X-10 (&Insteon)

@Trynyti: Definitely. Please also try commenting / following my “Project” on this topic: http://build.smartthings.com/projects/x10integration/

(Though, frankly, I don’t understand how the Projects section of this website really works, … yet.).

You would think that with all the interest in x-10/Insteon, ST would just bite the bullet and add the functionality (hint, hunt) instead of having everyone hack together a solution to protect legacy equipment investments. Hint double hint.

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If SmartThings did gave us every protocol and feature we asked for, what would that leave for us to do???

:slight_smile:

I have a Universal Devices ISY99iZ, which has a ZigBee module in it, to control my Insteon house. The reason I bought it was for easy configuration of groups, and to have a REST gateway for the Insteon modules.

This post suggests they could give less of a shit about it.

Try it.

Try it.try it.

Once I figure out how to create a device, I suppose I could create a SmartApp that controls an Insteon group. I’ll need time, unless someone wants to help. :slight_smile:

I definitely want to help.

I am still flummoxed (sp?) on how to add third-party ZigBee nodes as Devices to the SmartHub, though.

I have XBee Pro coming soon, such that I can actually prepare and send specific test packets. That way I can try to mimic ZigBee HA, though I don’t even know if SmartHub requires that standard to any level of compliance.

I fear that unless you get detailed specs on what the ISY99iZ’s ZigBee’s frames look like, you’ll need a wireless packet analyzer of some sort (ummm… the guys at SmartThings have a really good one, BTW, so I hear).

Private message me if you want, as well, @ tgauchat.

…CP.

I was going a different direction. Just like the Nest by Dianoga, it’s a device that it just hitting an API. I would do the same.

If you get the Insteon ID of the group or device, you can call a REST API to turn it off or on.

Oh…

I thought about that for X10, too, since there are PC based web servers (I suppose REST) for X10 interfaces.

But I figured the point of SmartThings was to avoid needing a PC as a hub; … then again, supposedly even an Arduino or Pi might suffice.

As for your previous post, I thought you had some optimism for the ZigBee in the ISY…; but using IP to the REST API won’t be problem.

…CP.

The Universal Devices poo-pooed the idea. In the thread posted earlier, they said they only support specific ZigBee devices. Had I read better before purchasing, I would have just purchased the base model.

The REST API is my only method of an Insteon bridge.

They are rather expensive devices! $479.00 ?

http://www.smarthome.com/12239/ISY994iZS-IR-PRO-Smart-Grid-INSTEON-Zigbee-Home-Automation-Controller/p.aspx

(Perhaps there is some big $$ to be made in building a bridge to SmartThings… but not on top of THAT controller.)

Rather kills my goal of X10/Insteon integration as a way to lower the cost of endpoints.
I suppose if you have an extensive deployment of Insteon, then the sunk-cost justifies the incremental expense.

Still: For that price, I would expect the vendor to not “poo-poo” any of their Customer’s requirements.

…CP.

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Honestly, I know its a PITA but take an Arduino and an ST shield and any of the many x-10 Arduino programs out there and problem solved. Better yet, start an email campaign to get ST to support x-10/Insteon natively like Micasaverde does and be done with it. There are a bazillion x-10 devices out there. I’m losing the love for ST quickly. Everything is an issue and while I can certainly attest to the struggles with Vera (we’re a stocking dealer), its starting to look like a not ready for prime time solution. I’m starting to regret jumping on the ST bandwagon and for me, as a major ST cheerleader, that’s significant,

@solardave1: (cc: @ben_edwards, @urman, @jamesstolp, @dlieberman)

Yes – you and I both have expressed consistent views on this matter. I just don’t know what it would take for SmartThings to let us know where in their road map or priorities that any particular feature request lies. The Android App continues to lag iOS by perhaps several months, no LAN access, next few months to resolve certain lag issues, etc., etc…

My point: I don’t expect SmartThings to give us every feature we ask for: But, please, Just don’t string us along. If we know that X10, or Bluetooth, or true ZigBee HA, or ? is definitely not in the 6 to 12 month timeframe, then we can ask the next question:

What will Physical Graph Corporation / SmartThings do to protect the investment in time, effort, and money of third-party developers? If we start work on a branch that we believe is lucrative (e.g., X10 bridge), can we be assured that:
  • (a) ST will help ensure our intellectual property rights,
  • (b) provide a certification and promotion venue, and
  • (c) not directly compete against us.

I’ve said this before: I enjoy “sharing” among the community, but I also am seriously searching for potential profit models as a third-party Developer/Maker/Designer. I thought that was precisely what the “Developer/Maker/Designer” designation was intended for! And, I also though that being an early-adopter and Kickstarter Backer, I (we) would get a slight head-start over other third-parties in this regard. Sure … we are getting to play around with the API and discover the nature of the ecosystem: But this is useless without (a) documentation, and (b) licensing terms / business models / product road map as it pertains to commercial third-party integration.

I would LOVE to develop an X10 bridge and would be clear to the community if I was embarking on a for-profit model, either open source & hardware, or closed; but without Physical Graph’s assurances, this exploration IS a waste of time.

We’re apparently not worthy of attention. After all, we’re just customers, avid users, product evangelists and early adopter testers. Clearly we don’t count. I guess the focus is on Joe Consumer at Wallmart. I’m pretty fed up and clearly ST doesn’t care. God bless my Aeon stick - it makes un-enrollment so much easier.

Just curious. I wonder if WigWag’s Backer & Developer appreciation will be any better?

WigWag are likely to only get $400,000 in pre-sales (1400 customers), compared to SmartThings’ $1.2 million (5600 customers).
And yes, these are “pre-sales” – it’s complete BS to call gadget based Kickstarter projects “funding”.

[Any guess as to the count of “active” members of these Forums? What is the support call volume outside of the Forums? How many big-money Developers/Partners/VCs that SmartThings is actually working with behind the scenes that are actually setting the agenda? … This is another lesson in the reality of Kickstarter too, in many ways. I’m losing my patience on the long delay of delivery of The Ubi too (not to mention InstaCube which turned into a complete fraud.]

…CP.

And ST closed something like 4mil in angel money on top of what they got from KS.

Yeah, ubi turned out to be sushi.

@solardave1:

And ST closed something like 4mil in angel money on top of what they got from KS.

That definitely makes you and I very “small potatoes” in this enterprise.

And, BTW: I think it is absolutely insane that Kickstarter is being used by companies that have substantial traditional funding sources. Of course, Kickstarter doesn’t give a flying pig what people think of them and their complete nonsense of a mission statement. Projects that reach 10x or 100x their funding goals and into the $ millions, are just fine for Kickstarter as it means very easy profits with ZERO responsibility of follow-through. If a Project was seeking $50,000, then why should we think they are capable (or even, interested) in dealing with $1,000,000? Genius business model. And they escape SEC scrutiny, sales taxes, every single consumer protection law (within the constraints of the product categories they disallow as Projects).