How to set up your insteon hub (and start adding devices)

Whitson Gordon is How-To Geek’s former Editor in Chief and was Lifehacker’s Editor in Chief before that. He has written for The New York Times, Popular Science, Wired, iFixit, The Daily Beast, PCMag, Macworld, IGN, Medium’s OneZero, The Inventory, and Engadget. Read more.

Insteon is one of the most popular–and arguably most powerful–lines of smarthome products out there. If you’re just getting started with Insteon, here’s how to set up your hub and your first device.

What Is Insteon?

Insteon, at its simplest, is a line of smarthome products. Insteon makes smart outlets, smart light bulbs and switches, a smart thermostat, motion sensors, security cameras, and other products designed to be a sort of “one stop shop” for all your smarthome needs. You just need an Insteon Hub or Hub Pro to control it all.

Unlike many other smarthome hubs, which use Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or Z-Wave to communicate with different products, Insteon uses its own proprietary protocol. It does have limited support for a few non-Insteon products–like the Nest Thermostat and Amazon Echo–but doesn’t offer any integration with IFTTT.

Instead, Insteon’s real power comes through when combined with an X10 system. In fact, this is really its biggest draw. Insteon can be very simple with basic functionality, or it can be very complicated and very powerful (not to mention expensive). If you’re looking for something more in the middle (moderately powerful and user-friendly), however, Insteon may not be right for you.

How to Set Up Your Hub

So you’ve got an Insteon Hub and one or two products you want to control with it. Setting them up is fairly simple: first, grab your Hub and plug it into the wall and your router via Ethernet. Make sure it’s easily reachable, since you’ll need to access it again in a moment.

Download and install Insteon for Hub app, available for iOS and Android. Choose “Create New Insteon Account” on the first page. Accept the license terms and create your account.

Plug in your hub (if it isn’t already), and tap next in the app.

Next, you’ll be asked for a username and password. You’ll find this on a sticker on the bottom of your hub. Alternatively. you can tap the “Scan QR Code” button and scan the QR code on the bottom of your hub.

Once your hub is identified, Insteon will prompt you to start adding devices.

How to Add a New Device

Grab the device you want to add–we’ll be using an outdoor smart outlet for our example–and snap a picture of the QR code and device code on its sticker. This is especially handy if you’re putting it in a hard-to-reach place.

Then hook up the device and continue with the process. If this is your first device, Insteon will take you directly to the “Add Device” screen. If not, you’ll need to get there from the home screen of the app by going to Rooms > All Devices, then clicking the “+” sign in the upper right-hand corner.

On the Add Device screen, Insteon will present you with a list of possible devices. Tap the one that matches the device you’re adding. In our case, we’re adding a plug-in module, so we’ll tap that.

(If your device isn’t listed, scroll to the bottom and choose “Other INSTEON Device”).

Next, press and hold the “Set” button on your device until it beeps or begins blinking, Alternatively, tap the “Add By ID” button at the bottom of your screen, and type in the device’s ID number. Insteon will search for and set up your device.

Once it finds your device, you can give it a name, choose an icon, assign it to a room, and customize a number of other settings.

When you’re finished, tap “Done”.

The device will show up on your main Insteon screen, and you can turn it on and off from there.

Some Insteon devices also support the Amazon Echo, while others are more half-supported. But if you put those devices into scenes, you can control them with your voice that way. If you have an Echo, be sure to read our guide on setting it up with Insteon for more info.

Insteon is one of the most popular–and arguably most powerful–lines of smarthome products out there. If you’re just getting started with Insteon, here’s how to set up your hub and your first device.

What Is Insteon?

Insteon, at its simplest, is a line of smarthome products. Insteon makes smart outlets, smart light bulbs and switches, a smart thermostat, motion sensors, security cameras, and other products designed to be a sort of “one stop shop” for all your smarthome needs. You just need an Insteon Hub or Hub Pro to control it all.

Unlike many other smarthome hubs, which use Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or Z-Wave to communicate with different products, Insteon uses its own proprietary protocol. It does have limited support for a few non-Insteon products–like the Nest Thermostat and Amazon Echo–but doesn’t offer any integration with IFTTT.

Instead, Insteon’s real power comes through when combined with an X10 system. In fact, this is really its biggest draw. Insteon can be very simple with basic functionality, or it can be very complicated and very powerful (not to mention expensive). If you’re looking for something more in the middle (moderately powerful and user-friendly), however, Insteon may not be right for you.

How to Set Up Your Hub

So you’ve got an Insteon Hub and one or two products you want to control with it. Setting them up is fairly simple: first, grab your Hub and plug it into the wall and your router via Ethernet. Make sure it’s easily reachable, since you’ll need to access it again in a moment.

Download and install Insteon for Hub app, available for iOS and Android. Choose “Create New Insteon Account” on the first page. Accept the license terms and create your account.

Plug in your hub (if it isn’t already), and tap next in the app.

Next, you’ll be asked for a username and password. You’ll find this on a sticker on the bottom of your hub. Alternatively. you can tap the “Scan QR Code” button and scan the QR code on the bottom of your hub.

Once your hub is identified, Insteon will prompt you to start adding devices.

How to Add a New Device

Grab the device you want to add–we’ll be using an outdoor smart outlet for our example–and snap a picture of the QR code and device code on its sticker. This is especially handy if you’re putting it in a hard-to-reach place.

Then hook up the device and continue with the process. If this is your first device, Insteon will take you directly to the “Add Device” screen. If not, you’ll need to get there from the home screen of the app by going to Rooms > All Devices, then clicking the “+” sign in the upper right-hand corner.

On the Add Device screen, Insteon will present you with a list of possible devices. Tap the one that matches the device you’re adding. In our case, we’re adding a plug-in module, so we’ll tap that.

(If your device isn’t listed, scroll to the bottom and choose “Other INSTEON Device”).

Next, press and hold the “Set” button on your device until it beeps or begins blinking, Alternatively, tap the “Add By ID” button at the bottom of your screen, and type in the device’s ID number. Insteon will search for and set up your device.

Once it finds your device, you can give it a name, choose an icon, assign it to a room, and customize a number of other settings.

When you’re finished, tap “Done”.

The device will show up on your main Insteon screen, and you can turn it on and off from there.

Some Insteon devices also support the Amazon Echo, so you can control them with your voice if you enable them in the Alexa app.

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Разработано для iPhone

• • Бесплатно

Снимки экрана (iPhone)

Описание

*Note: this app is designed to support Insteon light switches, keypads, plugs and other lighting related products. If your home has non-lighting control devices, we recommend using “Insteon for Hub” which supports legacy device types such as thermostats, cameras, etc.

Welcome to an all new app experience for use with your North American Insteon Hub 2 (2245-222). Our lighting app is an entirely new experience, redesigned to simplify how you manage your home. Bold tiles, on a dynamic background that changes throughout the day, give you quick access to your devices and scenes. New one-touch actions make it easy to quickly control multiple devices in your home all from the same screen. And adding favorites is now as simple as tapping a single icon.

The app also brings new features to Insteon, including a Schedules view that makes it easier to see what’s happening in your home throughout the day. Speaking of which, we’ve added one of the most-requested features to schedules: You can set up a sunrise and sunset offset, so your scenes can occur up to 4 hours before or after the sun goes up or down in your local area.

You’ll also find that everything in the app is faster. From logging in to navigating between screens, you can expect a faster, fluid experience. Statuses display quickly—no more waiting for each individual device to update. You’ll see the most significant improvements in creating and editing scenes. We’ve completely overhauled how we manage scene updates, in many cases bringing the experience down from minutes to seconds (depending on scene complexity).

Here are some high-level things you should know about the new mobile app before you dive in.

–Device support is limited – check out what is and what is not supported below

–Faster time from launch to device control – Depending on device you can be in less than 3 seconds from launch

–Faster scene creation – Depending on the complexity of the scene, up to 80% faster in some cases

–Easier scheduling – Schedule multiple devices for the same time without the need for scene creation

Paddle Switch and Dimmer

Toggle Switch and Dimmer

Keypad Relay and Dimmer

Inline Relay and Dimmer

Micro Relay and Dimmer*

Ceiling Fan and Light Controller

Din Rail Relay and Dimmer*

Outdoor On/Off Module

Hidden Door Sensor

Open Close Sensor

Motion Sensor II*

*These products will have limited properties support. Until all properties are supported, we recommend using the older Insteon for Hub app to make changes.

Compatible with North American Hub 2 (2245-222). For all other Insteon Hubs use “Insteon for Hub” app.

It’s compatible with Harmony hub‑based products

Setup

Set up Insteon Setup and configure Insteon using the Insteon for Hub app on your iOS or Android device.

Add Insteon using the Harmony app

1. Launch the Harmony app and connect to your Harmony hub.
2. Select MENU, then Harmony Setup > Add/Edit Devices & Activities > Devices.
3. Select the ADD DEVICE button at the bottom of the screen.
4. Select SCAN FOR WI‑FI DEVICES and Harmony will search for any connected Insteon Hubs on your home Wi‑Fi network.
5. To complete the process, you’ll be prompted to sign into your Insteon account.

If your Insteon Hub is not found, ensure that it’s connected to the same home Wi‑Fi network as your Harmony hub.

Add Insteon using the MyHarmony desktop software

1. Launch the MyHarmony desktop software and sign into your account.
2. Select your Harmony product from the Remote Gallery screen.
3. Select the Devices tab on the left side of the screen, then the Scan for devices button near the center of the page.
   • If your device isn’t found, select ENTERTAINMENT DEVICE rather than scanning for Wi‑Fi devices, then proceed with the steps below.

1. You will be prompted to connect your Harmony to your computer with the provided USB cable.
2. Harmony will scan your home Wi‑Fi network for Insteon.

Insteon Hub models

Below is information regarding Insteon Hub models that Harmony Team has been able to test. If you’re not sure about which Insteon Hub model you have, you can use Insteon’s knowledgebase to help identify your Insteon Hub version.

Compatible

• Insteon Hub model 2245-222

Incompatible

• Insteon Hub (HomeKit-enabled) 2243-222
• Insteon Hub with AllJoyn 2243-223
• Insteon Hub Pro 2243-222
• Insteon Hub 2242-222R
• Insteon Hub 2242-442
• Insteon Hub 2242-422

Setup

Insteon must be added by enabling its skill on the Alexa app. Once enabled, you can press the OK button on your Harmony Express remote to send Insteon voice commands.

Integration details

Harmony Express remotes

Harmony connects with your Insteon through its Alexa skill.

Integration details

Hub‑based remotes

Harmony connects with the Insteon servers, allowing you to incorporate Insteon into your Harmony Activities. Please ensure your Insteon Hub is connected to the same Wi‑Fi network as your Harmony hub.

Select your remote

We need to know which type of remote you have in order to provide you the correct instructions. Please select from one of the options below in order to get started.

Reader Matt Chroust was right in his guest-post I called Insteon HomeKit – Not Quite Ready For Prime Time – I was just wrong on giving it that title. The Insteon Hub Pro HomeKit-Enabled 2243-222 is such a big fat flaming pile of shit I’d rather punch myself in the face than try to continue using it. I’m out 170 bucks on this thing, and mercifully it’s gone from Amazon, although I suppose if you’re a masochist you could buy one on smarthome.com.

I got a little further than Matt did in his setup, but the process is brutal, the Insteon+ app barely works, and the interface sucks. Read on for a short list of why I gave up on this piece of junk, or just save yourself the trouble and pick up a much better third-party Insteon Hub – the ISY-994i – and the MobiLinc app to interface with it.

Oh Insteon Hub Pro, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways:

No attention to detail in the documentation
I get it that Insteon is being “eco-friendly” in reducing their packaging and documentation, but even their one-sheet “quick-start guide” shows pretty poor attention to detail, like randomly jumbling steps together that you’re supposed to follow in an up-down order. Sure, not a big thing or hard to follow along, but it’s just a sign of how bad things are to come.

“Searching” for devices? Nope.
After adding the hub (strangely, using the “Add Devices” menu instead of a dedicated “Add Hub” option), you try to add devices and get this pretty little screen saying “Searching for Devices”. But it’s not searching, the whole screen is a fake and the app isn’t really doing anything. As you see in the above documentation, you have to add each device individually by entering its address manually, and putting a device in set mode won’t actually allow it to be discovered (did I mention the ISY is so much better? It provides a “linking” mode that allows you to simply hold down the button on a device to add it.). Instead you have to tap the “Add Insteon” button. Why would you not call this “add device”? Who knows; I guess technically it’s an “insteon device”.

BTW, after doing some more research (through the “Help” link on that screen), it looks like you CAN add insteon devices to the hub using the set buttons. Good luck with that in multi-floor homes, though – the steps are basically 1) hold set button on hub, 2) run downstairs and hold set button on device, 3) wait for link, 4) hold button on device, 5) run upstairs and hold button on hub, 6) start app and go through convoluted process to rename the generic device that just got added.

Adding a device manually by address and trying to rename it? Fuggetaboutit!
So I figured I’d try it out and add a device or two manually by address. I went to rename it after adding, and get this pretty little “Missing” message. The worst part? I’m now boned. You can’t go back, you can’t click “Done”, there is no “Cancel”, you can’t swipe left… No shit, you have to double-click the home button and KILL THE APPLICATION to start over. And THEN your changes are of course lost. The good news is that after you punch yourself in the face a few times, you can go BACK into the device and give it a decent name instead of the generic default.

Error messages are deliciously useless!
Maybe I fat-fingered the address? I don’t know; the second time I tried to add the device it worked. So either I fat-fingered it or it just happened to not respond. Fortunately for the masochist in me, the stupid app won’t tell me what I actually entered to confirm either way – I’m SURE I didn’t enter %@. Click OK and instead of seeing the value you just entered so you can correct or confirm it, you just get the blank screen to start all over.

Is it a fan or a light?
Hey! I think I figured out the “Missing” message! I think it’s because you can’t name the Siri control with the same name as the device. Or maybe not, at this point I’m just exhausted and refuse to keep fighting this worthless steaming pile of crap. I get the same “Missing” message for this fan controller, but even weirder, there’s no label under “Siri Control” on this screen for the FanLinc telling me which is the fan and which is the light. So this stupid app actually gives you default values that are the same, and therefore are broken – forcing you to kill the app to move on, guessing which entry is the fan and which is the light when you go back to rename it – brilliant!

Siri works! Haha, just kidding. Insteon managed to make her dumber.
So after killing the app a few times and figuring out that i needed to use unique names for devices and Siri labels, I could actually say things like “Turn off the Office Light”, and it would work! Sweeeeeet!

Oh, no wait, that didn’t work this time? Why? Well, being a software developer and masochist I kept trying to figure out why the light wouldn’t turn off when I asked Siri the second time. Turns out as best as I can tell, the app looks at what it thinks the current state of the device is, and does nothing if it’s already there. Specifically, I have a motion sensor in my office to control the lights. When I tell Siri to “turn off the office lights”, the app turns them off and sets the state in the app as “off”. Then I move in the office and the lights turn back on based on the motion sensor scene. I ask Siri to turn off the lights again, but since the app already thinks the lights are off, Siri says “the Office Light is turned off”, but nothing happens since it thinks the light is already off.

I tested this manually with the switch as well. When you’re in the app, if you manually control a switch, the state of that switch in the app doesn’t change. Which is also, of course, a problem. Try this same thing in MobiLinc with the ISY-994i and you’ll see the state of the device change as you physically hit buttons – the way it should be where the app and the devices are in synch.

Bottom line: steaming pile of shit. Save yourself the cash on it and get an ISY994i and PowerLinc Modem , couple it with MobiLinc, and avoid having to repeatedly punch yourself in the face!

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The web browser should show the Hub located at the URL above. Clicking on the IP address

should access the Hub.

NOTE: If you see multiple entries, locate the correct Hub by INSTEON ID, printed on the
underside of the Hub

o Verify that the Hub was given an IP address:

On the bottom of the Hub you will find the MAC Address for the Hub. This MAC Address

should be in the DHCP list for the router.

If there is an IP address, click the link for that IP address.
If the MAC Address is not on the list, the router may have not assigned an IP address to that

Cycle Power to the Hub
Try another Ethernet cable
Try another Port on the Router
Verify the LED behavior on the Hub
Attempt a Network Reset

Scene Troubleshooting

If you set your device to go to a dimmed level for a scene but when activated it goes to 100%, you are likely using an
older INSTEON device. These devices will require an additional step during the scene setup process:

1) Go to Edit > Edit Settings > Scenes and select the scene to edit
2) Tap on the device that isn’t responding to the dim level
3) Use the control panel to adjust it to the level you want for the scene
4) Go to the physical device and tap its set button (the connected light may flash)
5) Tap “Update Scene”.

The scene will be updated with the older devices’ scene level.

Network Reset

If you have changed your network settings and cannot connect to the Hub, try performing a Network Reset.

1) Press and hold INSTEON Hub set button until it beeps

LED will begin blinking green

2) Slowly tap the set button six times

On the first tap the Hub will double beep and the LED will turn to blue
On the fifth tap the Hub will start beeping and the LED will turn green
On the sixth tap the Hub will stop beeping and the LED will turn blue

3) Remove power from INSTEON Hub and wait about 10 seconds
4) Re-apply power to INSTEON Hub

Factory Reset

If you have already set up the Hub in the app, you must first delete your account prior to factory resetting the Hub. If
you have added any INSTEON devices to the app, it is strongly recommended that you factory reset those devices
prior to deleting your account and factory resetting the Hub.

Delete Account

1) Go to the Edit Settings page by tapping the settings button and selecting Edit Settings
2) Select Account
3) At the bottom of the page is a Delete Account button. Tap button to delete your account (this cannot be undone).

Smart home automation hubs are a one-stop solution for unifying your connected gadgets and controlling them from one app, instead of many. But do you really need one?

The Internet of Things (IoT) that connects smart home devices such as doorbells, lights, locks, security cameras, and thermostats has made it easy for everyone to install and use these gadgets in their homes, but you still need some sort of mechanism to control them. In some cases, just a phone will do the trick, but if you use multiple different products or services, you might want a home automation hub to control everything and have the devices interact with each other. The problem is, there is no single hub available that can control all of the different smart home devices out there. Read on to find out what kind of hubs are available and if you need one to smarten up your home.

What Are the Various Home Automation Protocols?

Any discussion around home automation hubs should begin with a basic primer on protocols, or the method of communication used to control your devices. There are multiple wired and wireless protocols in use today that link smart home devices to each other and to a hub, including X10, Universal Powerline Bus (UPB), Insteon, Z-Wave, and Zigbee. We’ll touch on each in this section.

One of the oldest protocols, X10, has been around since the mid-1970s. It uses your existing home electrical wiring to send signals to each device and is mostly used to control connected lighting systems and motion detectors.

The UPB protocol is loosely based on X10 and also uses your home’s electrical lines to transmit signals between devices, but it offers faster transmission rates and is generally considered more reliable. Oddly, X10 and UPB devices are not compatible and require a controller (hub) that supports both protocols to make them work together.

Devices based on the Insteon protocol utilize your home’s electrical wiring and radio frequency (RF) wireless technology to communicate. Insteon is known for its easy push-button pairing, speedy response times, and extended wireless range. There are more than 200 Insteon home automation devices available including cameras, dimmers, keypads, light switches, and thermostats.

With an impressive roster of more than 3,000 smart home devices available, the Z-Wave protocol is one of the more widely used options in today’s home automation and home security markets due to its superior range. Z-Wave is completely wireless and operates at a low radio frequency, which means it will not interfere with Wi-Fi signals, portable phones, and microwave ovens. Z-Wave creates a mesh network that allows signals to hop from one device to another, and each network can support up to 232 devices. These include smart plugs, door and window sensors, door locks, garage door openers, thermostats, and more.

Like Z-Wave, Zigbee is a wireless protocol that creates a mesh network where devices can transmit signals to each other, but it doesn’t offer the extended range that you get with Z-Wave. It operates at a higher frequency, and as such is susceptible to interference from 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and other household devices, but it is typically faster than Z-Wave and can support thousands of devices on a single network. There are currently more than 2,500 Zigbee devices available, including lights, motion sensors, plugs, and sprinkler controllers.

Many smart devices contain Wi-Fi radios that allow them to connect to your home network. They are controlled using a mobile app and will usually interact with other Wi-Fi devices, either through a platform like Apple’s HomeKit or via the IFTTT (If This Then That) internet-based service that links compatible devices and allows them to work with one another. Wi-Fi is ubiquitous and Wi-Fi smart devices are usually very easy to install, but they draw more power than Z-Wave and Zigbee devices and are known to drain batteries quickly. Moreover, installing too many Wi-Fi devices can impede network performance. Many security cameras and doorbells use Wi-Fi, and any hub worth its salt will contain a Wi-Fi radio so you can connect to your home network and control your smart devices from anywhere.

Bluetooth wireless technology is popular in devices that will be controlled locally using a mobile app, such as door locks and lighting systems. It’s more energy efficient than Wi-Fi, but its limited range means you can’t control these devices remotely (out of Bluetooth range) without the use of a hub. That said, Bluetooth devices are easy to install, and like Wi-Fi, the technology can be found in nearly all mobile devices.

Thread, an IoT platform developed by several companies including Nest, Qualcomm, Samsung, and Silicon Labs, is a newer option. It’s a low-power technology based on the Internet Protocol (IPv6) that allows secure connectivity between hundreds of devices. There aren’t too many Thread-certified products out there yet, but the list includes a couple of Google Nest devices.

What Is a Smart Home Automation Hub?

A hub serves as the nerve center of your home automation system and ties all of your devices together. Now, most smart home devices, regardless of the protocol they use, are controllable with their own app—and if they need a bridge or hub, they will typically come with one. The benefit of a separate, multi-purpose hub is so that you can control everything in a single app. So it’s more of a luxury than a necessity.

Whether you need one or not depends on the type of components you’re using and how many devices you want to control. For example, if you’ve decided to use Insteon devices, you’ll need an Insteon hub to control them and have them work together. Insteon makes its own hubs: The Insteon Hub controls all Insteon devices and plays nice with Logitech Harmony remotes, Tesla vehicles, Sonos music systems, and Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

Many of the latest home automation hubs support multiple protocols, which means you don’t have to settle on just one. The Wink Hub 2 is one of the more versatile hubs out there. In addition to Zigbee, Z-Wave, and dual-band Wi-Fi, it supports Bluetooth Low Energy, Lutron Clear Connect (lighting), and Kidde (smoke and CO alarm) wireless protocols. It also supports Alexa voice commands and IFTTT applets, and will control smart devices from numerous manufacturers including Chamberlain, Ecobee, GE, Honeywell, Nest, Philips Hue, Ring, and Yale. Just keep in mind that Wink switched to a subscription pricing model and now charges a $4.99 monthly fee for the same services it previously offered for free. The Wink platform has also recently experienced prolonged connectivity issues.

The Samsung SmartThings Hub is another multi-protocol controller: It contains Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, and Zigbee radios and will control many of the most widely used smart devices from companies like Ecobee, Honeywell, Kwikset, Philips Hue, Ring, Schlage, and Yale. Of course, it also works directly with many Samsung products. It can be controlled using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

Insteon Hub is an innovation for simple home automation and smart homes. It gives users the ability to both control and monitors their homes from either their smartphone or tablet. They are also able to create schedules and multi-devices scenes.

Another great feature of Insteon Hub is that you can configure all of your sensor’s alerts using the device. Not only will you have a complete remote control, but you can build a wide range of scenes, as well as get instant alerts. Insteon Hub truly sets the bar apart for smart homes.

Insteon Hub Not Found

Insteon Hub is a great smart home hub that is being used by plenty of customers. Although there isn’t anything specifically wrong with the device, some people may face a few issues. Of course, these issues can be fixed.

Insteon Hub not found is another issue that is being commonly faced by plenty of customers. If you’re also someone who is facing a similar issue, then there is no need to worry about anything!

Using this article, we will be going through a step by step guide on how you can successfully fix this issue and get your Insteon Hub working properly.

How to Troubleshoot?

1. Make sure that your Insteon hub is connected to a fully functioning working power outlet. Also, check the ethernet cable. We suggest you also try unplugging and plugging the ethernet cable.
2. Ensure that your modem/router is connected to a power outlet and is turned on.
3. Just in case, check whether your internet connection is properly working. Try browsing a website and see if it successfully loads or not.
4. Check whether your smartphone and Insteon Hub are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
5. Restart your Insteon Hub by directly unplugging the power cord. We recommend waiting for at least 30 seconds until you reconnect it again.
6. Finally, restart both your router and modem.

If none of this seems to work, then we suggest you set up your Insteon Hub again. To do so, follow these steps:

How To Set Up Insteon Hub?

1. Setting up and configuring the Insteon Hub will require you to connect the hub with your router by connecting the ethernet cable and power cable.
2. Connect the hub with the same Wi-Fi that your smartphone is connected to.
3. Now, download and install the Insteon app from your phone’s app store.
4. You may need to create an account.
5. The app will ask you to scan the label on the bottom of your Hub. Select Help.
6. Now, choose my hub doesn’t have a QR code.
7. The Insteon app should automatically find your hub as the setup is completed.

Note that if you’re using the Insteon Hub (2014), instead of skipping the scanning part, we recommend you to follow the guidelines. Scanning the QR code should connect your app with the hub.

1 thought on “6 Steps To Solve When Insteon Hub Not Found”

1) Setting up and configuring the Insteon Hub will require you to connect the hub with your router by connecting the ethernet cable and power cable.
Done
2) Connect the hub with the same Wi-Fi that your smartphone is connected to.
My hub does not support Wifi that I am aware of
3) Now, download and install the Insteon app from your phone’s app store.
It is already installed with my account. Do I clear cach/data, remove or reinstall?
4) You may need to create an account.
I already have an account with all my devices installed
5) The app will ask you to scan the label on the bottom of your Hub. Select Help.
When will it do this?
6) Now, choose my hub doesn’t have a QR code.
My hub has a QR code
7) The Insteon app should automatically find your hub as the setup is completed.
I never get here. Please provide more detailed and accurate instructions.

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Insteon Announces Apple HomeKit-enabled Insteon App and Insteon Hub

Insteon Announces Apple HomeKit-enabled Insteon App and Insteon Hub

Insteon Mobile App Dashboard (Photo: Business Wire)

Insteon Mobile App – Control Lighting Color (Photo: Business Wire)

Insteon Mobile App – On/Off Device (Photo: Business Wire)

LAS VEGAS–( BUSINESS WIRE )–Consumer Electronics Show – Insteon®, creators of the world’s premier home automation and control technology, today announced a new Insteon App supporting Apple HomeKit technology for home management. With the HomeKit-enabled Insteon App, users can control any HomeKit-enabled device, regardless of brand or product type. Insteon is also offering a new HomeKit-enabled Insteon Hub, which brings Insteon switches, outlets, thermostats, and light bulbs into the HomeKit ecosystem. The Insteon Hub featuring HomeKit technology is available for pre-order at $149.99.

HomeKit delivers a common protocol, secure pairing and the ability to easily control individual or groups of products throughout the house including integration with Siri ® , Apple’s personal voice assistant. With HomeKit, you can create scenarios to direct Siri, such as “Bedtime, Siri,” that would dim the lights, lock the doors, close the garage door and set the thermostat.

The new Insteon App will work with all HomeKit-enabled products from various manufacturers and protocols, providing a simple, singular method for consumers to control connected devices.

“We’re thrilled to launch our HomeKit-enabled Insteon App and Insteon Hub. This brings together more products from more manufacturers under a single platform than we’ve ever seen,” said Joe Dada, CEO, Insteon. “Support for HomeKit technology for home management will allow us to provide a simple and easy experience for our customers, with the ability to securely pair and control devices throughout the house including integration with Siri.”

• Control HomeKit-enabled lights, door locks, color-changing bulbs, garage door openers, thermostats and any other HomeKit-enabled products
• Control Insteon switches, outlets, thermostats and more when paired with the HomeKit-enabled Insteon Hub
• Easily add devices with just a tap
• Create and manage rooms, zones and even multiple houses
• Schedule scenes and set repeats for day, week or date
• Dashboard view for quick visibility and control
• Quickly create powerful scenes that adjust multiple devices

About Insteon®

Insteon® transforms the “connected home” from a buzzword into reality. We make life simple by connecting you to the things that matter. Control your lights, alarms, thermostats – all your things – from wherever you are in the world. Insteon’s patented technology is simple and reliable, powering the most fail-safe connected home on the market. With more than 200 Insteon products available today and thousands of developers, we bring all of the things in your home into elegant command. Imagine a lifestyle where all of your things work together in perfect harmony. That’s the power of Insteon.

Now that HomeKit devices are finally starting to ship, Apple fans will need to build an entirely new collection of HomeKit-certified smart home gear in order to command it all with Siri, right? Not necessarily.

Insteon is bringing its entire ecosystem of products under the HomeKit umbrella with the new Insteon Hub, which was announced at CES and is available to purchase starting Tuesday.

Why this matters: Insteon has decades of experience building home control devices, and its embrace of HomeKit will give users a jump start on building out an expandable system for their home. Even if you dont want to go all-in with Insteon, you can pick and choose some HomeKit prodcuts from other companies, and the Hub will bridge those to your Insteon gear, letting you control everything from the Insteon+ app. HomeKit also supports voice commands via Siri, and Insteon has already been working with voice assistants, adding Cortana support with Windows 8.1.

One Hub, many products

HomeKit devices use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to communicate, but Insteon’s family of home control devices (lights, plugs, switches, sensors, cameras, locks, the works) use a different dual-band communication technology that combines both wireless and powerline networking. The $150 Insteon Hub acts as a bridge between Insteon’s mesh network and your regular Wi-Fi network, so you can reach your Insteon devices from outside of the house, and to bridge your Insteon system with HomeKit.

The Insteon+ app will connect to all your Insteon devices via the Insteon Hub, and can control other companies’ HomeKit devices too. (Click to enlarge.)

With an updated Insteon+ app, you’ll be able to set up scenes, grouping devices together so you can control them in concert, with a single command. The Dashboard shows your favorite devices, along with all the scenes you’ve set up, and a quick-glance view at devices currently in use. You can set up timers, add new devices with just a few taps, and group them into rooms and scenes. With your iPhone, you’ll be able to ask Siri to change an entire scene for you, and Insteon recently announced Apple Watch control as well.

The Watch app has thoughtfully designed controls for dimming your lights, changing the speed of a ceiling fan, or just flipping a switch on or off. The app also lets you check in on sensors, confirm doors are locked, and even get a live view of your cameras, right from your wrist.

Insteon

Since it’s HomeKit, the Insteon Hub supports commands from Siri, and Insteon made an Apple Watch app too.

HomeKit doesn’t lock you into using devices from just one manufacturer—Apple certifies each device, and any certified device should work together. But Insteon doesn’t even lock you into using HomeKit. Different hubs can bridge your Insteon gear to a Nest thermostat or (coming later) an AllJoyn-compatible setup. Having to switch hubs might seem like a pain, but it’s better than having to replace an entire system you’ve built out one $50 lightswitch at a time.

The Good: Tons of out of the box integrations with other products such as Nest, Sonos, Amazon Echo, etc. Fast initial setup. Ability to create, schedule and trigger scenes with multiple devices quickly and easily. Works with Alexa for voice commands. Massive selection of compatible devices. Included plug in dimmers work with any bulb or lamp. Communicates via both wireless and powerline. Fairly low price compared to competitors.

The Bad: The app is a little clunky and confusing for beginners. The Hub may make a constant high pitched sound that irritates some people (more on this below). Add-ons are expensive, but that comes with the territory in the smart home market today.

Overall: Despite some app limitations, the Insteon Starter Kit is a great starting point for anyone starting or upgrading their home automation system. The price for this kit beats out virtually every competitor, and the ecosystem is absolutely huge. Most people purchasing a hub will want more than two attached devices, so this is a purchase that can get pricey quickly, but that is the price you pay for convenience these days. Communication over both a wireless mesh network and powerline means less chances for missed commands. The Insteon Hub works with Amazon’s Echo lineup right out of the box, meaning setup of voice commands is fantastically simple.

Setup

I was fortunate enough to receive both the Insteon Starter Kit and an Amazon Echo as gifts at the same time, and thus had voice commands set up literally minutes after installing my hub. The setup was on par with what I have come to expect from other devices. After plugging in the hub and wall units (the hub will require a wired connection to your router), I downloaded the Insteon app and created an account. Once I was logged in I had to add the devices through the app.

When you add a new device the app shows you pictures of what the device should look like, which is handy if you’re new to this. You have to hold down a button on the new device until it flashes, then hit next in the app to tell the hub to look for the device. You will hear chirps from the hub and the device, confirming that they are communicating. They will run through a group of tests to make sure they are communicating correctly. When the tests complete successfully, you can name your device and choose a number of settings including the icon, room and scene memberships, schedules, alerts, the on level and ramp rate. I had to do this once for each plug in unit.

Once I had my devices discovered and my rooms defined, I could create scenes. At first all I cared about was having the lights come on at sunset and turn off at 11 PM. This is a super easy scene to create because the Insteon Hub knows your location, so it knows sunrise and sunset in your area. I named the scene, gave it an icon, set up my sunset and 11 PM on/off times and added the rooms with my plug in devices in them. Insteon then contacts all of the devices in the scene and turns them on to make sure it is performing as you had expected. It then asks if you want to turn the scene off but gives you the option to leave it on.

There is an important difference between creating a scene with a room, and a device. When you add just devices to the scene, it will not dynamically add devices to the scene as you add them to your home. Since I planned to install more Insteon devices around my house and in the two rooms I had added to my scene, I applied the scene to the rooms. This way when I eventually add switches, bulbs, and plug in lamp controllers to my den and living room, they will automatically be added to the scene when I tell Insteon that they are in the den or living room.

Once everything was set up, pairing my Insteon devices with my Amazon Echo was as simple as running a device discovery in the Alexa app. The Echo saw all of my devices with the names I had given them. I was then able to add them to existing groups and create new groups to control them by voice. One cool feature with dimmable Insteon devices is that you can ask Alexa to turn on a group at a certain level. For example when I watch a movie, I can say “Alexa, set the downstairs to ten percent,” and it will dim every light in that group to ten percent.

Operation

The Insteon app gives you full control of Insteon devices and partial control of some other devices like Nest and Sonos. Since I paired this with my Echo, I rarely use the app except to add new devices or trigger scenes, which Alexa doesn’t yet have the ability to do. When you log in you are brought to your favorites screen. This contains the devices and scenes that you mark as a favorite, and it gives you easy access to interact with your most used devices and scenes (see left picture below).

You can access the menu by clicking the hamburger icon in the top right (yeah, I call it a hamburger icon) or by swiping left. This gives you a quick way to view devices, scenes, sensors, thermostats and rooms, as well as add devices, create scenes or add rooms (middle picture below). I find that editing devices is a little annoying in that you have to leave the favorites screen, open the devices container and then access the menu again to edit all devices. This brings you to a sub menu of all devices, and you have to select your intended device. The same goes for favorites, scenes, check-ins, thermostats and rooms. I feel like this can be a lot quicker, and I hope it will be addressed in a future update.

One of my favorite features of dimmable devices is that you can select their on level and ramp time. This means you can define how bright the lights will initially be when they are toggled on from either the app or the physical switch. Plus you can define how quickly you want it to reach that level with ramp time. I use these in my kitchen (right picture below), where I have one switch controlling five very powerful recessed LED lights, so that they gradually come up to 25% and don’t blind anyone in the process.

This is just a little spot to share my thoughts and opinions. They range from the Smart Home to Smart Phones to Gadgets and Gizmos to any new Technology to Local Politics to National Politics with few Personal Asides as well.

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Insteon Hub – The Achilles Heel of Insteon

Insteon Hub

A couple of weeks before Christmas, my Insteon hub died. There were no pyrotechnics or alarms and to the disappointment of the TV generation, nothing exploded and no people were thrown across the room. What did happen is that I tried to turn on some lights with my Amazon Echo and it told me that it couldn’t connect to the Insteon hub. That’s weird – so I took a look at it.

The Insteon hub is a plain, white, square device with a single light on the front that is green when all is well and red when there’s a problem (usually a network issue). I looked at the hub and the light was off. That’s new. I unplugged it and plugged it back in. Nothing. I hit the reset button (which I had never before used). Nothing. It was dead as a doornail.

This was quite a surprise. My hub had served me well for over two years. Even worse, the two year warranty had expired a couple of months before. Bother!

However, all was not lost. All of my Insteon switches still worked. All of my scenes (like the ones to control the buttons on my 8 button keypad) still worked. What was broken? My Amazon Echo integration and my timed scenes. That was my big ouch because I had just set up scenes to turn on my Christmas lights (indoor and outdoor) at sunset and turn the off at 10pm. Well, no more automated Christmas lights. That was lousy timing!

Of course I want my Christmas lights on their timer again so I immediately started researching what I needed to do. What I found was that the Insteon devices and scenes are more or less hard coded to the hub. This means that I can’t transfer my setup to a new hub, I have to start over. I’ve got about 12 Insteon devices and probably that many scenes set up. Not cool!

The forums where I found this information suggested that I reach out to Insteon support to see if they could help. It sounded like a good idea so I fired off an email. A couple days later Insteon responded that they were sorry my hub died and would send me a new one after I supply my receipt and a picture of it. I thought it was out of warranty but if I can get a free replacement – great!

A little while later I got confirmation that they were sending it and a couple days after Christmas, I received it. Kudos to Insteon support! However, up to this point my questions on how to transfer my account to the new hub had been ignored and the official Insteon documentation for installing a new hub instruct you to delete all of your devices and scenes from your old hub, delete your account, and recreate everything on the new hub. Not only did I not want to go through the pain of doing that, I couldn’t because my old hub was dead and so I couldn’t log into it to drop scenes and delete devices. So I reached out to support again.

This is where it got kind of weird. I asked if I really had to delete everything and how to do it if my old hub was dead. They responded with a “please confirm that you want to remove all your devices and delete your account” email with a listing of all my devices and their IDs (which allows me to re-set them up without having to manually pair each device). Actually, I wanted to know if that was my only option. That question was completely ignored. Not happy but tired enough of the half answers, etc. that I just said yes and the next day they confirmed that my old account was deleted.

So now I’m ready to set up my new hub. I created a new account and, since I already had the IDs for my devices, I was able to set them up quickly and then recreate my scenes. By quickly, I mean a couple of hours of documenting what I already had and about an hour of recreating everything.

Success! Everything works again! Now here’s my issue: Do I want to purchase more items from Insteon which will make this process even worse the next time my hub dies? The short answer is no – what’s the point in having a cloud service if the service is unrecoverable if your hub dies. The longer answer is – if not, what do I replace it with?

Is there a system out that that works just as well but doesn’t have this issue? Echo Plus? Smarthings? Wink? Will they have the instant response time of the Insteon? Will they be around for the long haul (remember Revolv – it’s gone now). That’s the conundrum: Is the solution more worse than the problem? I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have a couple of years to figure it out before my hub dies again.

Homebridge platform plugin for local Insteon control

Implements local control of Insteon devices including switches, dimmers, scenes, iolincs (configured as a garage door), motion sensors, and leak sensors via Homebridge. Leverages home-controller to enable control and status of multiple Insteon devices. Supports both Insteon Hub 2242 and 2245.

This plugin provides two mechanisms to get device status – an event listener and periodic polling. The event listener will listen for events on the Insteon network and automatically update device status in Homebridge. It will only capture manual events (ie, manually pushing a switch) as well as events triggered by other apps or devices (ie, Amazon Echo). The plugin also provides a mechanism for periodic polling of the status of configured devices. This is now disabled by default as the event listener should capture events, but can be enabled if desired (see configuration below).

Devices are not yet auto-discovered and must be defined in config.json (see configuration example)

Local Express Server

This plugin will set up a local Express server at the port specified in your config.json (see below) that can also be accessed via a browser to get or manipulate Insteon device status and view hub or device information. Endpoints for the Express sever include:

• /light/[id]/on : turn on the light with Insteon [id]
• /light/[id]/off : turn off the light with Insteon [id]
• /light/[id]/status : get status of the light with Insteon [id]
• /light/[id]/level/[targetlevel] : set brightness of the light with Insteon [id] to [targetlevel]
• /scene/[group]/on : turn on the scene with Insteon [group] number
• /scene/[group]/off : turn off the scene with Insteon [group] number
• /iolinc/[id]/relay_on : turn on the relay for iolinc with Insteon [id]
• /iolinc/[id]/relay_off : turn off the relay for iolinc with Insteon [id]
• /iolinc/[id]/relay_status : get status of the relay for iolinc with Insteon [id]
• /iolinc/[id]/sensor_status : get status of the sensor for iolinc with Insteon [id]
• /links : get all links from your Insteon Hub
• /links/[id] : get links for device with Insteon [id]
• /info/[id] : get info for device with Insteon [id]

The Express serve is now optional and can be disabled if desired.

Now with more npm!

To install from npm:

npm -g install homebridge-platform-insteonlocal

Alternately, clone the repository, cd into the cloned directory and install using npm:

Edit the config.json (see example) to fit your installation – configuration parameters are:

• user : Hub username from Insteon app (Not your Insteon login username. Go to Settings->House in the Insteon app and use the ‘Hub Username’ from there.)
• pass : Hub password from Insteon app (Not your Insteon login password. Go to Settings->House in the Insteon app and use the ‘Hub Password’ from there.)
• host : local IP of your Insteon hub
• port : port from Insteon app
• model : model number of your hub. Valid values are 2242 or 2245
• refresh : device status refresh interval in seconds (disabled by default, set to 0 to disable polling)
• use_express : true or false to enable/disable Express server
• server_port : port for local Express server

Devices are also defined in the config.json as follows:

• name : Device name as you want it to appear in Homebridge
• deviceID : Insteon ID with no spaces or dividers
• groupID : Insteon group ID for a scene
• keypadbtn : Keypad button to check for status of a scene, in caps (8-key models only)
• dimmable : dimmable or non-dimming device – valid values are “yes” or “no”
• deviceType : valid values include ‘lightbulb’, ‘dimmer’, ‘switch’, ‘scene’, ‘iolinc’, ‘motionsensor’, ‘leaksensor’, and ‘fan’. Please note that fan/fanlinc support is untested.

Scene config changes in 0.3.2 and later

Scenes remain on/off only, and now support status when controlled via a Keypadlinc. When defining a scene, the deviceID is the Insteon ID of a keypad that controls the scene and keypadbtn is then button that indicates the status of the scene. The groupID parameter is now the group number in the Insteon app (Scenes->Edit Scene->Group Number).

Fan support in version 0.3.3 is untested so I appreciate any feedback on its use. To configure fanlinc support, use the ‘fan’ device type. This will create a fan device only – you can add a separate entry in your config (using the same deviceID ) to add the light as a device.

For iolinc devices, there is an additional parameter that can be defined:

• gdo_delay : number of seconds before status of the sensor is checked when opening/closing the door (ie, how long does it take the door to open/close) [default = 15]

5000 meters or 9000 Feet

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