Insteon Shut Down - Hubs, Software and Alternatives
Supporting Insteon Systems
Hubs, Software and Alternatives
As of April, the servers that powered the Insteon Hub have gone offline, leaving Insteon Hub users staring at red lights on their hubs. The hubs likely will continue running routines but nothing can be added or or changed, integrations with Alexa and Google are broken and remote control won't work. So Insteon Hub users are wondering what to do now. Installers and integrators may be asked what happened and what to do now.
The good news is that Insteon technology doesn't rely on WiFi or the cloud. It uses its own mesh RF and powerline protocol to communicate between devices for local control and lighting scenes. Insteon keypads will continue to control Insteon switches, dimmers and scenes. This sets the technology apart from WiFi where it relies on the home's WiFi network and cloud.
So now what? Well, for years we've been selling other hubs that support Insteon, including the ISY99, ISY994 and Hometroller. Insteon users that build their systems around the ISY, Hometroller, Homeseer, Home Assistant, OpenHAB or other local control systems wouldn't have noticed anything change when the Insteon servers went down because they didn't use Insteon's servers in the first place. These hubs and software store all information locally including device information, schedules and conditional logic. In fact they are much more flexible and powerful than the Insteon Hub.
In order to re-gain control, Insteon Hub users are going to have to migrate to one of these systems so they can continue enjoying their systems. As an added bonus, all of the hubs and software mentioned in this article can also support other technologies like ZWave, Zigbee or IP/WiFi devices. For ZWave or Zigbee control they just need to have an interface added - typically a USB stick.
Insteon also requires an interface that acts as the communication bridge. In the case of the Insteon Hub, it was built-in to the hub. So hub users can consider looking for options that can use the hub as the bridge. Those would include Hometroller, Home Assist software and OpenHab software to name a few options. Those that have a computer running 24/7 can consider the software route. Software can also be run on other low power platforms and even in "docker containers" but that's geek speak that's well beyond the scope of this article.
For those who don't want to use the Hub or if the Hub has been "bricked" for whatever reason, are going to have to invest in both an interface and a hub/software. The interface of choice is normally the 2413S (serial) or 2413U (USB) PLM. There is also an older, lesser known RF product, model 2448A7. Unfortunately all of these have been discontinued for a while and with the Insteon situation people have been snapping up hardware off Ebay and any other platform they can find.
Aartech Canada has a very small quantity of 2413S PLMs available that will be strictly sold with Polisy or Hometroller systems, not separately, and while supplies last. They will have a DOA only warranty, nothing more, since Insteon is not around to support the warranty any longer.
POLISY
Polisy is a new hub made by Universal Devices, the makers of the ISY99 and ISY994 smart hubs. ISY has been the gold standard for Insteon Hubs, unlocking functions and features that even Insteon never exposed themselves. Polisy builds on that tradition and supports Insteon. Plus it also has (beta) Zwave support. It uses the concept of "node servers" to create mostly plug and play support for everything from Alexa and Google, to Lutron Caseta, RadioRa, even Tesla automobiles! As soon as you hear words like "Polyglot" and "node servers" you have to understand that Polisy is a geek's box and needs some tech skills but for Insteon users and beyond it's well worth it. Polisy runs everything locally so a broken cloud service won't impact local routines, logic and schedules. Of course a broken Internet connection will break ties to email alerts, voice assistants or services like IFTTT. Polisy will require a 2413 PLM or 2448 USB stick. We have a limited quantity Polisy bundle with PLM .
HOMETROLLER
Homeseer has been writing software for many years for controlling the smart home. Hometroller is a lower power computer running Homeseer software. Hometroller can support Zwave natively and by adding 'plug-ins" it can support Insteon, Zigbee and many other technologies. For Insteon support the plug-in is written by Mark Sandler and sold on the Homeseer store. Like Polisy, Hometroller also stores and runs everything locally. The cloud is only used for remote access, email alerts, voice and other cloud based integrations. Hometroller can use the Insteon Hub as an interface so it's a great migration path. It can also support a 2413 PLM. Hometroller Plus uses USB only so will need a USB interface. Hometroller Pro has both USB and serial interfaces.
SOFTWARE
As mentioned earlier, those who wish to set up a computer to run software can take advantage of many options. The computer/server could run other software, host files, etc and it can run home automation software like OpenHAB or Home Assistant, both of which support Insteon. There are other solutions as well like Homebridge. They are all geeky in nature. Both Home Assistant and OpenHAB can use the Insteon Hub or an Insteon PLM as the interface to an Insteon integration and both can support ZWave or other interfaces for expanding the system to new technologies.
CONCLUSION
It's sad to see Insteon go - the concept and technology was arguably one of the best smart home technologies around, with it's support of both RF and powerline communication combined with mesh repeating. It's almost infinitely flexible. Somehow the company and management seem to have vanished without a word, or any warning and that's both puzzling and heartbreaking for their fans and partners.
While the Insteon servers may have vanished, the technology was designed to continue to work without any cloud, WiFi or Hub. In fact an entire home installation with lighting scenes can be manually programmed or changed by simply tapping the right series of buttons.
However hubs or software are needed to enable conditional programing, schedules, alerts and remote control. A hub or software is also needed to set up cloud integrations like voice assistants, IFTTT and the like.
Fortunately there are other, arguably better options available like Polisy, Homeseer and Hometroller, OpenHAB and Home Assistant that can integrate with not just Insteon, but other technologies as well.
Sometimes bad news is an opportunity to build something better.
Aartech Canada is now highly recommending Lutron Caseta and RadioRA lighting controls for scene lighting and whole home lighting solutions. We also have a wide selection of other technologies like ZWave available. Reach out to your representative for more information.
