Old home slightly automated

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  • JimD
    Veteran Member
    • Feb 2003
    • 4187
    • Lexington, SC.

    Old home slightly automated

    I now have an operational Insteon hub with the two lamp modules the starter kit came with working as well as 3 toggle switches. I got the starter kit for my birthday in November. I hooked it up but it didn't work initially. So I called the help number last week and they told me I had the wrong app on my phone. Once that was fixed, I got the 4 circuits working. So I can now turn on two lamps in different parts of my house, the driveway lights, and a large fan/light on a three way circuit from anywhere I have cell service or wifi. It's nice to be able to turn on the driveway lights as I drive home in the dark. If I forget a light that is now automated, I can turn it off without having to get up. The hub will also control things like cameras and hooks up to Amazon's Echo. I'm not sure I will do more but I am happy to have a little automation.
  • atgcpaul
    Veteran Member
    • Aug 2003
    • 4055
    • Maryland
    • Grizzly 1023SLX

    #2
    Will it show you the state of the switch if it's on or off? My Google Home Mini is on it's way so I'm looking for some compatible devices for lights and stuff.

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    • capncarl
      Veteran Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 3564
      • Leesburg Georgia USA
      • SawStop CTS

      #3
      What do yu do about devices like permanent mounted outside flood lights with hard wired in the wall mounted switches?

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      • atgcpaul
        Veteran Member
        • Aug 2003
        • 4055
        • Maryland
        • Grizzly 1023SLX

        #4
        Originally posted by capncarl
        What do yu do about devices like permanent mounted outside flood lights with hard wired in the wall mounted switches?
        They do sell smart switches that can be controlled by Alexa or Google Home.

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        • capncarl
          Veteran Member
          • Jan 2007
          • 3564
          • Leesburg Georgia USA
          • SawStop CTS

          #5
          Do the smart switches directly replace the existing light wall switch?

          Comment

          • JimD
            Veteran Member
            • Feb 2003
            • 4187
            • Lexington, SC.

            #6
            Two of the three toggle switches I have I bought to solve a wiring problem. My contractor cut one of the travelers between switches on opposite corners of a two story great room. No simple way to fix it. So he suggested adding the insteon toggle switches. They talk to each other over the house's neutral wire so they do not need wiring between them. Later I added the hub that lets me control them with my phone. They look a lot like toggle switches and mount in the normal electrical box. They need a neutral wire and are a bit bigger than normal switch but once installed the only unusual things are the tiny led light that is lit when they are switched off and the fact that they go momentarily up or down but stay I the middle.

            The app on your phone has a green indicator to say the circuit is on. It includes options to program the device. I have a lamp in my great room to be on from 6-9pm, for instance, to simulate me being home. I returned today from a visit to my daughter's.

            I don't do it but the insteon hub is supposed to work with amazon devices. There is a compatible door lock. You can install cameras and other devices.

            For an exterior light (like my driveway lights) you just replace the wall switch with the insteon toggle. Link it to the hub and you can control it from your phone. If you hear something at night, you can turn on the light without leaving your bed (assuming your phone is handy).

            If you have bulbs that dim, you can dim them with the insteon hub if you have the dimmer type switch on the circuit.

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