Plugins (50+ currently available, most from 3rd Party Developers)
• Scripting

Those are just a few (see the comparison to the SmartLinc for more) but if you don't think you need any of that functionality then maybe it's a good solution for you.

Oh... not knocking Indigo... love it. Just saying that when on vacation or travel for a long period of time, Hub could keep things under control while the server is shut down and the A/C is off. Right now, I have to keep most of the house conditioned to keep the server happy. That's a lot of money just to keep the basics automations running.

I'm not sure your point here. The hub is $130. For around $200, you can buy a used mac mini and just use that for indigo and it will do the same as the hub plus more. The mini only uses 11 watts if you run it without a monitor. My iMac is my main computer and I log onto my mac mini from iMac and make any necessary changes to Indigo that way. Since Indigo uses very little processor power, you can still use the mini for other functions too at the same time.

saltsman1 wrote:

Oh... not knocking Indigo... love it. Just saying that when on vacation or travel for a long period of time, Hub could keep things under control while the server is shut down and the A/C is off. Right now, I have to keep most of the house conditioned to keep the server happy. That's a lot of money just to keep the basics automations running.

jay (support) wrote:

...Read our thoughts on the SmartLinc/INSTEON Hub on our Standalone Controllers wiki page...

and on the wiki page Jay or Matt wrote:

...The only only way for Indigo to interface to [the SmartLinc (2412N) and INSTEON Hub (2242-222)] is by using them as a remote 2412.

Actually, that would be Ok. I, for one, would like to be able to place my Controller/Modem anywhere on my network and still be able to reach it from Indigo.

berkinet wrote:

Actually, that would be Ok. I, for one, would like to be able to place my Controller/Modem anywhere on my network and still be able to reach it from Indigo.

There's very little ROI in it for us given the development/test time it would require vs demand.

Ah, well you hadn't mentioned the degree of effort involved. I agree, not a lot of payback. Though, there has been, albeit infrequent, some interest in 2412N support. Anyway, not a big deal, thanks.

Ok, so now finally Insteon is available in the Netherlands and I'm trying to figure out in which way I can use Indigo to control the Insteon devices through the smartlinc that has become available. I read in one of the posts that it can only be used as a remote 2413? How does that work. My mac server is running 24/7 and takes care of everything, I only want to be able to address the insteon components as well. Help needed!

Paul

What about this? If you have a dual-band INSTEON device nearby, it should allow you to control all your INSTEON products. However, I can't be sure of that as the difference between the European/Asian 50 Hz power grid and the North American / Japan 60 Hz power grid may cause issues if the USB adapter assumes a 60 Hz system. Others with more info may be able to say for sure.

Thanks for the input, don't think it will work because of the 915MHz frequency. The european frequencies are different and the EU Insteon products will meet these EU frequenties.
I'm trying to find out how I can connect from Indigo to the smartlinc and did not understand the phrase in the forum about treating the smartlinc as a 2413?

Unfortunately, there isn't a good Indigo compatible INSTEON solution currently. The only way to communicate with Euro INSTEON modules is via the Euro SmartLinc/HUB, and Indigo doesn't support that. We are hopeful Smarthome will at some point release a Euro version of the USB PowerLinc, which we will be able to support (presuming the communication API is the same as the US PowerLinc).

In the mean time, have you considered looking into Z-Wave?

Thanks Matt, I hope (and will ask them) that they will provide an usb hub that can interface with Indigo. I will try the Z-wave as well with Indigo, the Z-wave system you supply interfaces for does not have a very well track record in this region with respect to reliability and performance. We have tested Insteon with a 100% reliability over the past weeks though.

boekweg wrote:

the Z-wave system you supply interfaces for does not have a very well track record in this region with respect to reliability and performance.

Interesting - can you elaborate more or point us to some links on the web? We've not heard a lot of significant complaints about Z-Wave.