So... I don't know if this is the appropriate place for this, but I've now been using my Hub for a while and am a bit disappointed in how limited the functionality of the Hub App is for programming.
As background, I've been using X10 systems since the 1980's - with all the various programming interfaces (ActiveHome, SmartHouse, some open source things, etc...) I'm pretty familiar with what can be done using powerline technology.
My use case is not all that complicated - several lights around the house, porch lights, pool lights, occasionally other switched devices. Maybe 5-10 devices in all.
Key complaint about the app is that it's functionality for programming conditional schedules is pretty much zero. No, it IS zero... And that's a pretty basic feature need.
For example...
I get home at 6pm. I want my front porch light to come on at 5:55, but only if it's dark at that time of year.
In the past, the software packages I've used with X10 devices have always had some means of setting up a schedule that said something like "turn on at 5:55pm, but only if it's past sunset at that time...."
In other words, if we get to 5:55 and it's NOT dark, don't turn the light on.
Sure, I COULD say "turn on at sunset" - which means that light would always be on when I get home OR it would be before sunset, but what about times of the year when the sun sets at 4:30? I don't want the light coming on at 4:30 - I want it on only at 5:55, and then only if it's dark then!!
Related, past packages I've used have allowed offsets from sunrise/set. In some places sunset means "the time it gets dark", in others if you're behind hills, it might start getting dark 30 minutes before sunset. Setting a time to turn something on "30 minutes before sunset" is an obvious need.
Next up, it appears I can't program two things to come on at the same time? Maybe this is only my limited understanding, but if I set the front porch light to come on at sunset then I can't set the back porch light to also come on at sunset - in their own schedules? I guess I have to create a "scene" and then add both to that scene? Seems overly complicated, and so far I haven't figured out how to do things like "in this scene, have the front porch light ALWAYS come on 7 days a week, but only turn the back porch light on on weekends."
I could do that using individual schedules for each device, but then I can't set them both to come on at sunset (or at the same time of day...)
I know that's not a limitation of the Insteon system because I've used programs before (I think SmartHome most recently) that allowed for this - why wouldn't the system simply be able to send out sequential commands at the specified time for multiple devices? Makes no sense.
Lastly, some usability gripes. The reason I went with the Hub is largely because of the App interface. No need to show the Significant Other how to boot up the computer, open the programming app, understand how it works, turn things on and off, etc... Just open the app on your phone and turn something on or off - easy.
That's fine, but every time I open the app I stand there for 15-30 seconds while the entire "connecting" process happens. Over and over again.
Yes, I suppose I could leave the app on all the time, but I don't have that much need for individual control - just once in a while.
Isn't there some way the app can simply know when I'm connected to my home wifi and do all that connecting, validating, authenticating, communicating, etc, etc stuff in the background?
Heck, I can open Spotify and connect to their web service then change what's playing on my media center quicker than I can turn on a light...
And a web interface for programming would be great. The beta webpage is barely useful for anything. I'd MUCH prefer to make programming changes with a real mouse and keyboard than peck away at the phone for that. I can't imagine building in a tiny web server into the hub that gives access to the programming features would be all that hard.
OK, done griping. The Hub is a great start, but a few little tweaks would make it so much better.
As background, I've been using X10 systems since the 1980's - with all the various programming interfaces (ActiveHome, SmartHouse, some open source things, etc...) I'm pretty familiar with what can be done using powerline technology.
My use case is not all that complicated - several lights around the house, porch lights, pool lights, occasionally other switched devices. Maybe 5-10 devices in all.
Key complaint about the app is that it's functionality for programming conditional schedules is pretty much zero. No, it IS zero... And that's a pretty basic feature need.
For example...
I get home at 6pm. I want my front porch light to come on at 5:55, but only if it's dark at that time of year.
In the past, the software packages I've used with X10 devices have always had some means of setting up a schedule that said something like "turn on at 5:55pm, but only if it's past sunset at that time...."
In other words, if we get to 5:55 and it's NOT dark, don't turn the light on.
Sure, I COULD say "turn on at sunset" - which means that light would always be on when I get home OR it would be before sunset, but what about times of the year when the sun sets at 4:30? I don't want the light coming on at 4:30 - I want it on only at 5:55, and then only if it's dark then!!
Related, past packages I've used have allowed offsets from sunrise/set. In some places sunset means "the time it gets dark", in others if you're behind hills, it might start getting dark 30 minutes before sunset. Setting a time to turn something on "30 minutes before sunset" is an obvious need.
Next up, it appears I can't program two things to come on at the same time? Maybe this is only my limited understanding, but if I set the front porch light to come on at sunset then I can't set the back porch light to also come on at sunset - in their own schedules? I guess I have to create a "scene" and then add both to that scene? Seems overly complicated, and so far I haven't figured out how to do things like "in this scene, have the front porch light ALWAYS come on 7 days a week, but only turn the back porch light on on weekends."
I could do that using individual schedules for each device, but then I can't set them both to come on at sunset (or at the same time of day...)
I know that's not a limitation of the Insteon system because I've used programs before (I think SmartHome most recently) that allowed for this - why wouldn't the system simply be able to send out sequential commands at the specified time for multiple devices? Makes no sense.
Lastly, some usability gripes. The reason I went with the Hub is largely because of the App interface. No need to show the Significant Other how to boot up the computer, open the programming app, understand how it works, turn things on and off, etc... Just open the app on your phone and turn something on or off - easy.
That's fine, but every time I open the app I stand there for 15-30 seconds while the entire "connecting" process happens. Over and over again.
Yes, I suppose I could leave the app on all the time, but I don't have that much need for individual control - just once in a while.
Isn't there some way the app can simply know when I'm connected to my home wifi and do all that connecting, validating, authenticating, communicating, etc, etc stuff in the background?
Heck, I can open Spotify and connect to their web service then change what's playing on my media center quicker than I can turn on a light...
And a web interface for programming would be great. The beta webpage is barely useful for anything. I'd MUCH prefer to make programming changes with a real mouse and keyboard than peck away at the phone for that. I can't imagine building in a tiny web server into the hub that gives access to the programming features would be all that hard.
OK, done griping. The Hub is a great start, but a few little tweaks would make it so much better.
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