Could a mod please split this home automation discussion into its own thread? Sorry for taking over.

I've only looked at the system you're using for a moment, but I'm a little puzzled by it. It seems to be an inline wiring kind of product, where you wire your lights into those controllers and the central unit controls the system. Do I have that right? All I know is that I look at Loxone's product line, and I see about a million screw-type terminals. They claim they have wireless products, but I don't see any on their site.

I've been using Z-Wave. Plusses:

- You mentioned a bunch of proprietary technologies from a bunch of vendors. Well, Z-Wave is proprietary, but it's a licensed standard used by a number of companies.

- It's a wireless standard, so it's 100% "retrofittable." There's some things that are more easily/cheaply done at time of construction, but for the most part it's all about replacing light switches and thermostats.

Cons:

- I still think it's expensive, but I don't have a very big budget. Most good dimmer switches are around $70 each (I have a bunch of ~$22 switches).

- While it's a licensed standard, IMO the technology is getting less popular with manufacturers. The community disagrees with me, but at the very best it's stagnant.

- I still haven't found a central control device that I love. I have a unit called Vera from Mi Casa Verde, but there are a few things about it that I really can't stand and that I feel go against the Z-Wave standard. On the plus side, Vera can talk to Z-Wave, Insteon, and X10 devices, so that's neat. I only have Z-Wave, though.