I will be moving into a new home (first home) and want to get started on a small budget HA system. I will have to keep an eye on cost as I will be on a tight budget when the mortgage and bills come in. I will slowly over time add to the system when cash becomes available. I am currently looking at two systems the z-wave and insteon. I am trying to figure out which is best for me. My budget to start out would be around $600? I know this will only allow me to a few lights / appliances. I hope members of this forum can help shed some light on which will work best for my needs. Here are the questions I have:
How well does Vera work with Insteon devices when paired with a insteon plm?
Do all z-wave devices have a repeater to help build up the mesh network? I know all insteon devices do.
I posted in another topic in regards to manual control of a zwave light switch. Will manually controlling a zwave switch work with other zwave devices to turn on/off? I hear that Lutron has a patent on this and that other manufactures do not have this feature. Are there ways around this and what are others doing to get this type of control?
I see many are using dimmer switches. As I will be using cfl bulbs through out my home. This will require me to use a non dimmable switch. Are there any recommendations on which brand/model to use. As my budget is on the low side (as stated $600), I would like to know which offers a good best bang for the buck.
This related to question 4. As I never used or had the need for dimming switches, can people give me scenarios on their uses? Is it worth using a dimming switch and incandescent bulbs? What will happen when they start banning incandescent bulbs what will you guys do?
I am sure I will have many more questions. I still need to figure out which rooms are important to me now to start setting up the system. I also need to figure out which modules I should buy e.g. sockets, switches and so forth.
Not sure about Insteon, but there are people with Insteon devices in their forum signature, so I think it works fine.
No all devices repeat, but most all do. For example, the HSM100 Motion sensor doesn’t repeat by default, but if hardwired to a power supply instead of batteries, that feature can be enabled.
My understanding is that there are work arounds using Luup code and Scenes, although I haven’t done it…yet. If that switch is a single scene controller, then it is easier, I believe, because then you are just triggering a scene via the switch(scene controller, and some SC actually switch a load too).
I believe the GE Switches are affordable relay based switches.
If you are used to relay based switches, then they might be your best choice for future compatibility. They work with any type of load/light. The dimmers are good for saving energy and for creating lighting scenes. In order to really make lighting scenes effective, you’d have to have many different lighting sources in each room (task lighting, spots, down lights, reading lights, floor lamps) then you can have a scene for sitting in you chair and reading a book, or for entertaining, or watching TV. Most people in average homes like mine just have one or two switches for lighting in each room, so it makes lighting scenes a bit difficult to do well. One user uses a dimmer to slowly bring up the light levels in increments as the sun starts to go down.
I might as well take this opportunity to make my first post. While I registered not too long ago, I’ve been following Vera and Z-Wave has a whole for over a year and a half.
Reguarding dimmers, it’s a little-known fact that there are dimmable CFL bulbs on the market. Here’s an example. They are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, or even normal CFLs, but it’s handy as you don’t have to limit yourself to using relay-based switches only. Based on my experience, they don’t dim as low as incandescent bulbs (such as, say, 10 ou 20%), but it gets low enough to satisfy me… and you get your energy savings too!
The problem with dimmable CFL’s is that standard dimmers do not work. You need a dimmer that can handle electronic low-voltage and they generally run 2-3x a regular dimmer. Also, a neutral is required for the electronic low-voltage dimmers. The other issue is that not all dimmable CFL’s work with all dimmers so you have to buy a few different brands until you find one that works properly which is neither cost saving or “green”.
The cold blue/whiteness of CFL causes the illusion of a higher powered bulb in use. A dimmed incandescent bulb will use the same or less energy than a CFL and cast a warmer light. Warm light is one of the key goals of creating lighting scenes and is a mandatory need of most people who would consider scene-based lighting. Sure, a 75 watt CFL is using 47 watts. So is a 75 watt incandescent dimmed to 60%. The only dimmable fixture in my house I normally run above 75% are my kitchen spots while making dinner. For the rest of the house, I like having the 75 to 100 watt option there, but I rarely run any of them at full power. If a 47 watt bulb is enough for a certain location, then it’s enough. It doesn’t need to be white enough to look like a 75 watt bulb.
CFLs contain mercury and cause landfill and water table issues. They require special handling in garbage collection to prevent aquifer contamination in Florida. They are not progress. The fight against CFL regulation will be harsh. I’ll burn torches before I install CFL.
While my position on CFLs isn’t quite as extreme, I mostly agree. The way you actually use your incandescents can make them just as, if not more, efficient than CFLs. I have just about every single light in my home on a dimmer. I have R30 65W spot bulbs all over my main living spaces that are turned on just about every night for a few hours, but very rarely over 25%, and I haven’t replaced a bulb in over four years.
However, I do believe CFLs have their place. I use them in closets, for some of my outdoor security lighting, the garage, task lighting, etc. But when you want to create a comfortable space or a “mood”, there’s no substitute for incandescent or halogen lighting, and I actually prefer halogen which is probably a bit more efficient than traditional incandescent.
