Review: The Insteon system is a step up from the Clapper to control lights
December 24, 2016 at 8:00PM
This kit is a step up from the Clapper
In the developing world of smart home devices, there are several that will light up your life. One of them, the Insteon package of electrical plugs and switches, allows you to set up lighting zones in your house.
Most smart home products turn lights and other devices on and off at different times in different rooms, based on whether a person needs to be in the room.
It's no different with Insteon. You program each light connected to the hub to go on and off when you want. The system works reliably.
The Insteon device uses a hub that is programmed to talk to the various plugs and wall switches. Setup is initially complicated, and it took awhile to figure out how to program the hub in the iPhone app, which communicates with the hub on a Wi-Fi network. It can also be programmed on an Android phone.
Like other devices, the Insteon uses small attachments for electrical outlets.
A lamp plugs into the attachment, which is plugged into the wall. Two or more lights can be controlled with one adapter using a standard extension cord.
Wall switches require an extra wire that might be missing in older homes. This reviewer hired an electrician to do the job.
With labor, the cost for the switches and plugs came out to be about $400.
Simple timers, the kind you might find at Home Depot, which are easy to self-install and use, would have set the average consumer back about $75, but what fun is that for a gadget freak?
The Insteon hub is compatible with the Amazon Echo. You can ask Alexa, Echo's helpful assistant, to turn off the dining room light, and she complies without complaint.
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