Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

Posted on
Thu Dec 08, 2016 10:52 pm
nydave offline
Posts: 8
Joined: Jun 23, 2013

Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

I have ~50 instead devices in my home from switches, outlets, to I/o lincs. I control everything from lights, outlets, garage doors, to pool valves all with indigo. (v7 as of last night)

My system has been kind of stale over the years due to device failures and frustrations of replacing them. I have a 12 year old son with vision issues :( (90% blind in one eye and 50% in other) and at this point he can only see in a VERY well lit rooms. So this has re sparked my interest in Home automation. I replaced all the lights in my home with LED bulbs because the lights are always on.

I have spend the last few days getting home bridge working with indigo so he can use SIRI to turn lights on as he navigates the house. I replaced his bedroom light with an old insteon switch I had so he could tell SIRI to turn off his light when he goes to bed... he was blown away. :D (I was super dad tonight) He was VERY excited and asked if I could do that with all the lights in the house so he can get around.

I have had quite a few device failures over the years so its time to buy some switches. lots of them now. Now on to my question. Do I stick with Insteon or do I start adding Z Wave. ZWave appears to be significantly cheaper and considering I am going to need to buy at least 20 switches (not at once) they are looking very attractive. I don't want to add any complexity or limit functions so want some advise before jumping in. I know I will need a ZWave interface but it will still be cheaper.

Any help deciding would be greatly appreciated.

Posted on
Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:07 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
User avatar
Posts: 2794
Joined: Jul 20, 2009
Location: Colorado

Re: Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

The general consensus historically has been, and I agree, is that Insteon is still better for switches and outlets and Zwave for sensors, locks and smaller accessories. About half of my insteon network is aged, nearly 15 years, and still works great with some failures. My Zwave switches work ok but seem to be a little slower and bulkier than my insteon stuff.

I've replaced all sensors with Zwave now and have been mostly happy with them, I've been mostly happy with my Zwave switches too, just less so than my insteon.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

Check Them Out Here

Posted on
Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:31 am
jay (support) offline
Site Admin
User avatar
Posts: 18199
Joined: Mar 19, 2008
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

I generally agree with C4W, if only because Insteon's ability to link devices together directly (and to create linked groups that respond simultaneously) is still significantly better than the spotty and flakey associations support in Z-Wave devices. It also used to be that I didn't like the look/feel of any Z-Wave switches, but Homeseer's new switches are pretty nice (quite similar to Insteon switches) so that's less of an issue for me now.

If, however, you don't use direct Insteon links/groups, then you will probably find that Z-Wave will be more reliable. While we have had some reports of RF interference causing Z-Wave devices to behave oddly, it's nowhere near as widespread a problem as signal noise with Insteon. YMMV of course.

Jay (Indigo Support)
Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

Posted on
Fri Dec 09, 2016 11:09 am
johnpolasek offline
Posts: 911
Joined: Aug 05, 2011
Location: Aggieland, Texas

Re: Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

I'd also like to chip in here; prior to problems with a variable frequency well pump that I am still trying to get resolve, the Insteon switches at my mother's house achieved (and still achieve when the pump's not running) distance capabilities that the Z-wave spec cannot approach. I have lights at the barn and lamp posts down the driveway better than 200 yards apart that can be turned on and off under indigo control... I have a Z-wave micro module equivalent on order to experiment with to see if the antenna can be extended outside the steel lamp posts to allow those to be moved to the z-wave side and may try a z-wave relay at the power pole between the house and barn to see if the signal can be repeated that far, but I'm not optimistic.

Posted on
Fri Dec 09, 2016 11:41 am
Colorado4Wheeler offline
User avatar
Posts: 2794
Joined: Jul 20, 2009
Location: Colorado

Re: Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

jay (support) wrote:
It also used to be that I didn't like the look/feel of any Z-Wave switches, but Homeseer's new switches are pretty nice


I'll have to try those Jay, I HATE the feel of my GE switches and why I stopped even attempting to incorporate them into my HA setup.

jay (support) wrote:
however, you don't use direct Insteon links/groups, then you will probably find that Z-Wave will be more reliable


I haven't experienced this as much, my Insteon without direct links seems just as good, if not better, than Z-Wave but I've gone to lengths to make sure I've coupled the phases and have line filters and all of that around the house because I DID have flakiness in the beginning.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

Check Them Out Here

Posted on
Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:38 pm
nydave offline
Posts: 8
Joined: Jun 23, 2013

Re: Move to ZWave or stick with Insteon

Thank you all for the insightful responses. Think I may stick to insteon for now to avoid any more things to integrate. My wife is so happy with the response from my son she has given the green light to make some purchases. She wants me to try and integrate with Amazon Echo so he can announce when he comes into a room because his phone isn't always charged. (damn 12 year olds and clash Royale)

Page 1 of 1

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests