WOW... Call the police - two posts in the same month - LOLOLOL.
I received my Insteon Starter Kit yesterday afternoon. I ordered the "kitchen lighting" starter kit because it had a variety of different components that I want to try. I also ordered two Insteon Outlets and the relay version of the 6 button control pad.
Yesterday I only had time to plug in the two access points. These are what allow the Insteon signals to cross between the two legs of the "split single phase" circuit that most homes in the USA have. It took two tries to find outlets that were on opposite legs - quick and painless.
Today I installed the two outlets and the 6 button dimmer. Anyone who knows me or who has read my Wiki knows that I have a lot of X10 equipment. The dimmer switch is the "holy grail" of the X10 world. It allows you to turn the light on dim and brighten as you go. Another feature that they only ellude to on the website is that the switches, when in X10 mode, not only turn the light on when you push the button, but broadcast the on and off signals to the powerline as well (part two of the "holy grail"). I have the other 4 buttons of the 6 button dimmer set to control X10 devices. They monitor the powerline for signals and adjust their status accordingly (the buttons light up when they think the device is on and go dark when they think the device is off). Pretty nifty stuff. Most of the Insteon documentation mentions that the devices "do not repeat X10 signals". I think they leave the transmit X10 signals part out on purpose so as to not confuse people.
I will be buying some more Insteon switches VERY soon. The home I bought this summer leaves a little to be desired as far as switch placement goes. I can use the 6 button controllers to compensate for this. A lot cheaper and faster than hiring an electrician to boot.
Good stuff. Over time I see myself going almost completely away from X10. So far I am not very happy with the computer interfaces offered by Insteon - not a lot of Linux support, which is a killer for me. Who'd wanna automate their home with Windows - EWWW!!!!!
Yes, I am bridging both legs of my electrical system with an X10 bridge (homemade of course) and two Insteon Access Points. So far so good.
I am officially an Insteon fan (I just wish the stuff was as cheap as X10 - but then you get what you pay for. All things considered, Insteon is a bargain for what you get compared to X10).
MH
