Just getting started with a small demo situation here in my current house so I can make sure I’m doing the right thing when I move to the new place that’s under construction now.
I have this config in a hallway right now:
Hue bulbs in two sconces
Insteon 8-button switch (tied to those sconces)
I have the Insteon switch configured so the “Main On/Off” button remains on all the time even if you press it, which is great because I don’t want to kill the power to the Hue bulbs for obvious reasons. That was done easily in the Insteon app.
What I want to do now is get those other buttons configured so pressing them can trigger actions via Home Assistant to do all sorts of other things, including do things to these Hue bulbs, control other things throughout the house, etc.
I have a good basic understanding of Home Assistant and lots of programming experience, so don’t hesitate to get techie with me, but this is the first time I’m using Insteon and I just can’t figure out how to make this work. And if I can’t make this work, please let me know so I can move on to something else before I buy 50 of whatevers for the new place.
I assume you are referring to the KeyPadLinc 8 button switch. That one is in the pipeline and would love more beta testers if you are up for it. I expect to start that in July.
Yes, that is the one (and the 8 button version too). I am putting it next on the development list. Have a look at this thread and feel free to chime in on the design concepts.
I am curious why you even bothered to connect the KeyPadLinc’s switch leg, rather then wiring the sconces as always on and just using the buttons on the KeyPadLinc just for signaling (pressing a button sends a signal to HASS that in turn sends a signal to the Hue bulbs to do something) and state indication (when the bulbs are on, one of the LEDs on the KPL would be lit).
A few reasons: maximum flexibility and safety, the latter of which has been brought up across the HA forums, Reddit, and many other blogs/forums with respect to wiring around Hue bulbs.
Keeping things flexible is always important, at least to me. By wiring an Insteon switch “normally” it’s a programming task, not an electrical one, if I choose to no longer use Hue bulbs at that specific location, for example.
From a safety standpoint, giving me the option to truly kill the power means I don’t have to run to the breaker box in the garage when a Hue bulb busts and I need to remove it. My electrician (we’re building a house) would also very much prefer not to hard wire light fixtures always-on for my reason as well as potentially for local code requirements (I’m not sure exactly about that one, he may have just been using that as an excuse, but I digress).
Interesting. You are using the detached load setting of the KeyPad Linc?
There are downsides to the approach, mostly based around silent failures (the Insteon switch is a point of failure, where it does not need to be), and programming errors (the load gets turned off my accident and it takes a while to track down what failed).
In retrofit situations, wiring the switch normally makes sense. In new construction, one could save money by wiring all light sockets as always powered, and not wiring any multi-way switches, which would make up some of the costs for using all smart bulbs.
The question is which approach will win long term - smart bulbs or smart switches.
It is somewhat more convenient to be able to turn off power to a socket. Based on my experience with electricians, he wants to wire it the conventional way, so he does not have to think through a different way.
Yeah, I hear you on all accounts. Several ways to do this. And I totally agree on the electrician comment.
I spent a lot of time thinking about which approach will “win” long term but in the end, it was easy for me to go with the smart bulb bet based on the fact that I want the bulbs to change color temperature all day to support healthy circadian rhythm. Right now, unless you want to spend a fortune on a completely integrated (and very closed) system like Ketra, there isn’t a smart switch and temp-changing bulb paring where the “smarts” are in the switch. To my knowledge anyway!
You can also check out my insteon<->mqtt bridge application. It has support for keypads, remotes, and scene triggering in HA. You can also toggle the LED state of the buttons from HA to show state. Thread: New Insteon PLM modem integration option via MQTT
