Insteon Explorer - Forefront Technologies, Inc.

How much does Insteon Explorer cost?

Insteon Explorer is free for non-commercial use. The basic terms are:
Insteon Explorer is copyrighted software, is free for non-commerical use and may be distributed freely in its original binary form, without any components or files modified, added, or removed. The software, either in part or in its entirety, may not be modified or incorporated into other works, free or commercial, without the express written permission of the copyright holders and the author. For commercial licensing information, contact the copyright holders.

What are the minimum system requirements?

Insteon Explorer is a Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 application. The program itself is very small, so Microsoft's minimum requirements for .NET should be sufficient to run Insteon Explorer. Namely, they support Windows XP or newer, with at least 96MB of RAM (256MB recommended). The complete requirements for .NET 3.5 are here.

How does Insteon Explorer communicate with the Insteon network?

A SmartLabs PowerLinc Modem ("PLM") is required to connect your computer to the Insteon network. This device plugs into an AC outlet and connects to a serial port on your computer and forms the interface between your computer and the Insteon network.

Will Insteon Explorer work with a PowerLinc Controller?

No. Presently only the PLM is supported as the interface to the Insteon network. There is no plan to support the PLC in the future.

Is Insteon Explorer a central controller application?

No. Insteon Explorer is intended to provide a clean, professional, intuitive interface to aide in the setup and maintenance of an Insteon-based home control network. It is not intended to provide scripting or macro functionality, or to otherwise function as a central controller for home automation.

Will Insteon Explorer ever provide scripting or other central controller functionality?

Probably not. The original intent of the program developer was to ease the Insteon configuration process, especially for large deployments. If there's enough interest, and compelling reasons why existing products don't already meet this need, this functionality might make it's way into the "maybe, given time" bin.

On startup, Insteon Explorer says it cannot connect to the Insteon network, and many options in the interface are disabled.

Insteon Explorer requires a SmartLabs PowerLinc Modem connected to a serial port to communicate with the Insteon network (see above). Most modern computers have one or two serial ports, commonly referred to as COM1 and COM2 (difficult, eh?). Insteon Explorer defaults to looking for a PLM on COM1. To change the serial port the Insteon Explorer uses, go to "Tools" then "Settings" and set the port name under "Communications" / "Port".

Why does Insteon Explorer need to "verify" the device's link database? And what does that mean exactly?

The link database on the device can potentially be modified by other sources outside of Insteon Explorer. Most likely, modifications would come from manual "tap-tap" programming. To be sure you are viewing the correct data, Insteon Explorer asks the device if any changes have been made since we last refreshed the entire link database. If there have been changes, Insteon Explorer retrieves a fresh copy of the link database from the device. If there are no changes, nothing is done.

Why does Insteon Explorer need to retrieve the device's settings each time I go to the "settings" tab on the device properties window?

Device settings can potentially be modified by other sources outside of Insteon Explorer. To be sure you are viewing the correct data, Insteon Explorer must examine each setting and determine if it has changed from the last time it was read. If it has been changed, the local copy of the setting is updated. Unlike the link database, there is no way to ask a device if a setting has changed, each setting must examined to determine its current value.

	How much does Insteon Explorer cost? Insteon Explorer is free for non-commercial use. The basic terms are: Insteon Explorer is copyrighted software, is free for non-commerical use and may be distributed freely in its original binary form, without any components or files modified, added, or removed. The software, either in part or in its entirety, may not be modified or incorporated into other works, free or commercial, without the express written permission of the copyright holders and the author. For commercial licensing information, contact the copyright holders.
	What are the minimum system requirements? Insteon Explorer is a Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 application. The program itself is very small, so Microsoft's minimum requirements for .NET should be sufficient to run Insteon Explorer. Namely, they support Windows XP or newer, with at least 96MB of RAM (256MB recommended). The complete requirements for .NET 3.5 are here.
	How does Insteon Explorer communicate with the Insteon network? A SmartLabs PowerLinc Modem ("PLM") is required to connect your computer to the Insteon network. This device plugs into an AC outlet and connects to a serial port on your computer and forms the interface between your computer and the Insteon network.
	Will Insteon Explorer work with a PowerLinc Controller? No. Presently only the PLM is supported as the interface to the Insteon network. There is no plan to support the PLC in the future.
	Is Insteon Explorer a central controller application? No. Insteon Explorer is intended to provide a clean, professional, intuitive interface to aide in the setup and maintenance of an Insteon-based home control network. It is not intended to provide scripting or macro functionality, or to otherwise function as a central controller for home automation.
	Will Insteon Explorer ever provide scripting or other central controller functionality? Probably not. The original intent of the program developer was to ease the Insteon configuration process, especially for large deployments. If there's enough interest, and compelling reasons why existing products don't already meet this need, this functionality might make it's way into the "maybe, given time" bin.
	On startup, Insteon Explorer says it cannot connect to the Insteon network, and many options in the interface are disabled. Insteon Explorer requires a SmartLabs PowerLinc Modem connected to a serial port to communicate with the Insteon network (see above). Most modern computers have one or two serial ports, commonly referred to as COM1 and COM2 (difficult, eh?). Insteon Explorer defaults to looking for a PLM on COM1. To change the serial port the Insteon Explorer uses, go to "Tools" then "Settings" and set the port name under "Communications" / "Port".
	Why does Insteon Explorer need to "verify" the device's link database? And what does that mean exactly? The link database on the device can potentially be modified by other sources outside of Insteon Explorer. Most likely, modifications would come from manual "tap-tap" programming. To be sure you are viewing the correct data, Insteon Explorer asks the device if any changes have been made since we last refreshed the entire link database. If there have been changes, Insteon Explorer retrieves a fresh copy of the link database from the device. If there are no changes, nothing is done.
	Why does Insteon Explorer need to retrieve the device's settings each time I go to the "settings" tab on the device properties window? Device settings can potentially be modified by other sources outside of Insteon Explorer. To be sure you are viewing the correct data, Insteon Explorer must examine each setting and determine if it has changed from the last time it was read. If it has been changed, the local copy of the setting is updated. Unlike the link database, there is no way to ask a device if a setting has changed, each setting must examined to determine its current value.