Current state of Insteon Hub Pro

[nealtx]

Still on the site but navigation appears to be gone. Found the page through google.

[lilyoyo1]

Still on the site but navigation appears to be gone. Found the page through google.

What do you mean? Smarthome.com pulls up the hubpro without any issues. It also allows you to add it to your cart

[nealtx]

Try to find it on the product page on insteon.com. Use to show two hubs now it shows just one. Still trying to sell it too on smarthome.com.

[lilyoyo1]

Are you referring to the hub that shows up under the products link? It took all of 5 seconds to find it

httphttp://www.insteon.com/all-products

[nealtx]

http://www.insteon.com/products/ is what comes up in the menu and no hub pro mentioned. Looks like it is on the site map but clearly removed from the products link.

[lilyoyo1]

Insteon has many more products than what shows up on that page which is why at the very bottom of that page it say "All products". The hubpro is not their core product which is why it is not front and center.

[nealtx]

I wonder if there is any hope we will get a fully functional Homekit implementation when apple releases 11.3 and it brings in software certification for Homekit products.

[SpivR]

Insteon Labs has no control over what is supported and what is not. That decision lies with Apple. Here's a list of devices that Apple has allowed. Insteon Labs will continue to request support for new, as well as current devices.

Unfortunately, this not really true. HomeKit has supported IP Cameras and Door/Window sensors for quite a while - Insteon still does not support. They can't hide and blame Apple for Insteon's decision to totally ignore the HomeKit hub and making it an orphan. They should just admit it.

[Ryanlm]

TFitz - that is not necessarily true. Insteon devices do not talk to homekit directly - they use the Hub Pro. The hub would be responsible for knowing current state and would respond to HomeKit queries. This is totally doable if they would just update the hub.

[Craignos]

I switched away from the homekit hub because of some of the issues mentioned above. I lost all my devices randomly. Adding devices back doesn't work well too. I believe the only way to add it is to do it with a button press. Has there been any improvement in iOS 11? It has been removed from Apple's list of compatibility but it shows on HomeKitty. https://homekitty.world/accessory?name=Insteon%20Hub

As of today, my Hob Pro has all my devices (supported by the Hub Pro/Apple) working. I use 2 Apple TVs 4th Gen in my house too. It's not all working perfectly, but it is an improvement over last year. Not sure if Insteon has updated the firmware on my hub since I can't manually, or if Apple has improved since iOS 11?

[mpress]

Hey All, not sure how i disappeared from being a registered member and haven't checked in here for a while.. BUT I DO HAVE A LOT TO SAYT AND SHARE. I have been a customer and a heavy user of Insteon devices since Joe started smarthome, originally outfitting my home with dozens of X10 equipment as insteon was first being born. Over the years I have dealt with hundreds of hours of set up and trouble shooting was Insteon in many ways led the smarthome industry long before many were thinking about it. I have gone through every incarnation of remotes, controllers, switches lamplincs.......you get the idea.. When the initial Hub and Hub 2 came out i rejoiced the ability to be far more smarthome capable, and moving from internet based operation through houslinc to something more modern seemed great... I am also a beta tester for apple on multiple devices and software so have been entrenched in Homekit since its launch, and certainly dealt with the bugginess of the first 1.5 years on that front as well... And when Hub Pro released it was at my door day 1, the frustrations of set up and the quirkyness (im being nice) of the hub pro app after a short time rendered the hub pro worthless, and Home app relatively worthless as well.... Over the past 2 years i continued to always check in with both sides apple via homekit beta groups and Insteon via the great support staff there... But none the less Insteon only proved reliable to me via the Hub2 and its software, and for quite sometime i continued to operate my home via multiple independent brand apps.

MY HOME GEAR before i continue: My home currently runs about 35 Insteon devices predominately 2477d switches and In wall switched outlets (disable forgot the number), Chamberlain hit controls my garage, Philip sHue bridge and about 15 hue lights (mostly light strips), 2 ecobee thermostats, rachio sprinklers (homekit beta running should be released this summer) Hub Pro, Hub2 (i still keep it live and updated as it remains a failsafe for me) a couple tado AC controllers, harmony hub, apple HOME POD, a bunch of amazon echo dots and one echo. Nest cams are inside and out, nest protects throughput the house and now still all Nest gear are operated via Nest app and remain the only thing i do not control with HOME app. MOST important i have my home running its WIFI through a number of APPLe time capsules and airport extremes, and have VERY VERY good coverage throughout my home and grounds, i attempted to move toward netgear and other MESHg systems only to have mass inconsistencies with HOMEKIT across all devices and switched back to apple and it made a huge difference... How your home is wired or wifi covered is a big part of a great smarthome experience.

TODAY VS 6 MONTHS AGO:
Back in september i was still randomly attempting to move to a full homekit home but it remained to difficult with multiple bugs and inconsistencies, not just in regard to insteon but in general.. But with the updates that took place in the fall, IOS 11, and more importantly apple moving to software controlled devices rather then chip devices EVERYTHING CHANGED. Over the past few months i have now moved every aspect of this house to Homekit and run it completely through the Home app and more importantly through the HOMEPOD and Siri. The only remaining PITA is that the hub pro app remains pointless and once linked to the HOME app you must pair the devices with the hub manually set button set button set button set button and register all through the HOME app NOT the insteon hub pro app. As of today there is still the random delays and latency, and at times total lack of response (however that tend mostly to be with devices still controlled by older 2476ds with i am about to replace) but i do not think that the Insteon devices are experiencing any more hiccups then any other brand (and again it is why i continue to have the Hub2 and app still live both for programming, editing scenes, modifying links of certain switches of keypads much of which remain outside of Home apps abilities) As far as the No response that often starts with opening the Home app here insteon does seem to have a little more latency then other brands, but i am hoping a little may be due to the older switches creating interference as they are searched for when not responding) I have been working with and now have apple executive office engineers regularly looking at the diagnostics from my phone and viewing the logs of Home app activity trying to see if they can manipulate the resolve on the apple end of things...

One thing I try to tell everyone that comes to me and wants to smarten their homes is SMARTHOMES in general are still very buggy it is an emerging luxury and still growing learning and has some time investment and debugging needed, but all said personally the convenience is worth it to me..... but everyone has to decide that for themselves...SMARTHOMES other then a switch here or there are not really ready for beginners.

Currently all my devices regardless of brands are playing nicely together, both individually as well as in groups, scenes, automations and geofencing. A turn onto my street now opens my garage door, turns on various outside lights and inside lights (if after sunset) good morning and good night commands now operate flawlessly (when built in Home app and it is easy to do) with full on and off and levels all controllable...even the hue light colors can be altered based on scenes and automations... BUT THE STAR OF THE SHOW IS 100% HOME POD... Verbal commands vis hey siri and home pod are almost instantaneously acted on, often with lights on or off or dimmed before i finish my sentence and before Siri confirms them... HomePod siri is much faster and less missed commands then siri via phone or watch... Also HomePod SEEMS top be a better hub for Home kit then the appletv or an iPad. And since HomePod arrived reaction via Home app even when away from home seems much faster. When testing reaction accuracy, and response compared to alexa there is no contest with HomePod a winner by a mile. Echo duties have fallen to a rare test if siri doesn't react or to my wife who still uses spotify and has it paired to alexa LOL.

MY CURRENT VIEWS ON INSTEON:
I have at least a thousand times over the years cursed Insteon as much as thanked them, i have a big A$$ box of old failed switches, plugin lamplincs, extenders, phase couplers, access points, cameras, many times insteon of course during warranty but sometimes shortly post warranty have replaced dead switches, I do honestly believe they should stand behind their switches more and we should feel confident that for the price the switch will last a long time. Over the years there have definitely been a number of times as new brands emerged that i started to consider making a move away from inseon... but i stayed, partially because of how invested i am and partially because i remain a believer in the brand.
Most recently Insteon moved their customer support out of the USA and my first call in where i didn't get a voice i actually recognized in California i almost lost all hope. However, know that you can always request someone from USA support call you and they do...BUT i have also found this off shore tech support team to be about the most educated to products then just about any NON USA tech support team PERIOD!!!!!!!

Some here have found it hard to believe and frustrating to hear Insteon support say there is little or nothing they can do in regard to the hub pro and homekit... well i hate to say it but its true... other then be able to test their devices out with the same access to hardware that we have there isn't much else.... the firmware/software compatibility is all in the hands of apple... but i can say regardless of the lack of recognition Insteon gets in the multitude of Home kit compatible articles i read on line APPLE does have INSTEON in their labs and are working on it. I would really love to see Insteon marketing people get on this, Insteon represents the broadest array of devices out there for a smart home and has been around longer then all of them...the Insteon ecosystem remains the most programmable and versatile of any other brand out there, i believe only one other brand offers a two wire switch, and no one offers the ability to link and adapt switches to be so many things as Insteon does. Insteon should be mentioned in any article outlining smarthome options. Perhaps with more press will come more sales and more investment in r&d and move insteon to the top of apples list of brands to stay on top of. Smarthome/Insteon recently got a new president or CEO, and during my concerned days i reached out to him, never hot a call back lol, but i did research where he came from and his past accomplishments and it furthered my confidence that Insteon will continue to grow and get better and better. My gut is we will see a major shift in insteons direction of their switches and devices and perhaps a non hub compatibility with Homekit as many brands are looking to do, hopefully it will not render existing systems obsolete, as my cost to replace so many devices will be expensive and a royal pain.

I highly encourage those that gave up on Insteon/homekit prior to IOS 11 like i did to relook at things, make sure they have the latest HUB PRO, and remember the hub pro app is NOT the app to use for setup. My home has become a showcase, especially since HomePod got here to control things, friends that always thought my house was kinda cool but never dove in have all taken the plunge and are starting to smarten up their house... IT DOES TAKE TIME BUT ONCE ITS DONE IT IS WORTH IT... IT DOES TAKE PATIENCE BUT IT IS WORTH IT, IT DOES LET YOU DOWN EVERY SO OFTEN BUT IT IS WORTH IT......

HOPING THIS VERY LONG REVIEW HELPS A FEW PEOPLE, I KNOW IF I HAD READ THIS AT ANYTIME OVER THE PAST YEAR I WOULD HAVE BEEN THRILLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mpress]

I get what you are saying—that the Hub Pro could offer a cached device status, echoing the last transmitted signal. The model 2245 Hub already does with its “Check-In” page.

The problem there isn’t technical, it’s contractual. As I understand it, Apple requires that sensors offer live status on demand, not cached status.

TF you are correct, homeklit requires live status for security reasons... it is most reflected in things that tend to allow access to your homes like garage door openers or dry contact open close sensors.. For example at one point when i had everything working perfectly suddenly my garage door began being a PITA, only to find the battery on the door mounted sensor was dying and not transmitting live status to Homekit, it create all sorts of issues as Homekit searched for status , or thought the door was open so any command to open was impossible as it thought it was....