INSTEON Smart Homes for Everyone

5/26/2018 INSTEON Smart Homes for Everyone

1/294

INSEON

Smarthomes or Everyone


2/294


3/294

For Jisty, Jathan, Jeanna, and Jira

Someday well meet in the Jamazon Jungle--Jatt


4/294

AcknowledgementsId like to thank Steve Lee at SmartLabs, who has been an enthusiasticsupporter o this book since I first emailed him with the idea o writing it.Al Choperena at SimpleHomeNet, Michel Kohanim o Universal Devices,and Harold Brooks at Interactive Electronic Systems have also generouslysupported this project with their time, expertise, and enthusiasm.

My most heartelt thanks go to my wie and children. Te timethat I steal away or projects like these rightully belongs to them. My wiemakes my lie so easy that it allows books like this to exist.


5/294

IntroductionMy wie and I have riends who had built a home that included centrallighting control, allowing them to light paths between rooms and lightingscenes or purposes such as watching a moving or cooking with the toucho a button. It was a pretty impressive system.

When it came time or my wie and I to rebuild, we knew we wantedto be able to do things like turn off all the lights throughout the house at

bedtime and when we lef the house, and light the way to the kids roomswhen we arrive home late at night and had to carry them in.

But when I looked into the cost, I was astonished. Our riends hadspent over $35,000 to install their system, and our cost would be similar.I wasnt about to spend tens o thousands o dollars on a central lightingsystemwe didnt have that much room in the budget.Centralized lighting systems require all lighting circuits to be run to a centrallocation, and use a separate network o low-voltage wires run to specializedwall switches. Te installation requires manuacturer-certified electricians,about twice as many labor hours, and the resulting system is difficult or the

owners to program and reconfigure. Furthermore, when one o the central


6/294

lighting controllers ailed at our riends home, it took down a ew rooms

or weeks until it could be ordered, shipped, and re-installed. Finally, whilecentral lighting control systems can take commands rom security systemsand home theater systems, they can usually only be used to control lightingcircuits.

I didnt like the idea o specialty wiring; there would be substantialextra cost in the increased lengths o cable, the low-voltage wiring or wallswitches, and all the extra time and higher-priced labor it would take toinstall them. Furthermore, any modern electrical control system will becompletely obsolete in 50 years, but your house will still be around. What

i homes arent wired that way when it comes time to retrofit the house?I definitely wanted a system that was wired the same way a typical homewould be wired, to ensure compatibility with uture systems.

So I started educating mysel about home lighting systems, anddiscovered that new options had come to market since my experiments withX10 compatible de-centralized switches in the 1990s. Universal Power Bus(UPB), Z-Wave, INSEON, and Zigbee all looked as though they might meetour requirements or a lot less money than a centralized lighting system.

Te more I looked into it, the more obvious it became that INSEONwas the way to go. It helped a lot that INSEON was the least expensiveabout hal as much as the other options. It also helped that INSEON soldtheir devices directly online, and that rom orum comments on variouswebsites I could tell that regular people werent having any significanttrouble installing INSEON devices and getting them working themselves.With rare exception, the orum conversations I read were very positive, andthe ew people that had reported problems were able to solve them quitesimply.

So I bought a starter kit and setup a ew devices in the house that wewere renting while our new home was being built. I rewired a set o switchesto create a 3-way switch that controlled both the living room and entry, andput all the lamps on the house on a central controller so we could turn off the


7/294

common room lights. Afer living with INSEON or a year, during which

time the setup worked perectly, we specified INSEON or the new house.INSEON is so simple to use that even my small children have figured

out how to program switches (which is actually something o a liability). Itsquite clear that being able to leverage existing standards, labor practices, andinstalled wiring makes good economic sense.

Ultimately, our riends system cost about $35,000 in hardware andlabor, compared to $5000 in hardware and labor that it cost us to install aunctionally superior system that controls a lot more than just lighting.

About this BookTis book is the product o my experience evaluating, buying, and installingINSEON systems as both a zero installation retrofit in an existing homeand as an integrated control system in a new construction home. Its thebook I wish I could have bought when I started looking into INSEON.

Ive included my personal opinions and some discussion o howIve solved certain problems along with the general inormation aboutINSEON, so I hope youll orgive the authors voice that may be quiteobvious throughout the book.

Tis book is a completely independent work that was not

commissioned by SmartLabs, the company that developed and marketsINSEON. Tey have had no editorial control over the content, nor haveI accepted any material support or evaluation devices rom them. I did askthat they read through the book or technical errors prior to publication,and they have graciously provided some eedback in that regard. Teyhave also provided stock photos o their devices. All errors, omissions, andopinions expressed in this book are solely my responsibility and should notbe construed as being an official representation o any other party.

Universal Devices and IES, two independent third party manuacturerso INSEON devices, have provided equipment or review in order to make

this book more complete than my system alone would have provided or.


8/294

No matter what your level o INSEON expertise is, this book is or

you. Te chapters o this book start with Smarthome basics and progress toa proessional installation reerence. More advanced users may want to skimthrough the first chapters until you reach the material that matches yourlevel o expertise. You can help improve this book by sending any errors youfind to: [email protected]

About the AuthorMatthew Strebe is the author o seventeen books ocused on the Windowsoperating system, computer and network security, and the business ocomputer services or publishers such as iUniverse, Sybex, Microsof Press,

and Wiley.He is the ounder and CO o Connetic, an I services corporation

ocused on managed services or the small and medium sized businessmarket. He is also a ounding partner and CO o Zaxyz, A 3D-Printingtechnology research and development corporation that ocuses on sofwaredevelopment and materials research or inexpensive 3D object creation romdigital sources.

His avocations include sofware development and electronics, andhe enjoys sailing, motorcycling, automobiling, movies, and socializing. Helives in North County San Diego with his wie, three children, and a variable

number o stick bugs, depending upon the season.


9/294


10/294


11/294

Chapter 1What you can do with INSEONTe term smarthome means different things to different people, but thecore concept is easy to understand: A smarthome is a home where the majorsystems are computer-controlled to work in concert with one another andwhich can be adapted to the needs o the occupants.

Tis chapter defines the role o INSEON technologyin the Smart Home. I you are already an INSEON

user, you may want to skip ahead to Chapter 2.

Tere are many different elements in a complete smarthome: Lighting and Appliance control to manage artificial lighting and

appliances. Environmental control systems to manage natural lighting,

ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and irrigation. Security and Access Control, to save energy when the house is not

occupied, and alert the owner to security, fire, or flooding events,and to enable remote monitoring o the home.

EntertainmentSystemsto control home theater systems, computers,and ambient music.


12/294

Tis chapter will discuss the various components o a complete smarthome

and the role o INSEON in the smarthome.: N H A

BridgeA device that listens or signals on a network protocol andrepeats or converts them or use on a different network using a differentprotocol.EthernetTe most popular protocol or connecting computers togetherto orm a high-speed data network.Home Automation ControllerA special purpose dedicated computerthat comes preloaded with a home automation program to provide asingle point o control o all home automation systems.HVACHeating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems

manage the air temperature and humidity in a home.I/O ControllerA device that sends input or output to a non-INSEONdevice (such as a sprinkler valve, drapery closure motor, or siren) byopening or closing a circuit.ISM BandFree and unlicensed radio spectrum that devicemanuacturers can use without acquiring a specific FCC license to usethe spectrum. Tere are three ISM Bands: 900Mhz, 2.4GHz, and 5.8GHz.Wireless INSEON devices operate in the 900MHz ISM band.ProtocolAn agreed-upon method o communicating. In digitalcommunications, a protocol defines how to address a message to arecipient, how to ormat the message in a way that the recipient willunderstand, and when to send messages in response to events.RepeaterA device that receives and then re-transmits or regenerates asignal without modiying it. Repeaters are used to increase the distancethat a digital signal can travel.WiFiWireless Fidelity is wireless Ethernet data networking. Alsoreerred to as 802.11a, b, g, or n depending on the speed and ISM bandin which it operates.

Smarthome echnologiesNo single technology or protocol is capable o managing all o the differentsystems o a Smarthome because undamentally different signals are requiredor different circumstances. Te technology required to report the status oa two-position switch is considerably lower-speed and lower-cost than thetechnology required to stream video in real-time.


13/294

It would not make economic sense to put the same expensive, high

data-rate technology in the dozens o switches around your house as youdput in a ew cameras.

A smarthome will typically need at least two types o networks: A Control Network that is a low-speed, low cost network that

manages large number o lighting and environmental controls. Acontrol network is essentially a network that operates switches andother electronic controls o one sort or another.

A Data Network that is a high-speed, high-cost network capableo moving large amounts o inormation between a small numbero computing devices to enable Internet access, video streaming,

and audio communication in the home. Your data network may bespecific to a certain type o device, such as coaxial video cable orcameras and television distribution, or it may be a general-purposedigital network such as Ethernet.

Tis book ocuses exclusively on the control network portion othe Smarthomedata networking is a very large topic and no single bookcould cover all the complexities and options available. Control network areconsiderably simpler and more easily solved. Tis chapter discusses datanetworks only to describe their role in the smarthome and to explain howthe data network is interaced with the control network.

o the degree possible, you should choose the two technologies youwant to use or each o the two systems in the beginning and stick to them.

In your smart home, use a single technology or thecontrol network, and another single technology orthe data network.

You can also use compatible technologies that work seamlesslytogether or the two: or example, its trivial to combine Ethernet and WiFidata networks because they were designed to work together, and its trivial


14/294

to combine X10 and INSEON networks because INSEON devices are

compatible with both types o networks.Using incompatible technologies, such as Z-Wave and INSEON,

will require a general-purpose computer or a Home Automation Controllerto bridge the two technologies and will require substantial additional costand configuration.

Tere are various options or connecting the control network and thedata network together, ranging rom a simple technology bridge to expensiveand high unctioning home automation controllers. You may find that youdont need to integrate the two networks together at alli one network doesnot need to control the other, then you neednt bridge them together at all.

Te Cable V cabling and telephone cabling in your home willonly play a peripheral role in your smarthome. Analog delivery systemssuch as coaxial cable and voice-grade telephone wiring are single-purpose;they can only perorm the one unction or which they were designed, andgenerally cannot participate in a data or control network without some sorto technology bridge. For example, I use a iVo to bridge my Cable Vnetwork onto my data network--the iVo converts shows into data files thatI can move around the house over my home network and watch wheneverand wherever I want.

Te data network choice has already been made or you: Ethernetand its wireless cousin WiFi dominate the data networking world, so theresno reason to choose anything else. Ethernet is built into anything that canparticipate on a data network these days, including digital video recorders,networkable security cameras, computers, and even cell phones. Both wiredand wireless Ethernet have increased in speed over the yearsrom 10 to100 and then to 1000 megabits per second or wired, and 11 to 54 to 110 orWiFiand both standards have even higher speed options in development.Te Ethernet vendors have done a good job with backward compatibilityhowever, so you neednt worry much about the speed o individual devices

on your network. With rare exception, everything will just work.


15/294

HomePlug, an Ethernet over powerline solution

delivers rom 14Mbps to 200Mbps over homepowerline wiring. Te devices are about $100 each,and they are a very effective solution or creating adata network when Ethernet cabling or WiFi wontwork. HomePlug and INSEON do not intererewith one another and can coexist over the samepowerlines.

Te control network choice isnt so obvious: Tere are many competingtechnologies and they use many different methods to interoperate. Tis is

similar to the situation in the late 1980s and early 1990s when numerousdifferent data network choices existed. Ethernet at the time was consideredlow cost, low capability compared to its competitors oken Ring andFDDIBut its low price became a market advantage, allowing manymore people to being using data networks than could afford competingtechnologies. All o the competing technologies worked, but the low costand wide adaptability o Ethernet made its march to the top complete within

just a ew years. None o its rival technologies rom fifeen years ago remainavailable or sale today.

INSEON is well positioned to become the Ethernet o home

control. It is the lowest cost among reliable options, it has more types odevices available, it is backward compatible with older X10 control networkdevices, it requires no special planning or equipment to use, and it has thelargest market share amongst modern distributed home control technologies.It was exactly these attributes that allowed Ethernet to dominate datanetworking, and its a sae bet that INSEON will dominate home control.

Home Automation controllers, which are actually just specialpurpose computers, can be used to join together all the different homeautomation devices in your home to act in concert so that that you canperorm actions such as bringing down the lights when you turn on your

television, or automatically begin recording video when a particular motion


16/294

sensor activates. Tey do this by communicating using all o the various

protocols you have in your home, allowing them to control devices on eachdifferent type o network.

With INSEON, Home automation controllers are available, but notnecessary. INSEON-specific devices such as web interaces, IR bridges,and I/O adapters can be used in place o home automation controllers toperorm just about every unction that a home automation controller canperorm. I dont use home automation controllers in my installation becausethey are a central point o ailure, are expensive, and they add an extra layero complexity, but they do provide a central point o control or those willingto perorm the required configuration.

What is INSEON?INSEON devices are computer controlled power switches: Light switches,appliance switches, and specialty switches like dimmers and timer switches.Like the light switches you already have, INSEON devices turn a light onwhen you press on, and off when you press off. Tey look like just like thelight switches you have now.

But unlike traditional light switches, INSEON switches can all talkto one anotherthey can tell other switches to turn off as well, or dim, orperorm any sort o appliance control unction such as drawing curtains or

turning on a an.INSEON devices can do this because every switch has a tiny

computer called a microcontroller built in to it that communicates over yourpowerlines. Some INSEON devices such as remotes and motion sensorscommunicate over radio requency, and these signals are repeated on thepowerline by INSEON Wireless Access Points.

INSEON creates a dual-mesh (radio-requency and powerline)network o peer microcontrollers that all act as transmitters, receivers, andrepeaters o all INSEON signals. Te signals are used to control the deliveryo power to appliances. But this definition is like saying that a movie is a


17/294

series o 1s and 0s on a plastic substrate compatible with the DVD ormatit

doesnt tell the story o what the technology can do.INSEON enables low-cost lighting and environmental control

networks. It connects the various controls in your home (such as lightswitches, irrigation valves, vent ans, and appliances) together so that aperson can use a single switch to control numerous devices simultaneously,or create time or event-based triggers to control devices.

INSEON automates the control o home systems such as lighting andenvironmental controls and connects them to security systems, environmentcontrol, irrigation, entertainment, and other home control systems to enablea home to react to the needs o its occupants.

By creating a web o links between switches, homeowners are ableto easily created complicated scenes that can bring up interior lightingautomatically when a garage door opens, allow you to turn all the lights inthe home off rom your nightstand, or automatically turn off every light inthe house at 1:00 a.m.

INSEON devices are: Instantly responsive Easy to retrofit into existing homes Simple or the homeowner to configure

Highly reliable Inexpensive Compatible with a vast array o devices

What INSEON does on its ownA good way to define INSEON is to explain what it can do. INSEON isthe control network component o a home automation system.

Tese are the unctions that INSEON alone enables: Multi-way light switching Path lighting

Scene lighting


18/294

Appliance control

Environmental control Security

Multi-way light switching

Setting up multi-way switching is perhaps the simplest useul thing you cando with INSEON. A multi-way switch is a set o switches that all controlthe same light. Tere is almost certainly at least one multi-way switch inyour house right nowkitchen and living room lights usually are wiredwith switches at each o the entrances to the room.

raditional multi-way switches have to be wired when the house is

built or remodeled, because the wiring to the fixture must also go to eachswitch. Adding more switches to the control o the light makes the wiringmore complex and the use o the light more complicated, to the point thatwiring more than a 4-way switch is not easible.

It is usually not cost effective to install a multi-way switch afer ahome has been builtthe rewiring involved would take a considerableamount o time, you would have to open up walls and then patch them whenthe work was completed, and then re-paint. Tis would cost over $1000 ora typical home.

INSEON enables you to turn any switch in your house into a multi-way switch simply and easily by simply replacing the switch that controls thelight along with the switches that you want to use to control the light withINSEON enabled switches. Te only other requirement is that you alsohave an inexpensive phase coupler installed (which will be discussed laterin this chapter).

For under $200 and using nothing but a screwdriver, you can setupreliable multi-way switching yoursel. It would cost many hundreds tothousands o dollars to have an electrician rewire switches to enable multi-way switching or a light.


19/294

Path Lighting

Another common use or INSEON is the creation o Path and scenelighting, which is similar to multi-way switching except that it turns onmultiple lights along a path rom a single switch, rather than controlling onelight rom multiple switches.

For example, you are used to walking in the ront door and turningon the living room light. Ten, on your way to the bedroom, youd turnon the kitchen light, then the hall light, and finally your bedroom light. Itslikely that your house would be wired so that most o those lights could becontrolled at both entryways so you can shut them off as you move throughthe house. I not, youd probably just leave them all on until bedtime whenyoud walk around the house to make sure everything was off. Tis is howweve all lived our lives so ar, and were quite used to thinking in terms ocontrolling individual lights.

Contrast this with path lighting: When you walk in the door, youpress the Master Bedroom path on an eight-button KeypadLinc keypadnext to the door. Te living room light, kitchen light, hall light, and bedroomlights all come up at once. Ten, when you arrive in your bedroom, youpress the Path off button on a similar controller by the door and all thoselights (except the bedroom light) turn off at once.

Path lighting requires that all devices along the pathbe switched using INSEON switches.

Scene lighting

Scene lighting is the control o lighting in a room to establish a particularenvironment. Scene lighting is sometimes reerred to as mood lighting orambient lighting. Tink o Scene lighting as path lighting with a theme.

For example, in your living room during the day you may want tohave the shades open and no lights on. In the late afernoon, you may want

to have the shades go down to block the low sun, and then at sunset youd


20/294

turn the overhead recessed lights on. Whenever you press the V On

button on your remote, youll want the overhead lights to dim to 20% andall the shades to shut irrespective o the time o day. I its overcast, you maywant to have the interior lights on and the Windows open.

Scene lighting uses timers, events, and sensors to control the shadesand lighting in your home to enable exactly these sorts o scenarios.

Scene lighting allows you to use the environmental controls thatyou probably just ignore now, such as drapes, shades, thermostats, and gasfireplaces, to automatically operate themselves during the day to establishthe mood and environment you want to have around you.

Scene lighting requires all the devices involvedlighting, shadecontrollers, and the home theater system in this example, to be INSEONenabled. o enable true scene control in a particular room, you wouldneed to have all o your lighting and devices in that room controlled by theINSEON control network.

Appliance control

INSEON doesnt just control lights; any appliance that can be on/offcontrolled by plugging it in or unplugging it can be controlled by an INSEONrelay. Tis simple level o universal control is appropriate or devices likeHome theater equipment, electronically controlled gas fireplaces, ans, andso orth.

For example, you could automatically turn off a fireplace when youturn on the television, turn lamps off simultaneously with light fixtures, orshut off window ans when the sun sets. Or you could turn off all youresleeping home appliances at night when theres no chance than anyonewould use them, reducing their power draw even urther.

Environmental Control

INSEON devices called Input/Output (or I/O) controllers are used tomanage low-voltage devices and to detect the condition o switches andsensors such as window and door closures, leak detectors, motion sensors,


21/294

etc. Tey can control low power devices such as shade rollers, window

operators, sprinkler valves, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning(HVAC) dampers.

I/O controllers allow you to set the condition o an INSEON switchbased on the value o a sensor. For example, you could turn on the lightsin the living room and master bedroom i a window sensor detects that awindow has been opened in a childs roomthus alerting you to the event.Or you could turn on patio lighting when a motion-sensing camera detectsmovement outside, thus automatically turning on path lights when youarrive home.

SecuritySecurity systems are essentially large, integrated I/O controllerstheyconnect sensors to inputs, process the sensor inputs to determine when asecurity event is happening, and trigger outputs to ring alerts or alarms.

INSEON I/O controllers can be use to create simple securitysystems that turn on lights or alarms in response to events like windowsor doors being opened or a motion sensor being triggered. Creating thesophistication o an actual alarm system is possible, although it would likelybe less expensive to simply use an existing alarm system and integrate it withyour INSEON system.

Integrated INSEONINSEON does plenty on its own, but a complete smarthome securitysystem will need to integrate the INSEON control network with a high-speed data or video network. Fortunately, INSEON supports a completerange o home control sofware and various technology bridges that canconnect these systems together.

Sophisticated security systems

Using a stand-alone security system allows you to define more complex

events than INSEON alone would provide. In addition to operating as a


22/294

stand-alone security system, INSEON compatible security systems include

an INSEON bridge so that the security system can control INSEONdevices and listen or INSEON events. For example, you can configure anINSEON enabled alarm system to automatically shut off all the INSEONcontrolled lights in your house when you arm the panel or exit, and bringup certain lights when you come back into the house.

As o the time o this writing, the Elk M1 Gold alarm system is thefirst INSEON enabled alarm system available. Te Elk alarm panel cansend INSEON codes when any o its sensors, such as motion sensors ordoor and window open sensors are triggered. Tis allows you to use anysecurity sensor device as an INSEON controller.

While the Elk M1 Gold is specifically adapted or INSEONcompatibility and can directly control INSEON devices, you can integrateany security panel with INSEON by connecting the security panels alarmoutputs to an INSEON Input/Output Controllers inputs. Tis allowsyou trigger INSEON events rom any security alarm event, and it doesntrequire specialty sofware or hardware to do it. You can also do the reverseconnecting Alarm panel inputs to INSEON I/O outputs to trigger alarms.

Remote home control

Tere are a number o ways to remotely control an INSEON smarthome.

Most o computer sofware applications that are compatible with INSEONcan create a website that will allow you to log over the Internet to access andcontrol INSEON Devices. Most dedicated home automation controllersalso serve a web site or remote control via the Internet.

INSEON specific devices, such as the SmartLinc, theSimpleHomeNet EZSrve or the Universal Devices ISY-99 are designed toprovide a web interace or INSEON control at a very low costbetween$100 and $400 dollars.

Be especially careul about allowing remote access to your home

control systems. Connecting anything to the Internet makes it potentially


23/294

hackable and can create a security riskespecially i youre not completely

amiliar with the various security protocols and techniques that are necessaryto secure the device. Even i you are good with computers, you didnt writethe application sofware installed in the automation controller and you cantguarantee that it was written with proper attention to security in mind.

Sophisticated Scene management

Sophisticated scene management reers to a system that responds to what theoccupant o the home is doing, rather than what the occupant has asked or,in order to control the home automation. Sophisticated scene managementuses multiple sensors and inputs going to a home automation controller

which interprets those inputs in order to detect the presence o occupantsand enable various lighting and environment scenes.

Sophisticated scene and environment management is consideredby many to be the nirvana o smarthome control. However, it requires aconsiderable amount o orethought about what you want and a considerableamount o programming, testing, and de-bugging.

Most people who deploy the equipment or sophisticated scenemanagement never actually do the work required to get it workingirrespective o which technology they use. Tere are a number o reasonsor this, but primary amongst them is the act that its nearly impossible to

determine all the ways in which the system might be incorrectly triggeredor example, using motion sensors to detect when someone has entered thehome theater and using that input to turn on the television is going to annoysomeone who is only there to vacuum the carpet, or who is carrying a sleepingchild. No system can really determine the intent o a person, and so any casethat is uncommon will create unwanted reactions rom the system.

For that reason, I recommend designing to specific, real-world usessuch as I want these seven lights to come on when I press one o thesethree switches rather than vague ideas like I want the system to detectwhen Ive lef the house and turn off everythingbecause that statement

doesnt define what specific, measureable events constitute leaving, and the


24/294

system may not know that another person remains in the house (who will be

surprised when everything goes dark).By simply defining a switch by your ront door as Exit and Arrive,

you can use your human ability to know whats appropriate and simply assertto the home control system what it should be doing. Tis is vastly simplerthan trying to deploy enough sensors to manage every possible case.

Te amount o testing and troubleshooting involved in developinga properly unctioning scene management system is considerable andongoing. I you expect a third-part smarthome integrator to understandyour requirements and program the system perectly in advance o using it,you will be disappointed when they inevitably ail.

With sophisticated scene management, youll have to do thetesting and debugging yoursel through much iteration as you discover thecapabilities o the system and your own needs. Start simple, and grow into itas you become comortable with the technology. Chapter 4 covers designingscenes in detail.

What you cannot do with INSEONINSEON provides only the control network portion o a home automationsystemit does not provide the data-networking portion. For that reason,there are components o home automation that INSEON alone cannotprovide.

Home Teater

INSEON is minor component o a home theaterDimming the lightsbeore a movie comes on, drawing the shades, and perhaps shutting downhome theater components at night, are the ways in which INSEON supportsa home theater system. I use an INSEON ApplianceLinc to power on theans that cool my A/V cabinet when I power on my television.


25/294

Video surveillance

INSEON doesnt have the bandwidth required to move video through ahousethis would have to be done over a high-speed network or coaxial

video cable.

INSEON support the multimedia portion o a smarthome bytransmitting and responding to triggersindications that there issomething has happened that other devices need to respond to. For example,in response to an INSEON motion detector, door or window sensor, or alight being turned on, you could trigger the I/O inputs on a Pan/ilt/Zoom(PZ) camera to ocus on the area where the even occurred--automatically.Tis ensures that you automatically get video coverage o the things thatare actually occurring in your house. Most surveillance network camerashave I/O inputs that can be configured to move the camera to pre-specifiedlocations when theyre tripped, and INSEON I/O controllers can triggerthose inputs.

Audio & Intercom

Tere is not enough bandwidth available over the powerline INSEONnetwork to move audio throughout a home. Tereore, it cannot be usedto transport audio data or such purposes as Intercoms, baby monitors, orambient music.

It is possible to create an INSEON-RF Intercom system becausethere is enough data available to transmit voice over the INSEON RFnetwork. No devices exist to do this at the time o this writing, however.

echnologies that are not compatible with INSEON

Because INSEON works over the power lines and in the 900 MHz ISMradio-requency band, there are a ew relatively obscure technologies that itis not compatible with.


26/294

Plan the use o the ISM bands to avoid intererence.

In my home, INSEON operates in the 900MHz ISMband, WiFi Networking in the 2.4GHz band, and thecordless phone operates in the 5.8GHz ISM band.

You may have some intererence with 900MHz telephones, babymonitors, or other 900MHz ISM band equipment, although the intererencewould be minor and intermittent. In practice, I havent had any significantproblems with this, but intererence is always a possibility with RF devices.Buy equipment that operates in the 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz ISM band instead.

Problems with INSEON

No technology is perect or all purposes; Engineers always make tradeoffsto enable the eatures they want at the price-point that the market wants, andINSEON is no exception. All o INSEONs competitors are designed withdifferent constraints, and the consequences o those constraints determinewhich technology will work best in a particular environment.

Te address space is limited

Tis is a problem that wont affect you, but will limit the uture growth oINSEON and necessitate a ollow-on protocol that may not be completely

compatible with current devices.INSEON device addresses are 24-bits long, which provides 16

million unique addresses. Tis length was chosen as a trade-off between alarge enough address space to uniquely identiy a vast number o devicesand yet small enough to be transmitted rapidly on the wire.

16 million sounds like a lot, but when you consider that the averagehome will have at least sixteen devices, INSEON will run out o addressspace beore one million home installations. Tere are 100 million homes inthe U.S., and about one billion worldwide. Te address limitation problemor INSEON is not remote enough i the protocol becomes extremely

popular.


27/294

Tere are no easy choices when the limit is reached:

SmartLabs cannot simply start re-using addresses because that willcause unlikely but random ailures when someone buys two deviceswith the same address.

Tere is no simple way to address the devices manually or randomlyin an installation, and requiring an address to be applied to devicesafer purchase will cause an enrollment process that makesinstallation more difficult to use.

SmartLabs also cannot simply increase the size o the address spaceand remain compatible with older devices. Tere are hacks theycould try to implement such adding extra address ino as data, but

that would not be compatible with existing devices. While firmware updates or existing devices could take them to 32

bits and solve the problem, asking people to update the firmware oevery switch in their house is not reasonable.

I INSEON becomes popular enough that SmartLabs begins runningout o address space, they will almost certainly come out with INSEON2 series that have a 32-bit address space allowing or our billion devices.Tese devices would be incompatible with original INSEON devices outo the box, but will probably be sofware reconfigurable to work on a 24-bitINSEON installation with a manually assigned address.

In any case, the problem is a years into the uture in the worst case,and certainly not a problem or early adopters.

Te Internet has the same problem: Its 32-bit IP address space is notenough to address all the computers in the world already, and hacks suchas network address translation have been developed to conserve addresses.Some countries will run out o Internet address space in the next ew years,orcing the move to a new 64-bit version o the Internet Protocol.


28/294

Simultaneous Switch Presses

wo INSEON switches cannot begin transmitting at exactly the same time.Tis is because only one INSEON signal can travel over your electricalwiring at one time.

In practice, this is so unlikely to occur accidentally that it is almost notworth mentioning: wo people would have to tap a switch within about fifymilliseconds o one another in order or the problem to express. I calculatethe odds o that occurring in a home with five occupants to be about onein ten thousand switch pressesor perhaps once per year. However, i youtap two paddle switches with two fingers at the same time, youll see the

problem: Te two INSEON signals step on one another and the commandis garbled so nothing happens. I youre even slightly off o the exact sametime, the second device will wait or the first one to finish and then transmitits signal, so youll notice a delay or the second signal.

Te odds o simultaneous switch pressing go up withthe number o occupants o the buildingnot withits size. INSEON installations can be any size, butshould be limited to buildings with ewer than 60occupants to keep collisions unlikely.

Retry Delay

Every once in a while youll notice a light take a moment longer than youreused to turn on, especially i youre turning on a large group o lights. Tisis a case where the light missed the original group on command, and cameon later during the acknowledgement phase when the original senderdecided that it did not receive an acknowledgement rom the light and re-transmitted the command to turn on. Tis isnt actually a problem; its theeature that makes INSEON networks so much more reliable than X10device networks, because in an X10 network, the light never comes on at all

i the original command is missed.


29/294

Incorrect Cross-linking

Some INSEON devices that are setup to control other lights, such asKeypadLincs, do not get status reports o the light i the light has beencontrolled by another switch and all the devices are not cross-linked correctly.Unortunately, incorrect cross-linking is common.

For example, i you turn a light on with a KeypadLinc, the KeypadLincwill light the button to indicate that the button is on. But i you turn the lightoff with a switch that is not linked to the KeypadLinc, the button will remainlit even when the light is off. When you press the lit KeypadLinc button, thelight will go out to match the status o the light, and the next time you press

it the light will go on, as you would expect.Its not a significant problem and in most cases it is easy to fix, but

you should be aware that switch status lights wont always accurately tell youwhether a remotely controlled light is on or not.

Te locally controlled load is special

When you have a group o lights linked together and you press one o theswitches, the locally controlled light (the light actually wired to the switchyou pressed) will come on instantly while the linked lights will come ona raction o a second, but noticeably, later. Tis occurs because there is a

slight amount o time required to send the command to the other lights, butlocally controlled lights come on instantly.

INSEON switches always control their local loadyou cannotsetup a switch to control other devices without controlling its own localload. Tis is rarely a problem, but it is something to be aware o.

LEDs can be too bright

Most INSEON switches contain relatively bright LEDs (usually white) thatmake convenient night-lights or most rooms. Tey can produce too much

light or bedrooms at night i they are close to a sleeper, however. Consider


30/294

ICON line switches, which have a dimmer amber LED, or bedrooms

instead o INSEON SwitchLinc lights, or use KeypadLinc switches, thecurrent version o which can be programmed to turn off their local LEDscompletely.

Power consumption

Each INSEON device will consume between 5 and 10 watts continuouslybased on the measurements Ive made with my power meter, whether thecircuit it controls is on or off. Tis is a trivial amount o power individuallyar less than a night-light.

But I have fify INSEON devices installed in my home. Tis meansthat INSEON devices consume about 300 watts at all timesthe equivalento leaving a television on continuously. At 0.3KW/h * 14 per KW/h in myarea, INSEON costs me 4.2 per hour to operate. With 720 hours permonth, thats $30 additional on my power bill or a yearly operational cost o$360. Not quite so trivial in those terms. Your mileage will vary.

Tats pretty much it or problems. Teres a very slim chance thatsometime in the lietime o your INSEON network that youll hit a switchand nothing will happen because somebody else in the house hit a switchat the exact same time. Tis hasnt happened to me except when I did it on

purpose.

Not compatible with Modified Sine wave inverters

Modified sine wave inverters are used to convert DC rom cars andphotovoltaic solar power systems inexpensively. Tese inverters create A/C using switching electronics rather than through the radial motion o agenerator, so the signal they produce is not a smooth sine wave; it is a squarewave or modified sine wave.

INSEON devices are not compatible with square wave or modifiedsine wave power inverters, and will quite likely be damaged by them. Te


31/294

one device I tested on the output o a modified sine-wave inverter never

worked again afer having been connected to it.

I you have a photovoltaic solar system installedin your home, or i you intend to use your plug-inelectric hybrid vehicle or R/V as an emergency powergenerator or your home, this warning applies toyou.

I you have a photovoltaic system or i you intend to use an automobileor R/V as an emergency power generator or your home, you will have to usea true sine wave inverter in order to be compatible with INSEON devices,

which will cost considerably more than a modified sine wave inverter.

Summaryo create a smarthome, you need a control network. Distributed controlnetworks such as INSEON are the least expensive reliable way to createmulti-way switching, path and scene lighting, and to control appliancesthroughout your home. While INSEON cannot perorm the unctions o ahigh-speed data network, it can integrate with your data network to providethe complete smarthome experience.


32/294


33/294

Chapter 2Understanding Home Electrical WiringUnderstanding home electrical wiring is important to understanding howand why INSEON works the way that it does. Its so undamental to howINSEON works that its important to cover the basics beore we get toomuch urther into the book.

Tis chapter concentrates on electrical theoryand home electrical wiring in general. Chapter 6

ocuses on wiring specifically or INSEON homeautomation. I you already know how home electricalwiring works, eel ree to skip to Chapter 3.

Afer a short digression concerning electrical saety, this chapter will ocuson home electrical power theory and practice, including how power phaseswork, how switches and outlets are wired, and the differences between earlyelectrical wiring and modern electrical wiring.

Tis chapter contains a lot o potentially conusing terminology, andmany o these terms mean slightly different things in different contexts. I

youre not very amiliar with electrical terminology, be sure to reer back to


34/294

this terminology section as you read i you dont know how a particular term

is being used.: E H W

110VAC110 Volts AC. Derived rom one hal o 220VAC supplied to thehome, supply voltage is actually 120VAC that typically drops to 110VACat the device, so supplies are typically reerred to as 120VAC and devicesare reerred to as 110VAC. Both numbers are used interchangeably andthey mean residential lighting and outlet power.220VAC220 Volts, Alternating Current. Te type and potential voltageo electrical current delivered to homes in North America. Te actualvoltage varies rom 240 to 220240 is delivered to the house, and thevoltage generally drops to 220 under load, so power supply is typically

reerred to as 240, while device draw is typically reerred to as 220. Teyreused interchangeably to mean Residential home supply power.AmpA unit o electrical quantity. In the water analogy, amperagewould reer to the amount o water flowing past a particular point. Voltsx Amps = Power, which is measured in Watts.Circuit BreakerA switch designed to shut off i current exceeding itsrating is drawn through it. Circuit breakers on 110VAC circuits are ratedor either 15 or 20 amps, and on 220VAC circuits or either 30 or 50 ampsin North America.Circuit(1) Any complete path between two different electricalpotentials through which electrical current can flow. (2) A path o lightsand/or outlets in a home controlled by a circuit breaker.EarthTe same thing as Ground. Earth is more typically used in theUK.GangAn amount o space taken in a junction box by a single switch ortypical dual outlet. A single gang junction box has space or one switch;a double gang has space or two, etc.GaugeAlso reerred to by the acronym AWG (American Wire Gaugestandard) is the thickness o the conductors in electrical wiring. 12 or 14gauge wire is typically used or 110-volt circuits. Te lower the gauge, themore current the wire can deliver without overheating.GroundA conductor leading to actual earth ground. Ground is usuallya bare copper wire or may be insulated green.Fixturean installed lighting receptacle that is wired to power and(usually) a switch. Light bulbs are installed in lighting fixtures.

HotTe energized wire o a circuit that has electrical potential when


35/294

connected to neutral (or, by accident, ground). Also requently reerred

to as Live or Line. Hot may be black, red, or orange wire accordingto the National Electric Code (NEC) that most localities adopt as theirelectrical code.Junction BoxA metal or plastic box set into a wall or the purpose ofixing switches our outlets in place. Electrical wiring is run rom circuitbreakers to junction boxes, and rom junction boxes to load devices. Insituations where a junction box cannot be used, a metal ring or surace-mount box may be used.Kilowatt Hoursthe unit o power consumption used to measure homeusage at your meter and on your bill. I you run ten 100-watt light bulbsor one hour, you have consumed 1 KW/h o electricity. An occupiedhome will typically consume between 1 and 3 Kilowatts per hour.

LineTe wire on a switch that is connected to Hot.Load(1) any device that consumes power, (2) Te wire on a switch thatshould be connected to the device to be energized. Load is connected toline and power flows through the switch to the load device when the switchis in the on position but not when the switch is in the off position.Low-Voltage wiringLow voltage wiring is used in systems that operatebelow 50 volts, and which are thereore not considered deadly, and soare not regulated by electrical code. Low-voltage wiring is used or datanetworking, video and telephone wiring, doorbells, fire alarms, andsecurity systems. Unlicensed contractors can legally install low-voltagewiring in most localities.National Electric Code (NEC)A private organization that developsbest practices and standards or home and commercial power wiring.Te vast majority o municipalities adopt the NEC standards with littleor no changes, so the NEC standards are what all-electrical appliancesand devices are manuactured to comply with.NeutralTe center voltage between the two hot phases o 220VACpower supplied to a home. Neutral is connected to Earth ground at theelectrical main point o entry (MPOE) in most houses. Current flowsrom the Hot wire through the energized device, to neutral. Neutral wiresare white or less commonly grey in color.PhaseIn residential home wiring, phase reers to the two legs o220VAC power, which are split into two 110VAC legs by splitting theirvoltage with a neutral wire that is at the center point o voltage betweenthe two hot conductors.

Romexstandard two-conductor, three-conductor, or our-conductor


36/294

PVC shielded electrical home powerline cable.

SwitchA device that interrupts an electrical circuit, causing work tostop.Switch-LegA switch that is wired rom the device that it powers ratherthan rom a hot circuit. Switch-legs use typical black and white-romexwires to run rom the device to the switch, with the black wire connectedto the load and the white wire connected to Hot at the device.ravelerTe cable leading rom one switch to another in a three-wayswitch circuit.VoltA unit o electrical potential orce. In the water analogy, voltagewould be analogous to the pressure or speed o the water flowing througha ull pipe. Volts x Amps = Power, which is measured in Watts.WattA unit o measure or total electrical power. A watt is 1 amp o

electrical power at 1 volt o potential or 1 second o time. A typicalhome circuit can deliver 110 volts x 15 amps or 1650 watts o power toa device.WirenutA threaded conical cap that can be twisted over two or morebare wires to permanently but reversibly join them together. Wirenuts arethe standard method or wiring switches and outlets to electrical cablesin junction boxes.

Electrical SafetyElectrical saety is paramount when working on home electrical wiring.110 and 220 volt power is deadly, and should be approached with extremecaution.

Much o this section may seem obvious to somereaders, but remember that this book is written ora wide audience o people, many o whom may havenever worked on electrical circuits beore.

Most municipalities allow homeowners to perorm their own wiring.Some cities require that a certified electrician perorm all electrical wiring.Check with local codes to ensure that it is legal or you to perorm your ownelectrical wiring beore proceeding.


37/294

Hire a qualified electrician

I you have any reservations about your skill in working with electricalcircuits, hire a qualified electrician to install wired-in INSEON devices. Iyou will be perorming the design o your system and the programming oyour INSEON devices, any qualified electrician can install them. Teresnothing special about wiring or INSEON, so the electrician neednt knowanything about INSEON other than that he will need to wire the neutralsto the switches, which is not necessary with traditional switches.

Never work on an energized circuit

Never work on an energized circuit. Shut off circuits at the circuit breaker

panel beore opening a junction box aceplate or removing a fixture.I you live with other people who may not realize youre working on

electrical circuits, place a danger tag on the circuit breaker switches you haveshut off indicating that they should not be turned back on until you removethe tag.

Besides just being good saety sense, breaking circuits is requiredbecause INSEON devices are powered by the neutral line and can bedamaged by the arcing and sparking caused by attempting to wire them upin an energized circuit. Causing a short while you are attempting to wire anINSEON device is also highly likely to damage the INSEON device.

Use AC voltage detectors or multimeters

AC voltage detectors and multimeters allow you to probe individual wiresin a junction box or the presence o AC current beore you work withthem. Even i you think that youve shut off the correct circuit, multi-gang

junction boxes requently contain wires run on different circuits. You mayhave correctly powered off the circuit or the switch you intend to work on,only to be shocked by another cable in the junction box.

Always use an AC voltage detector or a multimeter to check or power onevery wire in the junction box beore you work and afer youve shut off the


38/294

circuit breakers. You can purchase an AC voltage detector or multimeter at

any home improvement store or Radio Shack or about $25.

Never work in the house alone

Do not work on electrical circuits in the house alone. I something shouldhappen that renders you unconscious, you will need someone else toadminister first aid and potentially call 911.

Never leave a junction box open at the end of the day

You may be tempted to leave junction boxes open with wires exposed at theend o a long day so you can pick up where you lef off the next morning.

Its unlikely that youll be able to control what other occupants in the housemay do, however, and they will likely want to re-energize circuits that youreworking on. I you have to leave an installation incomplete, cap off all barewires with wirenuts and plate over the junction box so that it is sae to re-energize the circuit. Youll also need to put a wirenut over any wires lef barewhen an installation is complete.

Use the right tools for the job

It is especially critical that you use the correct size wirenuts or the gauge owire and the number o wires when you install anything in a junction box.Wirenuts that are too tight or too loose may work their way loose whenyoure stuffing them back into a junction box. Always twist wires togetherbeore applying a wirenut.

While Scotchlok brand wirenuts do not require pre-twisting, it is ofen difficult to tell what brand owirenut you have in an existing home.

INSEON has done a good job o making INSEON devices thinenough to install in the space taken by a traditional switch, but they dooccupy more space than a typical switch leaving less room or wires. Most

junction boxes will be a tight fit, making correctly sized wirenuts all the more


39/294

important. Buy a large selection to make sure youve got the right wirenut

every time.Get a low-voltage (such as 3.6v), low-speed, low torque electric

screwdriver with a swappable battery i you are installing a large number oINSEON devices. Screwing and unscrewing dozens o long junction boxscrews will wear you out quickly i youre doing it manually. Avoid using adrill howeverthey are generally too powerul and will strip junction boxand aceplate screws.

Use a gauged wire stripper o the correct size to strip wires. Dontuse your teeth, a pair o scissors, or a utility knie, as these methods areneedlessly unsae.

Any home improvement store or Radio Shack willcarry all the tools you need to perorm electricalhome wiring saely. A complete set o tools will costless than $50. I like to keep all my electrical tools ina tool belt to keep them handy (and to let my spouseknow that Im doing something useul).

Understanding ElectricityUnderstanding electricity is undamental to understanding electrical home

wiring, and how lights, switches, and circuits work. Tis section explainselectricity and basic electrical terms.

Electricity

Electrons orbit the nucleus o all atoms in much the same way that planetsorbit the sun (except that electrons orbit in a sphere, not just in a flat plane).I an electron is pulled away rom an atom by some orce, then the atom hasa hole and becomes strongly attractive to other electrons until the missingelectron is replaced. I an atom has too many electrons orbiting it, it willshed them when it comes near an atom that that can more readily accept the

electron.


40/294

Skip to the next section i you already understand the

theory o electricity.

Electricity is the potential to do work that exists when electronsthat are able to move reely between the atoms that make up an electricallyconducting material such as a metal wire are put under an electromotiveorce such as magnetism. Te interaction between magnetism and electricityis called electromagnetism.

Materials (such as metals) that allow electrons to flow reely arecalled conductors, whereas materials that strongly resist the flow o electrons(such as plastics) are called insulators. Insulators do not easily give up or

accept electrons, whereas conductors swap them reely. Conductance is themeasure o how reely a material conducts electrons, and resistance is themeasure o how much a material insulates against conductance.

In a conductive material (a conductor), electrons will move reelyrom atoms that have too many electrons to atoms that have too ew.Te atoms that need electrons will pull them rom their neighbors, whoimmediately replace them by pulling them rom their neighbors, in aninstant chain reaction reaching back to the atoms that have a surplus. Teflow o electrons rom atoms with a surplus to atoms with a scarcity is calledelectricity.

Electricity explains how batteries work: Te positive (+) side o thebattery contains chemicals that need electrons, and the (-) side o the batterycontains chemicals that have a surplus o electrons (electrons have a negativecharge). When you plug the battery into a circuit, a path is created betweenthe positive and negative reservoirs, and electrons flow through the circuitcausing work to be perormed. Positive and negative electrical potential arereerred to as positive or negative polarity.

Resistance converts electricity to light and heat. Tis is how electricheaters and incandescent light bulbs work: Running electricity through amoderately resistive conductor causes it to heat up and produce both heat


41/294

and light. Optimizing or heat makes an electric heater, choosing materials

that optimize or light creates a light bulb.All devices that cause electricity to perorm work, such as light bulbs,

vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, and televisions, are called loads and theyall resist the flow o electricity by some significant amount. A resistor is a loadthat perorms no work other than to heat up and resist the flow o electricity.Resistors are used to ensure that electrical power cannot overwhelm a loadthat cannot itsel resist the flow o electricity sufficiently or its own saeoperation.

All conductors have a slight amount o resistance, so they all heatup slightly as electricity moves through them. Te larger a conductor is,the more electricity it can saely carry. Te more electricity the conductorcarries, the warmer the conductor will get.

Electricity will always take the shortest, most conductive circuit(path). I you have a battery with two lights connected in parallel betweenpositive and negative, the light with the lower resistance will glow brightest,and the light with the higher resistance will glow very little i at all. Ashort-circuit is caused when electricity is able to take a short cut ratherthan flowing through the intended load such as a light bulb. Short-circuitsare very dangerous because they provide very little resistance to the flow

o electricity, allowing the electricity to heat up conductors and destroyelectrical devices.

Magnetism and Electricity

Magnetic fields cause electrons to flow in materials even when no imbalancenaturally exists because the movement o the magnetic field pushes theelectrons in much the same way that a pump pushes water.

Moving a magnet past a conductor causes electrons to flow inthe conductor, and this effect can be used to reliably generate electricity.Generators work by using some mechanical orce to turn a coil o wires

inside a magnetic field, which creates electrical potential at the ends o the


42/294

wire coil. Tis effect converts mechanical orce, such as that generated by a

gas motor or a wind turbine, into electromotive orce called electricity.

Generating Electricity

Generators can be made to generate positive polarity (a scarcity o negativelycharged electrons) at one end o the wire and negative polarity (a surplus onegatively electrons) at the other. Tis is called a Direct Current generator.

Te speed (motive orce) o the flow o the electricity is measuredas voltage, while the area o the flow is measured as amperage. Multiplyingspeed time area provides total quantity o power, which is measured inwatts. 10 volts times 10 amps = 100 watts o electrical power. You can think

o this in terms o water at your tap: Te speed o flow times the area o thepipe cross-section = total quantity o water.

Generators can also be made to reverse electrical polarity once eachturn o the generator so that electricity moves back and orth through thewire, with each end o the coil swinging rom positive to negative and backin opposite phase. Tis is called Alternating Current and generators thatcreate AC are called alternators.

I you imagine water flowing between two reservoirs on a movingseesaw through a pipe that connects them, youll understand how one endis positive (ull) when the other is negative (empty), and how the electricalorce (measured as voltage) flows back and or the between them. Te twosides are said to be in opposite phase with one another. When the seesaw islevel, the two sides are equal, and at that moment, there is no electromotivepotential between them until one side goes lower. Tat middle point whenthe current reverses direction is 0v (zero volts).

A switch is an electrical valve that interrupts an electrical circuitby disconnecting the conducting wires. With conductivity interrupted, nopower can flow and work stops. Tis is exactly like turning a aucet on andoffthe valve interrupts the flow o water.


43/294

Power stations use alternators that create AC power with tremendous

electrical orce, which is then transmitted through the powerlines, whichcreate a circuit connecting every building in the power grid. Te buildingstap off the electrical orce and reduce it through transormers to a level(generally) sae or humans to work and live around. Tis is similar tomunicipal water supplylarge diameter pipes eed smaller pipes, all the wayto your home where small pipes deliver the water to individual aucets.

In your home, electrical service comes into a main electricalpanel, where it is connected to a number o special switches called circuitbreakers.

A circuit breaker is a switch that has a heavy spring that causes it topush back against being switched on. o turn it on, you push past the orceo the spring until the switch clicks into place, which holds the circuit on.

Power flows through the switch via a special type o conductorthat will deorm i it gets too hot. When the conductor passes too muchelectricity, its natural resistance will cause it to deorm, which releases theclip that holds the switch, which shuts off the circuit. I too much electricityis drawn through the circuit, the circuit breaker will heat up and break thecircuit, interrupting the flow o power and preventing a dangerous dischargeo electricity.

Circuit breakers prevent the wires built into yourhome rom overheating when an appliance or deviceshort-circuits, or when you make a mistake whilewiring.

Each circuit breaker controls the delivery o power to a circuit oinstalled fixture lighting or outlets in your home. Generally, our to tenfixtures or outlets will be wired to a single circuit breaker, usually delineatedby room so that the circuit breaker can be conveniently labeled. Outlets andfixtures should not be combined on a single circuit, but exceptions to this


44/294

rule are common. Shutting off a circuit breaker makes it sae to work on the

de-energized circuit.Finally, power to a fixture is interrupted a final time by the light

switch. A single light switch will control power to one light or a group olights all having the same unction, such as a chandelier, counter lights, or apair o sconces in a room.

Understanding Alternating CurrentAlternating Current power, or AC, is electrical current that rapidly cyclesrom positive to negative and then back again in a short time period. ACcurrent is used or power transmission because it does not suffer rom

increasing loss over long distances due to resistance the way that DirectCurrent (DC) does. Te period o the alternating current (reerred to asHertz or Hz) is 60Hz in North America so that electric clocks can be madeto tick one jiffy once each cycle (A jiffy is 1/60tho a second). In much o therest o the world, 50Hz is used.

Phases

AC power in the United States is delivered to homes as single-phasealternating current on two hot conductors at 220-240 volts with a centerneutral, hereafer reerred to as simply 220VAC.

At the circuit breaker, the neutral, which is at the mid-point opotential between 0 and 220, is wired to earth ground, and the two hotconductors are split into two 110VAC legs. Tis is somewhat erroneouslyreerred to as two-phase power (which is actually something else entirely),but in residential electrical wiring when people reer to two phase power,they mean single-phase 220VAC residential power split into two legs.

Tis book ollows the common convention oreerring to each 110VAC leg as a phase.


45/294

Each phase eeds hal o the lighting and accessory outlets in the

home, with outlets or high voltage devices such as dryers and stoves ed byboth.

240-220VAC

Devices that require 220VAC power, such as electrical dryers and stoves, useboth phases and a large round outlet. 220VAC outlets are directly wired to asingle circuit breaker rated or either 30 or 50 amps.

120-110VAC

Most home electrical appliances and lighting are designed to operate on 110

volts in North America. Electrical circuits in the home are generally attachedto either 15 amp circuits or typical use, or 20 amp circuits or particularlyhigh-draw circuits or areas o the house where more power is required romoutlets, such as the Kitchen. Te rating o a circuit is defined by the thicknessor gauge o wire used in the circuit and the rating o the circuit breaker atthe panel. 12-gauge wire is required or 20 amp circuits; 14-gauge wire canbe used or 15 amp circuits.

Calculating power usage

Calculating how much power a device will draw is easy: Just multiply itsrated amp or milliamp draw by 120 (the maximum voltage delivered) to getits power usage in watts. 1000 milliwatts = 1 watt.

o determine how much draw there will be or a particular circuit,sum the power draws o all the devices on the circuit. When you dont knowwhat the draw o the appliances will be, the typical average used is 200 wattsper outlet, or up to eight outlets on a single 15-amp circuit. Tis includesthe presumption that not all outlets will be used.

15 amps x 110 volts = 1650 watts / 200 watts per device = 8 outlets


46/294

Figure 2.1: 220VAC split into two 110VAC legs

AC WiringPower coming into the home at the main point o entry is divided into anumber o circuits at an electrical panel. Te electrical panel will have acircuit breaker or each 220VAC outlet and a breaker or each circuit o110VAC lighting fixtures and appliance outlets. A typical 110VAC circuitwill connect our to eight lighting fixtures or outlets depending on theexpected draw.

220VAC outlets typically have two hot wires and a neutral. Tey may

also have a ground.

Hot

Also sometimes reerred to as phase, line, or live, Hot is the lead in anelectrical cable that carries the electrical potential compared to Neutral.When a device is connected to both Hot and Neutral, a circuit (or path) isormed, and current can flow through the device (devices are also called aload). Power flowing allows the device to operate.

On INSEON devices, hot is reerred to as line.


47/294

While hot is technically only dangerous i you also touch either

Neutral or Ground, you are always closer to ground potential than you areto any other electrical potential so Hot will always be dangerous.

LoadLoad is the Hot conductor afer it has gone through a switchin otherwords, load is disconnected when a switch is open (in the off position),and connected to hot when a switch is closed (in the on position).

raditional switches are wired only to hot and load, and or thisreason there are no neutral wires run to switchboxes in many homes built

prior to 1980. In anticipation o smarthome systems such as INSEONand to standardize the wiring o switch-legs, the National Electrical Ccodechanged in the early 1980s to require that neutrals be run to switchboxes.

Neutral or Common

Neutral, ofen reerred to as Common, is the center voltage between the twolegs o 220VAC. As such, when connected to either leg it creates a circuit athal voltage, 110VAC. All typical outlets in a home are connected to one othe two 110VAC Hot leads and to neutral.

Neutral is connected to earth ground at the main point o entry

electrical panel. Tis prevents electrical problems in neighboring homesrom having any significant impact in your home, ensures that supply powerhasnt strayed too ar rom your houses earth ground to be sae, and ensuresthat any transient supply voltage is shunted to ground beore it enters yourhome.

While neutral is intended to have 0 volts o potential, this is neveractually the case in practice because it orms part o the circuit o everydevice in the house, and every device draws differing amounts o power.INSEON devices draw a small amount o operating power rom neutraland hot (about 6w) to power their internal circuitry and LEDs.


48/294

Always treat neutral as i it were hot, because you

dont know how much electrical potential there isbetween it and you.

In junction boxes or switches, neutrals are usually unused and wired togetherinto a large bundle with a wire nut. Occasionally youll see two bundles oneutrals with a wire connecting them because there were too many neutralsor a single wirenut to bind. By code, all unused neutrals in the home mustbe wired together.

In an outlet junction box, neutrals are wired to the outlets along withhot and ground.

Ground

All electrical power flows to the Earthit is the zero-voltage reerence or allwired electrical circuits. Ground wires create a path or errant power to flowto earth without damaging equipment or shocking humans. Te differencebetween a ground wire and a neutral wire is that ground wires are neverintended to carry electrical current as a matter o course and are instead asaety valve in the event o a short circuit.

All metal piping systems in the home are connected to earth electricalground at the MPOE panel, including copper water pipes, gas pipes, and

HVAC ducts. Tis ensures that no unsae voltage potential can build up andthat they shunt any electrical wire that touches them to ground.

In outlets, ground is wired to the third pin o a standard electricalplug. In switchboxes, ground is typically wired to the groundnut on theswitch, to the junction box i it is metal, or lef ree i the junction box isplastic and the switch does not have a groundnut.

It should always be sae to touch a ground wire by definition. I youdetect significant (>5v) voltage on a ground wire compared to a knownground such as a water pipe, something is wrong and you should contact aqualified electrician to troubleshoot it.


49/294

Circuit wiringOutlets and lighting are typically wired on separate circuits. While this isnot required by code, it is good practice because a device that trips a circuitbreaker rom over-use is almost always plugged into an outlet, and you dontwant to loose lighting when that happens. But there are occasions when itmakes sense to put light fixtures and outlets on the same circuitthis isespecially common when an outlet is provided at counter-height in the same

junction box as a switch.

Most lighting circuits are 15-amp circuits run with 14-gauge wire.Outlets are either 15-amp run with 14-guage wire or 20-amp circuits run

with 12-gauge wire, depending on their expected load. Kitchens, bathrooms,and garages are typical places where a 20-amp circuit might be used to powerhigh-draw loads such as microwave ovens, curling irons, and power tools.

In commercial buildings, 15-amp circuits are limited to 8 outlets orfixtures per circuit, and 20-amp circuits are limited to 10. Tere are no limitsor residential wiring according to the NEC, but the commercial limitationsare generally adhered to as good practice.

220VAC outlets are typically run on 30 amp breakers using 10-gaugewiring, or may be run on 50 amp breakers using 8-guage wiring or especiallyheavy loads such as large electrical stoves. Only one outlet can be wired to a

220VAC breaker by code.Outlets and fixtures on the same circuit are wired in parallelhot

and neutral pass by the load (rather than through it) on their way to the nextload so that the circuit is not interrupted or affected by the other loads onthe circuit (other than to increase the amount o power drawn overall).

Circuits running to bathrooms must be protected with a GroundFault Interrupter (GFI), which is an outlet with a ast-blow circuit breakerbuilt into it that can disconnect a circuit aster than the circuit breaker at thepanel. Tis prevents shorts caused by water rom electrocuting people whomay be wet which makes them better conductors o electricity.


50/294

Figure 2.2: Circuit wiring on a blueprint


51/294

Switch WiringLight fixtures are always wired to switches. Outlets may be, but usuallyarent unless the home does not have enough installed fixtures and lampsare necessary.

Switches can be wired two different ways: with the circuit going romthe switch to the fixture (reerred to as switch-fixture wiring), or rom thefixture to the switch (reerred to as fixture-switch wiring).

Fixture-Switch

When power is at the fixture, the circuit is brought to the fixture or outlet,

and a traveler cable is wired to the switch. Te purpose o the traveler wire isto take the hot conductor to the switch and bring it back as the load wire.

Figure 2.3: Fixture-Switch Wiring

At the fixture, hot is connected to the hot lead o the traveler (andnot connected to the fixture), and the fixtures hot is connected to the loadwire o the traveler. Hot and load are connected to the switch, so when theswitch is closed the circuit is completed and the fixture comes on. Neutralis brought to the switch junction box either as a third conductor or more


52/294

typically in another cable, and simply capped off (or connected to other

neutrals) with a wire nut because it is unused in traditional switch wiring.

Switch-Fixture

When power is at the switch, the circuit is brought to the switch junctionbox. Neutral is wired through to the cable going to the fixture, and hotis wired to the switch. Load leaves the switch with the cable going to thefixture. At the fixture, neutral and load are wired to the device. Tis methodhas the advantage o not requiring an additional cable run to the junctionbox and in bringing neutral to the switch while still allowing less expensivetwo-conductor romex to travel rom the switch to the fixture, but is lessflexible to re-wire than running power to the fixture.

Figure 2.4: Switch-Fixture Wiring

Switch-legs and multi-way switches

raditional three-way switching, where two wall switches control a singlefixture, require special three-way switches in most configurations. Tethree-way switches are wired to allow power to be routed by either switch,resulting in the typical switches are the same, light is offswitches are


53/294

different, light is on pattern you are used to i youve lived in a home with

three-way switching.Rewiring multi-way switches or INSEON is an intermediate level

skill. Detailed instructions are provided in chapter 6, but you should expectthat you might need to call an electrician to get it worked out correctly i youdont have much experience with electrical home wiring.

Figure 2.5: Different three-way switch configurations

I you are building a home new construction, tell the electriciansnot to wire switch-legs or travelers or three-way switches. Be prepared orskepticism, howeverI did this, and despite my insistence I still woundup with three three-way switches in my house because my electricians justdidnt believe that I knew what I was talking about and Id regret it i Ididnt wire three-way circuits. Fortunately they wired them all as Switch-fixture-switch with a traveler, which makes the last traveler easy to simplywire out. I was able to place INSEON switches in the junction boxes withno loads (the load wire is capped off with a wirenut) to control the devicesin exactly the same way.


54/294

4-way switches add yet another magnitude o complexity. Suffice it

to say that its not really easible to wire more than 4-way switching usingtraditional switches and wiring, which is one o the primary reasons thatdistributed switching like INSEON was developed.

Wiring in older homesOlder homes can have substantial electrical wiring differences rom themodern wiring described in this chapter.

Figure 2.6: Knob & Tube wiring

Knob & ube wiring: 1880s through 1920s

Te oldest homes may have knob & tube wiring where separate clothcovered conductors are strung reely through the attic through circular

insulatorsthey might even have bare conductors exposed.


55/294

Most rubber cable sheaths developed prior to 1950 will be rotten and

brittle today, and unsae to modiy. I you have a home o this age, you shouldstrongly consider upgrading the electrical wiring or your own saety.

Knob & ube wiring universally lacks correctgrounding.

Although INSEON will actually operate correctly on home wiringo this age, it may be difficult to install INSEON devices without damagingyour wiring and causing saety issues. Consider using INSEON plug-indevices and controllers rather than installed devices in homes o this age.In addition to the issues youll have with knob & tube wiring, you will also

have the issues associated with two-conductor wiring described in the nextsection.

Consider using plug-in controllers such as the ControlLinc orRemoteLinc and plug in responders such as the LampLinc and ApplianceLincin homes with Knob & ube wiring. I you also integrate X10 screw-in light-bulb switches or fixtures, you can effectively create a smarthome withouttouching your electrical wiring.

wo Conductor wiring: 1930s through 1970s

In nearly all homes built prior to the 1980s only two conductors were runto outlets: Hot and Neutral. Tese homes have outlets with only two verticalslots in the outlet plugsthey lack the third ground hole.

Tese homes also may lack neutrals run to switches i they are wiredfixture-switch. Tese switches typically will have only hot and load runto them. Neutral wires stop at the light fixture, and a travelera two-conductor wire rom the fixture to the switchboxis sent to the switch. Onewire o the traveler is connected to hot at the fixture, and the other wire isconnected to the load light. At the switchbox, closing the switch connectshot to load, completing the circuit. You can recognize this type o circuit


56/294

by the single two-conductor cable coming into the junction box with both

conductors connected to the switch, and no other wires.I youre lucky, you may have switch-fixture wiring in most switches,

which will provide all the wires you needneutral and hot coming intothe switchbox and line and load going to the fixture. I two wires are wiredtogether in the switch junction box, they should be neutrals.

I you have three wires in the box but they are all wired to the switch,youre probably looking at a three-way switch.

Figure 2.7: 2-wire switch wiring

Te problem with two-conductor wiring in switchesis that neutrals are not available at the switchbox topower INSEON devices.

You can still use INSEON devices in two-conductor homes. Chapter6 describes how to deal with two conductor switches in simple and effectiveways.


57/294

SummaryINSEON devices are easy to install and useany do-it-yourseler willbe able to install a complete INSEON system without proessional help.Electrical saety is an important concern howeveralways observe propersaety precautions such as shutting off circuit breakers when working onelectrical wiring. I you are unamiliar with electrical home wiring, have anelectrical contractor assist you with your first installations or perorm theinstallation or you.

INSEON runs over the vast majority o existing home wiring withno modifications. You may require specific INSEON devices or your

particular home wiring needs, but these devices are available. Tere are aew cases where you may have to perorm some additional wiring insidejunction boxes and light fixtures in order to get INSEON devices workingcorrectly, but these cases are easily resolved.


58/294


59/294

Chapter 3Understanding INSEONI youve read Chapter 1, you know what INSEON can do. But how does itdo it? Tis chapter covers everything an end-user and installer o INSEONdevices needs to understand about INSEON in order to design, install,configure, and use INSEON technology.

Tis chapter covers basic INSEON technology,

INSEONs place amongst competitors in the market,and the basic types o INSEON devices. I you arealready amiliar with INSEON technology, you maywant to skip to the next chapter.

INSEON is: A distributed control network protocol that operatesover powerlines and Radio requency to create a dual-mesh o peer controlsand switches that all repeat signals multiple times or greater reliability. Teprotocol implements two-way acknowledgement eatures to ensure thatcontrol signals reach their intended destination or the user is warned thatthey did not. Tats easy to write, but what does it all mean? Te meaning othat definition is the subject o this chapter.


60/294

: C

Cross-Linkmutual links that make it possible or multiple devices tocontrol and respond to one another in unison.DimmerAn electronic component that can lower the delivered powerrom maximum to open (off). Electronic dimmers do this by rapidlyswitching the circuit on and off. Te light will average the power, anddim as the ratio o on-time to off-time diminishes. Dimmers are maderom solid-state devices called triacs.GroupA set o INSEON links that list the responders o a particularINSEON devices button (or other control group).ISM(Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) Reserved radio requencybands that do not require a license or transmission, which opens themup or unlimited use in short range data networking.

LinkAn entry in an INSEON devices memory that contains theaddresses o other devices that it will send control and status messagesto.Microcontrollera CPU with its own memory and input/output devicesonboardan entire special purpose computer on a single chip.NetworkA group o interconnected devices that can communicatedirectly with one another by name or address.Packeta computer message. Rather than communicating entirevolumes o data at once, data is chopped into small packets andindividually addressed to the intended recipient. Packet networks allowmultiple interleaved conversations to occur simultaneously over a singlemedium.

RelayAn electronically controlled switch that can connect or interruptone circuit based on the condition o another circuit. Te relay can bea traditional electromechanical relay o the type used in automotiveblinkers or a solid-state silicon controlled relay (SCR).RepeaterA device that listens or signals and then repeats them in asubsequent time rame.SceneA concept o control used in home automation controllers that isequivalent to the same group programmed into multiple controllers.


61/294

How INSEON WorksINSEON technology is designed to avoid the complexity pitalls that othercontrol networks ace:

Rather than arbitrating access to the network with a complex collision-avoidance protocol in order to prevent devices rom talking over oneanother, INSEON use

Documents

INSTEON Smart Homes for Everyone