INSTEON

INSTEON technology is a dual-band mesh topology employing ac-power lines and a radio-frequency (RF) protocol to communicate with and automate home electronic devices and appliances, which normally work independently. [Anonymous, Electronic Design Magazine. Published Date April 2006. Source type: Paper and online magazineText Word Count 9587Document URL: http://eepn.com/Locator/Products/ArticleID/33281/33281.html Retrieved January 31, 2008)] It is a home automation networking technology invented by SmartLabs, Inc. Insteon was developed, based on the X10 model, for control and sensing applications in the home.
Insteon is designed to enable simple devices to be networked together using the powerline and/or radio frequency (RF). All INSTEON devices are peers, meaning each device can transmit, receive, and repeat any message of the INSTEON protocol, without requiring a master controller or complex routing software.

What is INSTEON?

As stated in, cite web |url=http://www.insteon.net/aboutinsteon.html |title= What is Insteon?|accessdate= 2007-06-25 |quote= Insteon is a robust, redundant dual-mesh network that combines wireless radio frequency (RF) with the home's existing electrical wiring. Insteon is less susceptible than other single band networks to the kind of interference and noise commonly encountered within the home. Insteon leverages the latest digital technology to create a true peer-to-peer mesh network. Because all Insteon devices are peers, they do not require network supervision, so complex network controllers and routing tables are not required.

Features

*Dual-band (powerline + RF)
*Mesh (all nodes repeat, unlike many other mesh networks where only routers repeat)
*Error detection
*Automatic Error correction
*Backwards compatible with X10
*Faster bitrate than X10 (13,165 bit/s peak and 2,880 bit/s sustained versus X10's 20 bit/s)
*"All-Link" provides compatibility between all products, independent of application, manufacturer or revision
*Devices can be hybrid (powerline + RF), powerline only or RF only
**Power line devices repeat onto the power lines
**RF bridges repeat power line messages onto RF and vice-versa
*Messages include error detection information
*Automatic retransmission
*Devices have permanent unique 24-bit addresses
*Number of devices in a network is unlimited.
*Device groupings are only constrained by memory of devices (417 links per device for example)

Applications

*Scene and remote control lighting
*Security alarm interfaces and sensors
*Home sensors (e.g. water, humidity, temperature)
*Access control (e.g. door locks)
*Heating and cooling (HVAC) control and management
*Audio-video control
*Appliance management
*Energy savings

Network Topology

Insteon is an integrated dual-mesh network that combines wireless radio frequency (RF) with the home's existing electrical wiring. This is intended to improve reliability by providing a backup system in case of wireless interference. As a peer-to-peer network, devices do not require network supervision, thus dispensing with the need for controllers and routing tables.

Each transmission contains a two-bit "hops" field that starts at 3 and is decremented each time a node in the network repeats a message. The repetition scheme is designed so that all of the nodes repeat the messages in precise sync with one another, so the repetitions collide by design and strengthen one another in harmony.

Installation

Insteon devices are set up using a "Plug and Tap" method. Each device has its own unique ID, eliminating the need to set addresses or manipulate code wheels. The procedure to link two Insteon devices can be done manually at the devices. Though a basic system can be deployed without a controller or PC, such a device may be later added for advanced home management - and it will then be able to "upload" any setup accomplished to date.

Transmission

Insteon uses digital signal processing to encode and transmit messages, enabling rapid transmission of control data between Insteon devices. Individual Insteon messages can also carry up to 14 bytes of arbitrary user data to support home-control applications from developers.

X10 Compatibility

Insteon allows manufacturers to develop products that are both Insteon-compatible and X10-ready. Homeowners with existing X10 networks can migrate to an Insteon network without having to discard all their existing X10 devices. Insteon devices repeat Insteon signals and not X10.

pecifications

;Network
*Dual mesh (RF and Powerline)
*Peer-to-Peer
*Mesh Topology
*Unsupervised (No routing tables)

;Protocol
*All devices are two-way repeaters
*Messages acknowledged
*Retry if not acknowledged
*Synchronized to powerline

;Device Installation
*Plug-in
*Wire-in
*Battery Operated

;X10 Compatibility
*Insteon compatible devices can send and receive X10 commands
*Insteon compatible devices do not repeat X10 commands

;Security
*Encrypted message payloads

;Application Development
*IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
*SDK and HDK (Software and Hardware) Developer Kits
*SALad interpreted language

;Data Rate
*Instantaneous 13,165 bit/s
*Sustained 2,880 bit/s

;Message Types
*Standard 10 B
*Extended 24 B

;Message Format/Structure
*Source Address 3 B
*Destination Address 3 B
*Flags 1 B
*Command 2 B
*User Data 14 B
*Message Integrity 1 B

;Devices Supported
*Unique IDs 16,777,216
*Device Types 65,536
*Commands 65,536
*Group Members 256

;Insteon Engine Memory Requirements
*RAM 80 B
*ROM 3 kB

;Typical Application (Light Switch, Lamp Dimmer) Memory Requirements
*RAM 256 B
*EEPROM 256 B
*Flash 7 kB

;Powerline Physical Layer
*Frequency 131.65 kHz
*Modulation BPSK
*Min Transmit Level 3.16 Vpp into 5 ohms
*Min Receive Level 10 mV
*Phase Bridging Insteon RF or hardware

;RF Physical Layer
*Frequency 902 to 924 MHz
*Modulation FSK
*Sensitivity -103 dBm
*Range 150 ft unobstructed line-of-sight

References

External links

* [http://www.insteon.net Insteon]
* [http://www.efundies.com Open source Insteon projects]
* [http://www.liveautomatic.com/reviews/insteon-vs-x10-zigbee-and-zwave/38-home-automation/48-best-home-automation-insteon-vs-x10-zigbee-z-wave Insteon vs X10]
* [http://www.linuxha.com/athome/common/iplcd/ Open Source Insteon USB device driver for Linux]
* [http://www.insteon.net/pdf/insteonwtpaper.pdf Whitepaper on Insteon]

See also

* Universal powerline bus - Universal Powerline Bus (UPB)
* X10 (industry standard) - X-10 industry standard home automation protocol
* Z-Wave - RF only mesh technology from Zensys
* ZigBee - Standards-based protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4.