Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Note: When ordering this item, you will also need a power supply and a powerline modem. Most any DC wallwort will do. Check the spec on-line.
The ISY-99i makes complex lighting control relatively easy. Chances are, if you understand what this product is for, you can figure out how to program it. I have used other programable controllers in the past that required hundreds of lines of code, countless variables and subroutines, and weeks of debugging and tinkering. A combination of Insteon and the ISY-99i makes a much simpler and more reliable system.
You begin by defining a few "scenes" - such as "movie time", "outdoor party", "welcome home", each setting a group of lights to a given brightness level/on/off etc. You then decide which button or buttons will activate each scene. This is much simpler than the controllers/responders concept that Smarthome uses. Programing has fairly well executed if/and/or/then/else functions, but no variables, and no endless lines of code, nor are they really needed. Each if/then is a self contained/named program, so it is easy to tweak and debug. It does sometimes take some creative thinking to get things to work just the way you want, but my hundreds of lines of code are now replaced by about 20 well written if/then conditionals and about 17 scenes.
The ISY can discover existing links, and manages all of the device linking for you, but using the "restore device" function liberally makes sure each device has the links you want, and none you don't. You can also program it from anywhere, which is more handy than you might imagine.
Smarthome software never did justice to the potential of Insteon hardware. The ISY finally brings out that potential, without relying on shareware that may someday become unavailable, or leaving you computer on all the time. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because the UI is not pretty looking, and linking in the devices is not always in sync with the controller.
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