Communities
Communities and user groups managed either by volunteers, DIY enthusiasts, or companies. Includes popular weblogs and news websites.
- Access HA forum - DIY community with a focus on INSTEON and X10
- Domotica Forum Europe - as the name says
- Automated Home UK - HA weblog with a European focus - however, not useful because most postings are off-topic or spam
Companies
The commercial side of the industry, manufacturers and vendors of HA hardware and software.
- SMARTHOME - An online shop for Insteon/X10 compatible hardware and devices. The creators of Insteon, Smartlabs, are running this online shop. They sell their own product lines there as well as products of INSTEON alliance members.
- HomeSeer technologies - Starter kits, devices, software for Z-Wave, UPB, INSTEON, X10, Lutron, various other pieces of HVAC etc. equipment. Separate product lines for
normal
andpro
users. Plugins for iTunes, Global Cache IR, and many other devices. The professional controller with software costs $2500. They have a new low-budget controller called HomeTroller for $900.
- Promixis - Main product is Girder for $100, a Windows application for controlling Infrared and X10 devices. Support for INSTEON is $40 extra. Supports macro programming and scripting with the Lua language. They also sell the NetRemote Windows Mobile application for remote controlling ($100) which talks to their Infrared-USB transceiver dongle ($50). It can also talk to Girder, HomeSeer (and others?) or a GlobalCache IR extender. It can import Pronto CCF profiles.
- Power Home - PowerHome is a home automation software package that allows you to control your home's lighting and appliances as well as your Home Theater's infrared devices. Lighting and appliances are controlled via Insteon and X-10 controllers. Software is Windows only with optional WAP interface, costs $70.
- Perceptive Automation - Their product is the Indigo home automation software for Mac OS X for $200. Supports a web server for remote control, very nice editor for web-control screens. Scriptable through AppleScript. Supports several X10 and INSTEON adapters. Supports Smarthone IRLinc Insteon-IR adapter. Very active user forum.
- Superna Systems - Home Automation hardware and software, controllers communicate through WLAN (see this diagram). Their WiFi ControlBox II is not only a HA controller with 6 IR and a RS232 connectors but also a media streaming box with DVI/SPDIF connectors, priced at $1300. They also offer a $200 ControlPort IR/RS232 adapter for USB. The configuration and screen builder software is Windows-only and costs $250. They have the ControlWare software for turning a regular PC, Mediacenter box, or PDA into a controller that can talk to their machines, it costs between $100 and $200. Also available are some simple touchscreen panels for more than $2000.
- Embedded Automation - They make the mControl software ($100) and the mPanel touchscreen. They have a (very annoying) feature slideshow. As far as I could figure it out, they support INSTEON, Infrared, Z-Wave, and some other stuff. I don't think I'd buy anything from them though :) It also seems very much focused on Windows products.
- IES - Focused on touch screen design but also offers lighting control products, an Infrared learn-and-playback application, and a video server.
- Universal Devices - Makes the ISY controller boxes for INSTEON, UPB, and Z-Wave for about $350. Controllable through RC5 Infrared commands as well as a Windows application. Very basic and fugly UI. I could not even find out how these boxes are physically connected to a network, a computer, or the INSTEON net.
Projects
Non-profit projects in the domotics space.
- InHomeFre - A windows freeware for controlling Insteon devices, seems to be no longer updated.
- Shion - An MIT-licensed simple software for OS X that supports event-based and scripted controlling of Insteon devices through a PowerLinc V2 USB INSTEON adapter.
