badjesus Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 I would have thought this was brought up a million times before but surprisingly nothing came up in the search.I know C4 must have quite good reasons not to have launched a receptacle replacement for power outlets, although I am not sure what seeing as how they have the switches already. But, has anyone seen any third party devices? I have definitely seen zigbee outlets out there. There was one that I thought was pretty cool with GFCI and 2 USB ports as well as two outlets. I want to control a few devices (simple things like my wife's hair straightener) to be automated but I REALLY don't want those giant boxes on countertop plugs. They aren't so bad if you can hide them behind a chair or furniture, but sitting on a kitchen counter, or bathroom counter, they are quite horrid. Anyways, just curious if anyone has used third party or has any input? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooseleg Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Have you looked into Insteon and Control4 integration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badjesus Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Have you looked into Insteon and Control4 integration? I hadn't, no. I had just always thought they were expensive in their own right, and the control interface for it would basically just be duplicating the already existing C4 interface. Looks like I was WAY OFF. I just did some look up. If the controller works just as reliably as C4, and the integration is smooth, this could be a pretty awesome solution. Looks like I can get an easy solution < $200Does anyone have experience with this driver? I will do a search also to see other posts with Insteon. Thanks for the suggestion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turls Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Better profile than C4 outlet switch, but still might not meet your needs: http://store.blackwiredesigns.com/SafePlug-Zigbee-Outlet-_p_343.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 The reason C4 doesn't have one is code, copyright and cost concerns mixed together I believe. Shame though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badjesus Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 The reason C4 doesn't have one is code, copyright and cost concerns mixed together I believe. Shame though.Yeah, it has to be something like that. Seems odd based on the other products they already have. Oh well. If Insteon works well, I actually really like that idea! Thanks for the help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I've felt the same about the outlet switch. It was probably developed way back when. My bitch is with the orientation of the polarized/grounded USA receptacles- the ground pole should be outboard to accept right-angle cords. That and the radios seem weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Never had an issue with their radio's, but the ground-pole thing seems to be a problem for most powerbar/plug-in splitter in general I suspect that part of the problem is that outlets cannot be dimmed without special plugs etc in most locales - plus a hesitance to to design two seperate units (not unfair, be honest - a lot of people would complain over why there isn't a dimmer version once a switch version came out) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badjesus Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 Never had an issue with their radio's, but the ground-pole thing seems to be a problem for most powerbar/plug-in splitter in general I suspect that part of the problem is that outlets cannot be dimmed without special plugs etc in most locales - plus a hesitance to to design two seperate units (not unfair, be honest - a lot of people would complain over why there isn't a dimmer version once a switch version came out)Good to know!Just to clarify, the issue with the powerbar/splitters... do you mean when a power bar is plugged in to the outlets it tends to make them fail or when you are using the transmitter through a powerbar?That would suck if you the outlets themselves have issues when loaded down with splitters. Either way, I might take your advice and just start out and see if I can find an outlet that is radio controlled, not powerline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 No I just meant that power designers have an issue making plug-in layouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howieumd Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I use the Vera3 with the GE Z-Wave Duplex receptacle and the EV driver for it so Control4 can control them. I have a few around the house and have Control4 turning off TV's at X time (kids bed time, so they can't put them back on) and just set one up to turn on/off the Christmas tree at X time. I looked at the Insteon ones, but decided to go with Z-Wave and Vera since Control4 doesn't make such a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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