Pros: dual-band technology, acts as Wi-Fi extender, easy to install, can be a 2, 3 or 4 way switch, remote control.
Cons: not easy to pair, creating scenes, price.
Light switches are fairly mundane objects. Few of us pay much attention to them as long as they turn the lights off and on, or dim the lighting in a room. But smart devices of course aren’t satisfied with just doing one thing. Insteon’s Dimmer Switch fits that bill. The device is a 3-wire wall switch is a customizable device that can act as a remote control, while also able to handle the on/off and dimming controls you would find in normal dimmer switches.
GearBrain was able to test the Insteon Dimmer Switch and we found it to be a powerful option for today’s smart home. Here are some interesting features we uncovered during our testing.
Insteon Dimmer Switch features Insteon’s Dual-Band technology, a patent pending dual-mesh technology which creates a mesh network inside your home. We really like this technology because it uses both your home’s power line and Wi-Fi signal (915 MHz) to connect all your devices. All other smart home hubs, like Samsung SmartThings, Apple’s HomeKit or Wink, use standard radio frequencies (i.e. Zigbee, Z-Wave or Wi-Fi) to talk to their devices. Insteon’s Dual-Band system allows signals to travel further through your house without interruptions. The result? Insteon Dimmer switch can act as both a Wi-Fi extender and a remote control for your connected devices.
Insteon Dimmer Switch can handle loads ranging from 600W to 1800W as well as 120-277 Volts. But what really sets this switch apart from other connected dimmers is its ability to become a remote control in your smart home. Using the Insteon app, you can control any Insteon device including, of course, the Dimmer Switch.
For this switch, you can dim your lights or set schedules for when you want your lights to go on or off. Also, Insteon Dimmer Switch has a custom ramp rate inside the app, which allows you to set how fast or slow your lights can either brighten or dim. You can even set a brightness level for your lights so when you just tap the switch, the light will go directly to that brightness setting.
Another feature Insteon offers through its app, is the ability to create scenes. Scenes are pre-arranged situations you want to automate inside your smart home. We set up a scene for Insteon Dimmer Switch called Night Time. With this scene, we programmed the outside light connected to our Insteon Dimmer Switch to go, while other lights in our house—connected to Insteon Hub—went off. We did find creating scenes using Insteon was not as easy as creating automations in other smart home hubs. However, once you get use to building them, they are effective.
Installation
Installing Insteon’s Dimmer Switch is not as easy as installing a 3-wire switch. You just need to make sure you know how the wiring in your original switch worked prior to removing that device. We recommend labeling the wires on the old switch (i.e. red, black, ground) before unwiring it. Also, make sure you turn the power off before uninstalling the switch. Don’t want to get any injuries.
Another key point to check prior to installing theInsteon Dimmer Switch is the depth of your junction box. Insteon Dimmer Switch—or most smart switches—are wide and deep. They require more depth in the junction box than a normal wall switch. Make sure your junction has the depth you will need to fit all the wiring and the Insteon Dimmer switch.
For our test, the junction box was deep enough to use. But in most old homes, junction boxes are not deep. If your junction box is not deep enough, you will need to replace the old one with a new, deeper one in order to use the Insteon Dimmer Switch. In this scenario, you might want to consider hiring a professional electrician.
Once you’re ready to install the new device, I recommend taking down the code on the front plate of your Insteon Dimmer Switch, as you’ll likely need this to pair the switch with Insteon Hub. There are two ways to pair your device: you must press the set button several times on the switch before it is recognized by Insteon Hub. Or you can use the Insteon app, register your switch and insert the code. The app will pair the switch with the Insteon Hub automatically. We found the latter of the two way to be the most efficient and easier than pressing buttons.
Insteon Dimmer Switch – notice code on top left of switch. Need for pairing with insteon Hub.
Once our pairing was complete—and the Insteon Dimmer Switch was connected to Insteon Hub—we closed the switch and were ready to go. The longest part of your installation process is going to be paring. If you are handy and know your way around electrical boxes, this will be a piece of cake. If you’re not, it’s still not that hard, but have some patience and take your time.
Another decision you’ll need to make is selecting type of bulbs you’ll use. Insteon Dimmer Switches are compatible with 100 percent of the incandescent and halogen bulbs on the market today. They will also work with dimmable CFL and 40 percent of the LED bulbs. They will not work with regular CFL or LED bulbs. We tried to use an LED bulb and it didn’t work.
Finally, Insteon does offer a special dimmer switch that works with Apple HomeKit. To link, you download the version of Insteon App that’s compatible with theApple Watch app. You’ll then be able to use the Apple Watch, and Siri, as your remote control, and also build scenes and automate schedules. For more information on this functionality, we recommend visiting Insteon’s website.
If you already own an Apple HomeKit, you can control Insteon Dimmer Switch if you connect the Insteon Dimmer Switch to your HomeKit hub and app.
Insteon Dimmer Switch retails for $49.99 and can be purchased on Smarthome.com. You can also buy Insteon Dimmer Switch and other Insteon products on Amazon, Walmart, The Home Depot, Target and more.
Summary
Insteon Dimmer Switch is easy to use, provides a dual-band connection and we think a solid choice for your first connected device, particularly if you are just starting to build your smart home. The Insteon Dimmer Switch can also be controlled by Amazon’s voice-controlled Alexa. Plus, if you own an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, you can download the Insteon skill and control your switches with Alexa. Voice is making integrating connected devices into your smart home easy and Insteon Dimmer Switch and other Insteon products have joined this movement.
If you are in the Apple eco-system as well, Insteon Dimmer Switches can be alternatives for extending your Wi-Fi signal without having to go out and buy a Wi-Fi extender for $300 or $400. You just need to be handy enough to install a light switch. If you can do this, you can install an Insteon Dimmer Switch.
