[June 3 2015 Update - please revisit this page and press Ctrl+F5 to refresh, since many additions are being made below this original article.]
Ok, now this looks more interesting than the little Hub II ever did. Apple Homekit-enabled. Easier to set schedules. Extended RF range, using a mere 2 watts of power.
click the image above to place your pre-order at smarthome.com
Sounds like a significant step up from the existing Insteon Hub that's been running my home automation faithfully since Dec 2012. If I'm going to rip and replace my controller, but leave all my modules in place, this sounds much more worth my while. See also the many reasons I'm happy with my Insteon investment in the TinkerTry exclusive Superguide: Insteon Home Automation.
It seems this Insteon Hub Pro is on pre-order at Smarthome for $149.99 here, (not available on Amazon just yet). I've placed my order, and will post my experiences here on TinkerTry.
One company embracing integration to a perhaps unexpected degree is Insteon. Often considered a closed ecosystem, Insteon has previously offered its customers little opportunity to use non-Insteon devices with its own outside of third-party control systems. All of that is about to change.
Phew! We’ve been hard at work buttoning up this exciting new Hub and Insteon+ app. We wanted to take a quick break from all that work and get an update to you. We realize it’s been quite a while since you’ve heard anything and we apologize. Let’s get right down to it.
Our hardware and software are approaching release. We continue to make progress on Hub Pro and the new Insteon+ app. We appreciate your patience and believe that the wait will be worth it. As you may know, we are not alone in this launch. Apple HomeKit has yet to officially see a release. When Apple makes that announcement, we will begin shipping that day or very soon after.
At release, Hub Pro will take full advantage of HomeKit features and more:
Control Insteon switches, outlets, thermostats and more when paired with Hub Pro.
Integration with Siri®, allowing control via voice commands
Create and manage rooms, zones and even multiple homes
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
Easily add users to your ‘home’ so you can share your automation with family and friends
Control other HomeKit-enabled devices alongside your favorite Insteon devices (requires the Insteon+ App)
To use Hub Pro and take advantage of these features, you will need an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running the latest version of iOS 8. You will also need to download our new Insteon+ app when it becomes available in the app store.
In addition to HomeKit integration, we have many other features that will be coming to Hub Pro. These features will become available in free and app and firmware updates. Look forward to future announcements to learn more.
HomeKit is currently iOS-only. While the initial release of Hub Pro and app supports only iOS 8, we do have plans to broaden the features, including adding support for other mobile platforms. Unless Apple opens up HomeKit support for other operating systems, these devices would not be able to talk with 3rd party HomeKit devices.
We look forward to sharing more news as we get closer to launch. Should you have any questions, please send them to Insteon Support.
I'll try to get this confirmed by Smarthome. If it's true, this isn't something that the smarthome.com site makes at all clear. Luckily, my Apple TV is a 3rd generation model A1427, since earlier models can't act as HomeKit hubs:
The tiny font printed on the bottom of the device is nearly impossible to read, but it's easy to figure out the model from the Apple TV's Settings / General / About menu option.
Order Insteon 2243-222 Hub Pro on Amazon
Also worth noting that I have not yet received my Insteon Hub Pro, ordered from Smarthome here, back on February 25th.
Finally, I see that the Insteon Hub Pro has now shown up on Amazon, where it says:
Estimated Delivery Date: June 12 - 22 when you choose Expedited at checkout.
but again, no mention of Apple TV requirement to operate devices when not at home.
Control your accessories away from home
If you have an Apple TV (3rd generation or later) with software version 7.0 or later, you can control your HomeKit-enabled accessories when you're away from home using your iOS device.
Let's hope the responsiveness of checking device status or toggling power is snappier than my Nov 2012 Insteon Hub, whether I'm home, or away from home. It seems I'll know soon, but I suspect implementing this will be best handled by manually going around the house and unpairing all my existing Insteon devices, then pairing them with this new Insteon Pro. A fair bit of work, along with reprogramming of the on/off times, but hopefully worthwhile.
Richard updated us with his comments about the lack of sunrise/scheduling here. Along with lack of support for my smoke and leak sensors, that makes it unsuitable for use in my home, in its current state. Hopefully future versions will resolve this.
So I have called Smarthome to canceled my pre-order, since there is no online way to do that for pre-orders.
Apple iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 9, running the Insteon for Hub app, for manual controls or system configuration, and Insteon+ app
Insteon Hub 2242-222 since Dec. 2012 runs schedules automatically (no iPhone required)
Insteon Hub Pro 2243-222
The question I had to ask myself, do I want to have the Insteon Hub Pro control one or two switches I'd be "playing" with, just so I could see the pretty good looking Insteon+ app in action? Do I have the inclination to tinker with this, to get my hands on the very first manufacturing run of the Insteon Pro Hub, as I did back in December 2012 with the original hub?
The answer for my home was simply no, not at this time. Taking a limited $149.99 look at the future isn't currently something I can justify right now, with many other home projects to tackle first. That doesn't mean I've given up, nor should you. Especially if you know the limitations, and don't have a Smoke Bridge, Leak Sensor, or Sunset/Sunrise timer requirements, see:
