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Smartlinc Android App

Dan — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 01:47:44 +0000

Here are the beginnings of an Android app that I've built for Insteon's Smartlinc:

Upcoming features:

- device status
- dimming capability (code is already there, just need the UI)

There's one sentence on Smarthome's product page for this controller that reads: *Browsers running on Linux are not currently supported From what I've read on various blogs and forums, there's a bug that causes a 4 second delay for HTTP requests and it has more to do with Linux than which browser you use. So, because Android is Linux based, the bug is apparent in this app. Fortunately, it is an asynchronous 4 second delay. For example, you can tell a light to quickly turn on and off 5 times in a row and in 4 seconds the light will turn on and off 5 times as you commanded; it won't take 4 seconds for each command.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have a question or feature request!

SmartLinc – Unable to Retrieve Device State

admin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:42:47 +0000

The Insteon SmartLinc had less functionality than I had expected. Even though you can control your devices from a web page, it still seems pretty locked down. Devices have to be "linked" into the controller in order for you to control them. I was hoping that you would only have to know the Insteon ID of the device to turn it on or off. The final straw was the fact that I couldn't retrieve the state of a device from the SmartLinc. I asked the professional people at SmartHome and they told me that I could:

set up an IP camera to see the status of my lights...

WOW. Obtaining the status of your devices is one of the main features of the Insteon platform. How could they have left this out? So, sadly enough, I had to request an RMA# and have shipped it back!

Web Based Insteon Controller – SmartLinc/NetLinc

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:26:11 +0000

There's a new Insteon controller out there that uses a built-in web server to control your Insteon devices. It's called NetLinc and has a price tag of $119.99 from SmartHome (of coarse). I believe that this is going to be one of SmartHome's biggest Insteon products yet. In the past, Insteon controllers have been pretty locked down as far as user manipulation is concerned. With an HTTP controlled device such as this one, there isn't going to be anything to hide. I can already see the numerous custom interfaces being made for any device that has a web browser. This will also open a new market for custom floor plans that can be developed using common web design techniques (GET or POST requests). For a more complex interface, you might be able send XHR(AJAX) requests to the NetLinc to turn on, off, or check the status/state of a device!

SimpleHomeNet has already manufactured a few products that aimed to achieve the same functionality as the NetLinc. They are all quite a bit more expensive though:
EZSrve Insteon/X10 Home Automation Gateway ($209.99)

EZBridge PLM Combo ($199.99)

I'll be ordering my NetLinc soon and can envision my Insteon USB PowerLinc on EBay shortly after!