Please Note: As of March 31st, 2019, Lowe’s is shutting down their Iris smart home platform. More information here.
So, there’s a lot of smart home systems, and it might be a bit difficult to choose the right one for your home. Today we’ll compare two systems and discuss what each has going for it. Insteon has been selling smart home appliances since 2012 and has really made a mark on the market. Whereas Iris, while owned by Lowe’s, is a younger smart home brand that has already built a trusted reputation with its customers.
The Iris smart home automation system is the only smart home platform created by a home retailer (Lowe’s). The Lowe’s company has nearly 70 years of experience when it comes to home improvements. With all the knowledge gained over the past 70 years, Lowe’s offers a great smart home solution — Iris smart home automation platform.
Insteon vs. Iris — Differences
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Difference #1: Drapery Control – With Insteon home automation system you can control your blinds, drapes, and other window coverings remotely. All you need is a Somfy RF Drape Control Kit.
Unfortunately, Iris doesn’t support this feature for now. It’s not something crucial; it’s more of a nice addition to the whole system.
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Difference #2: Adjustable Ramp Rates For Dimmers – Adjustable ramp rates for dimmers allow you to choose the speed you want the light to fade on/off. Let’s say you work all day and want the lights slowly fade away by the end of your working day. That’s possible with Insteon! The faded light can indicate that the working day is almost over and it’s time to call it a day. Or, let’s say you’re watching the movie. So you can set the lights to fade slowly over next 15 minutes. That is a perfect feature to create a smooth transition between the bright and dimmed lights. You can create the perfect ambiance at your home over certain periods of time.
Iris smart home automation system doesn’t support this feature yet. However, it can be added to the list of future updates.
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Difference #3: Windows Phone App – This might be the key factor when choosing between the two systems. Apparently, Lowe’s Iris smart home platform does not support Windows Phone App. That’s really unfortunate for some customers. As of now, you can only download Iris App on the App Store and Google Play.
The Insteon home automation App, on the other hand, can be downloaded on the App Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Store.
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Insteon vs. Iris — Comparison Chart
| Insteon | Lowes Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Climate Control | Yes | Yes |
| Drapery Control | Yes | No |
| Energy Monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| LED Bulbs | Yes | Yes |
| On/Off Plug-In Module | Yes | Yes |
| Motion Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Water Leak Sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Smoke And CO Detection | Yes | Yes |
| WiFi Cameras | Yes | Yes |
| Adjustable Ramp Rates For Dimmers | Yes | No |
| Customizable On Levels For Dimmers | Yes | No |
| Multi-Device Scenes | Yes | No |
| Windows Phone App | Yes | No |
| Communication | Radio Frequency + Powerline | Radio Frequency |
| Technology | Insteon | Z-Wave |
| API | Yes | No |
Insteon vs. Iris — Compatibility Chart
It goes without saying that both Insteon and Iris are compatible with their own products. However, some of us already have some smart home appliances which we’d love to integrate with a new smart home system hub. Below is the chart of compatibility with 3rd party products:
| Insteon | Lowes Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Radio Thermostat | No | Yes |
| LeakSmart | No | Yes |
| Utilitech | No | Yes |
| Osram/Sylvania | No | Yes |
| Amazon Echo | Yes | Yes |
| EnergySmart | No | Yes |
| First Alert | Yes | Yes |
| Cortana | Yes | No |
| Sonos | Yes | No |
| GE | No | Yes |
| Nest | Yes | No |
For more information on compatibility visit Insteon compatibility or Iris compatibility pages.
Insteon vs. Iris — Our Thoughts
When it comes to Insteon vs. Iris — there’s no correct answer. It all depends on what smart appliances you already have in your home, so that you can integrate the new smart home system seamlessly.
The Insteon smart home system has more to offer, however the Iris smart home platform is a trusted and well-known brand, which (we feel) is one of the most important factors — We don’t want another smart home system to follow Revolv‘s fate.
So, when choosing between Insteon and Iris, we’d begin with checking the compatibility with your existing smart home appliances, comparing the price, and checking reviews. Feel free to share your experience with either of the smart home systems in the comments section.
Last update on 2023-12-11 at 06:16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
