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Tools & Hardware : Intermatic HA101K Home Settings Wireless Kit |
- Intermatic Makes Lighting SOOO EEEEAAAASSSSSYYYY!!!I have been on the market for a lighting control unit and decided to try the Intermatic lighting control starter kit. I decided to start with the kit to make sure I liked the product. I have experience with other Intermatic products so I kinda knew what I was getting into.
If you're considering automating your home like I am, lighting is the best place to start. Most of us are afraid that handling bare electrical wires will leave you with an Einsteinian hairdo, set your house on fire; you should pick up Intermatic's Home Settings Starter Kit.
The kit, based on Z-Wave radio-frequency technology, consists of one Master remote control and two plug-in lamp modules. Plug the module into an outlet, plug your lamp into the module, program the remote, and you can now turn on the light from nearly anywhere in your house. No need to change out the existing outlets or switches in your home; no need to deal with bare wires. EEEEAAASSSSYYYYYYYYYYYY!!
Push the button on either the remote or the module itself, and the lamp will turn on or off (depending on its current state). Push and hold down the button and the module will behave as a dimmer switch, reducing or increasing the lamp's brightness. Since this is Z-Wave technology, the remote is always aware of what state the module is in. If you turn the lamp on or off at the module, pressing the button on the remote will have the opposite effect; i.e., it will turn the lamp on if it's off and off it's on. Z-Wave operates on a mesh network, so if one module is out of range of the remote, any remotes that are within range will relay the commands until they reach their intended target.
This product works and it has a bunch of other modules for outdoor lighting, in-wall switch/receptacle and appliance plug in module. Excellent for us non-electrician folks. GREAT product.
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- A Geek's DreamWhen my son was 4 he took apart every clock in the house and put them back together. Since that time he has bought every new electronic product and is now a computer design engineer. Wasn't I lucky that he came to visit the day after the Intermatic Home Settings Wireless System arrived. We had a fun mother and son couple of hours while he set the system up. As a matter of fact he wants to set everything in the house with a wireless system.
Last year a bear came to visit my next door neighbor's bird feeder, but he stopped at my house to rummage around. This year his visit will be lit up! My son arranged for outdoor lighting that will not be too intrusive and will illuminate the night if need be. The lights are set to the coming of night and with Daylight Savings Time included. And, I am in charge of the remote!!!
We, well, ok, I read them and my son followed the directions. He had no difficulty at all. It took about 90 minutes for everything to be set as desired. I have the directions if something goes wrong. This is a product I would not ordinarily choose, but I am so glad I did. I would heartily recommend this product for anyone who wants to light up their life!
prisrob 08-17-08
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- a great system for security or convenienceI use this programmable lighting system mainly as a deterrent when I'm away and it works just fine. With all of its economic turmoil, this past year has brought a dramatic rise in theft to my nice little suburbia. I've had people attempt to steal mail out of my mailbox when I'm home! This system is affordable and easy to use once you figure it out.
I don't like having to read an entire instruction manual before starting but that is an absolute requirement in this case. Programming the lights to work properly is a little time consuming (you have to punch in codes for each wireless base) but if you follow the instructions step-by-step, you will not have a problem and the end result is worth the tedious ground work. It even has two setting available for each module.
This set includes the master remote control and just two wireless lamp modules (you plug your lamp into the module which plugs into an outlet) which is very basic but gets the job done. You really need to order more modules to build a comprehensive system (about $35 bucks each). My husband wants to get the outdoor modules to control those lights and he also wants to get regular modules to build a home automation system. He scares me a little with all the plans he makes to expand and I'm drawing the line at having our bedroom lamp turn on at a programmed time instead of using an alarm clock. The master control says it can expand up to 192 modules! (I really wish he hadn't read that part....)
My husband highly recommends this system while I recommend it as long as you are prepared to put some effort into setting the system up. It really isn't that hard to set up, it's just a matter of paying close attention to details.
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- Nice, but don't lose your instruction manual...I've been working with and playing with the Intermatic Home Settings Wireless Kit received as part of the Amazon Vine review program. On the positive side, it does what it is advertised to do... gives you a central console to control electrical devices either manually or on a schedule. On the negative side, *do not* lose your instruction manual. There is nothing intuitive on getting the thing programmed...
I chose to hook up my two lighting sources in my basement office. This is rather nice in that both of them are not close to my desk, and this would allow me to control both from where I sit. I plugged in each lamp to the modules and plugged the modules into the wall. Make sure you don't make them inaccessible before you do the programming, as you will need to push a few buttons during the process. I then scrounged around to find four AA batteries (strange that they didn't come included) for the master controller. Armed with the controller and the instruction manual, the fun began.
For each of the modules, you have to press a series of buttons on the console to get the LEARN display. Then you press and hold another series of buttons on the console and the module so that they are tied to each other on the same channel. Once that's done, you should be able to press the on/off button on the console, and your device should do just that... turn on and off. It took me a couple tries on the second module to get the sequence down correctly, but it wasn't terribly difficult. So at this point, I can turn on both lighting sources at once or separately, as well as program them for timed activities. For instance, I could set the main lighting to turn on at 4 am so I don't have to stumble downstairs in the dark. I could also set it up to turn off the light by 10 pm "just in case" I forget (as the wife is always pointing out)...
Because there is so much functionality involved (clock, calendar, time zone, module control, etc.), it's hard to design a simple interface without resorting to a full-fledged screen. Given the constraints, it's actually not bad what they've been able to do. Just don't lose your instruction book, or you'll never figure out how to program the thing. It'd be great if there were a USB interface that would allow you to hook it up and program it via your computer. But that would probably add significantly to the price.
Bottom line... it's far better than the analog timer plugs you used to use, and it also gives you a lot of flexibility as to when things turn on and off. Just don't expect to program the whole device in three minutes or less. Go slow, read carefully, and it should all work OK.
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- Neat!I really like this, and found it quite easy to set up. I have lights in my bedroom and kids' room set up, so I can turn them on from the living-room (or anywhere else in the house).
I understand that there are other add-on modules for this system, which I may decide to experiment with.
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