Agghhhh my Insteon is down!!!

[Katodude]

So apparently my Insteon Hub is no longer working due to Insteon shutting down their servers. All my Alexa integration is not working anymore, which I use a lot. I am going to need to replace the hub with something else. Either HomeKit or potentially HOOBS.

Any other Insteon users and what are you doing?

Ideally I would like a hub that can respond to both Siri and Alexa.

 

[ajw22]

That is a bummer.

I think we will see more orphan products that stop running when their cloud servers are shutdown.

Insteon Blames Abrupt Shutdown on Failed Effort to Find a Buyer

We 'deeply apologize,' Insteon says, but it does not appear the company has made any effort to reach out to affected customers or help them find smart home alternatives.

www.pcmag.com

Insteon finally comes clean about its sudden smart home shutdown

Insteon blames the pandemic and lack of a buyer for its sudden shutdown last week.

arstechnica.com

 

[Katodude]

Well, I installed Homebridge today, actually HOOBS. Got most of it working. So now it responds to Siri and I can work it from my phone again. I have not done the Alexa integration yet.

Will probably try with HomeAssistant later this week and see which I like better.

 

[Bama Rambler]

I use ISY for my insteon installation and haven't had any issues with operation or the Alexa skill. I am in the process of switching devices out to other brands as they fail.

Hopefully Homebridge works for you a long time.

 

[Katodude]

I think the Homebridge will be a good stop gap for now. I will also mess with some other things as well.

The bigger longer term problem is my hub is now a single point of failure. You cannot replace them anymore, and you cannot get the PLM for the ISY either anymore.

Longer term I will be switching out devices as well. The question is what will I go to. I will probably end up with Lutron over time. I dont want to clog up my WiFi network with 40 light switches.

 

[jimim]

It’s crazy how many companies are shutting down. I went through similar with my remote app that every single piece of video and audio equipment are controlled with. It was irule. I had to pull out remotes again till I found a new solution. Luckily I did not rebuilding out all the rooms in my house and redesigning all the buttons in photoshop was literally almost a 6 month job. The new app I’m using is computer program based bs a cloud builder so if they shut down at least I can still use the program and support myself. I brought in all the ir codes. All the graphics. So I’m self contained now.

Nuvo technology shut down this year. We have been using them for 30 plus years for while home audio. Came out of no where. So now we are finding our selves gravitating to sonos but that’s a whole other story for not on here. Nuvo hit hard. Sad to see them go.

On the automation front HAI also shut down. Huge huge custom install automation company. Rock solid. Installers are eating up left over panels. They are triple in price last I looked cause they do not die. Never ever thought I would see them go.

 

[Katodude]

Wow, did not know about Nuvo, you were really invested in that platform, sorry about that. I am already on Sonos, but their first generation stuff. Probably going to pull the trigger later this year and upgrade to all their newer stuff, since I cant expand my system without doing that.

At least with these open source control systems, I have my lights working for now until I decide what to replace them with. The two leaders seem to be Leviton and Lutron, and I am leaning towards Lutron.

 

[jimim]

Wow, did not know about Nuvo, you were really invested in that platform, sorry about that. I am already on Sonos, but their first generation stuff. Probably going to pull the trigger later this year and upgrade to all their newer stuff, since I cant expand my system without doing that.

At least with these open source control systems, I have my lights working for now until I decide what to replace them with. The two leaders seem to be Leviton and Lutron, and I am leaning towards Lutron.

I recommend no automation to anyone anymore that ties everything together cause too many things come and go. I wish I had zero zwave switches in my home. My Vera/hai is perfect but no way it will last 20 more years.

Nuvo well we have 3 more years for support for customers but then who knows. They are bullet proof. We have 30 year old systems out there still running. My house system is 16 years old. Outdoor zones only 4.

Sonos app flawless. Support for older units flawless. Cost inflation cause of same. Just as bad as Bose and Sony. 35 percent goes to advertising the name. Dealer network. Nada. Well there is but it sucks. They are a big box company.

 

[divewrathful]

So, I installed Homebridge today, which is really HOOBS. I got most of it to function. So it now responds to Siri, and I can use it from my phone once again. I have not yet completed the Alexa integration.

waffle game

 

[Katodude]

So it turns out an old ex employee bought the Insteon IP. He has the servers up and running, including the Insteon integration. He is however, charging for the service at around $40 per year. Which I guess is reasonable. I will probably end up buying the 2 year service for $70. I will keep the Homebridge integration running since I like having the Siri and the Apple Watch integration.

Ultimately I will probably end of replacing he Insteon but it will be something I do over years, rather than having to do it quickly.

 

[Orion7319]

I simply have several cascaded Wi-Fi routers all though my house. Got lots of 2GHZ bandwidth all over the place so I just buy Wi-Fi devices that work with Alexa. The advantage to using cascaded routers over using mesh routers is that I know exactly what hotspot I’m connecting something to. This allows me to manage the bandwidth. Also I got a bond bridge for any and all old RF stuff (ceiling fans). I use airplay for audio or we just use the Alexa devices as they work with Apple Music (wish that Amazon would give them airplay like all the smart tv’s have). I learned long ago to keep it as simple as possible and to avoid anything proprietary from smaller companies.