Mini Remote Control Switch, 1-Scene

I now have five of the Mini Remote Control Switches. I use them to control ceiling lights, and wall sconces. I use the switches next to the bed and I also have a couple of them mounted to the wall. They are the simplest way to add functionality to my Insteon Circuitry. I would recommend any of the Insteon products to anyone.

I have lights above and below kitchen cabinets. They both plug into an Insteon Wall Plug that is at the top of the cabinets. The lights above are accent lights so go on/off with a schedule. The lights below, however, are task specific and go on/off via a mechanical switch in the wire. I wanted to be able to turn them off at night with the rest of the house, so I disabled the mechanical switch and installed the mini remote. I used magnetic cut and peel sticky strips to put it on a tiled back splash.

I installed a motion sensing spotlight in my front yard to ward off deer that were eating our bushes. I wanted to be able to turn it off so I could go outside without activating the light. The light and switch are on the second level, so I needed a remote control to do what I needed. I tried other smart switches but most "leak", do not disconnect the light completely. That caused the light to try to operate. I expect that leaving it like that would damage the electronics.

Insteon's on/off switch is a hard switch. It does not leak like the others. That resolved my switching problem. The remote switch allowed me to place the control at the from door, aligned with a three-gang group, creating a four-gang switch bank that looks and operates properly.

These Insteon Mini Remote Control switches are multifunction devices that can control up to 6 separate actions. One of the switches along with an Insteon relay has replaced a garage door opening receiver which would repeatedly actuate from spurious signals. Since then the garage door has never opened falsely.

All Insteon devices can operate independently and individually without any central controller or computer. They are however much more versatile and useful with a hub or controller.

Insteon devices mostly cost more, but are vastly more reliable, because of their two channel and mesh communication system. We use these with a Mac software program on an older Mac mini.

We have over 100 devices controlled by that Mac mini its software which is also capable of running Z-wave and the old X-10 modules.

There are lots of cheaper solutions on the market but if maximum reliability is needed then Insteon is about the only choice.

Pairing the Mini Remote with the wireless control switch was a simple task and provided the remote control I need for an outdoor Fan and light. Instructions were clear and simple to follow. I highly recommend Insteon products for many Home Automation needs.