Bye Bye Climate Module!
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” ~ Semisonic
The first Climate Module was installed on 11/21/2008 on an ISY99! Since then, we brought to life such gems as ISY Portal, Polyglot, Polyglot Cloud, and Polisy. And, more importantly, we’ve been blessed with a community of genius developers, who develop bleeding edge integration of things, including an assortment of Weather Services, with advanced functionality and features.
So, although we are sad to say farewell to our beloved Climate Module on 03/31/2020*, but we are excited to offer you more choices and enhanced features through Polyglot Cloud.
And just to make this transition a little easier for you:
- If you purchased your Climate Module in 2019, you can request for a $49.00 store credit, 4 years subscription to ISY Portal, or a prorated refund on a 4 year usage basis
- If you purchased your Climate Module in 2018, you can request for a $35.00 store credit or 3 years subscription to ISY Portal
- If you purchased your Climate Module in 2017, you can request for a $23.00 store credit or 2 years subscription to ISY Portal
- If you purchased your Climate Module in 2016, you can request for $15.00 store credit or 1 year subscription to ISY Portal
Please send your UUID to our sales department.
Say hello to the future!
* Please note that on 03/31/2020, your climate module will stop functioning.
February 14, 2020 @ 7:45 am
Hi
My setup, specifically my heating, ac, ceiling fans and sprinklers are heavily dependant on the climate module. ie my house temperature is regulated by a combination of the temperature outside and inside and my sprinklers by precipitation.
Is there alternatives for me other than purchasing the Polisy?
Thank you
February 14, 2020 @ 8:09 am
Hi Paul, yes of course and that’s why we are offering free subscription to ISY Portal.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 8:30 am
Replacing the often-non-functioning / unreliable Climate module with something that would be far more reliable is great news. Thank you for moving in a positive direction.
That said, could UDI please post a detailed “how to migrate to a climate module replacement”, soon, perhaps as a sticky?
For many ISY-994 users, myself included, we simply have no idea about how to use Polyglot or external solutions that require another device (i.e., a Raspberry Pi). We bought and rely on our ISY device and “things” that can be accessed within it, such as the Climate module, but we are not skilled with using an external solution. So removing a functionality and replacing it with something (or multiple options of things) that require a different skill set is not a real “solution”. So, could we please receive VERY detailed, step-by-step instructions for migrating to an “external” Climate solution?
In my case, I do run CumulusMX on a Raspberry Pi that is connected to my Davis Pro weather station. But I got that RPi with CumulusMX running by following very detailed instructions posted by others and thankfully, the thing never dies. If I could connect to that as my ISY Climate solution, I would be overjoyed. But how to do that? Not a clue…
Thanks in advance.
February 14, 2020 @ 8:52 am
I use Orchestrated Mobilinc and I believe it pulls the temperature information from the ISY Climate Module. I have a lifetime subscription to the Mobilinc service.
What are my options?
Thanks,
Lee
February 14, 2020 @ 8:52 am
Why is there less of a credit the earlier you bought the climate module? I understand that I got more use out of it but it was a lifetime purchase so future damages are equal no matter when you originally purchased it.
February 14, 2020 @ 9:01 am
Hi Joseph,
Thank you very much for the feedback. There are multiple options:
1. ISY Portal/PGC wherein there are multiple choices for climate services. Each one has its own strengths such as forecasts or minute details. Unfortunately, we cannot really suggest which to use or, otherwise, we’ll end up in the same situation as we are in now with Aeries (paying them $$$$$ in annual subscription fees)
2. You can do the same with Polyglot on RPi or Polisy
3. If you have MobiLinc Connect, then you are left with Option 2
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 9:02 am
Hi Lee,
The same services are available through Polyglot (on RPi) or Polisy.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 9:14 am
Congrats UDI… I cant remember when I purchased the climate module, but contrary to Dwayne, I realize so much value from what UDI does, that I will not be asking for any credits. UDI offers some of the best value / $ available. Micheal and the teams constant follow up, support and ongoing development is priceless.
The next step per others comments here is a VERY clear path forward. I tried the polyglot cloud and had very bad experiences (unreliable feeds, corruption, unknown variable configs , and ultimately lost all my amazon portal settings.. bad day), However, I just got my polisy running polyglot and my experience has been 500% better. But again, there are lots of little “nuances” that newbies will never figure out.. directions are too advanced for more users, making leaps of assumptions of knowledge and steps etc.
But is is clearly the future; it just needs some maturing.
Michael’s comments earlier refer to the UDI Portal, where you can access polyglot Cloud and install a choice of multiple weather options, without the need for a raspberry pi, or polisy. Selection is more limited and as mentioned earlier, I had a bad experience with it, but that may have been due to my learning curve… (ie: don’t touch the Nodes setting in Admin etc)
Keep up the great work overall UDI!
February 14, 2020 @ 9:21 am
Hi Michel, am I incorrectly of the impression that because I am connecting to the Mobilinc server I am unable to use the UD server/portal and thus unable to even consider Polisy? I thought it needed to be one or the other in terms of the service the ISY can connect to. Are we saying that Polisy can connect to the UD server even if the ISY that is using it does not?
Also, if I am understanding what is happening with the climate module correctly, I am not thrilled that I paid for a module that you guys have just decided to stop supporting and that I will no longer be able to get temperature updates on my ISY without ordering additional hardware and potentially paying for some kind of subscription. Please tell me if I am misinterpreting anything here. 1.5 months of notice for this change is honestly not adequate in my opinion.
Additionally, it looks like the Polisy units are on backorder and the Pro unit is out of stock.
Please let me know what I am able to do and if you have a link to some kind of write up for what needs to be done to get the ISY talking to a RaspberryPi and how to configure the Pi, it would potentially be helpful. If we go to creating Polyglot Pis, do we avoid needing a subscription of some kind and can continue to use Mobilinc?
Thanks. I am concerned about losing functionality that my system depends on here.
Lee
February 14, 2020 @ 9:31 am
Hi Dwayne,
Your comment may also be valid in reverse: why should someone who used it more get the same credit as someone who bought it last year? That is, of course, you are requesting for a full refund regardless. And, in that case, would you request for a full refund for your ISY994 as well?
In short, we had to come up with a boundary that seemed fair to us.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 9:37 am
Lee,
1. If you have MobiLinc Connect, you cannot use ISY Portal. So, this leaves you either with Polisy or RPi
2. Neither Polisy nor Polyglot on RPi require ISY Portal. And neither are subscription based. This said, however, your weather service provider might want to charge you depending on the options you choose
3. Instructions and videos for RPi/Polyglot are here: https://forum.universal-devices.com/forum/131-polyglot-node-servers/
4. 1.5 month, we can definitely revisit and extend if necessary. At the moment, we are paying so much for this service that it’s impossible for us to keep it going
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 9:50 am
Thanks, Michael. I appreciate your time and candor.
Lee
February 14, 2020 @ 9:52 am
Hi Lee, my pleasure and I am so very sorry we had to make you all go through this.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 11:55 am
Hi Michel & Doug,
I get that but there is just a part of me that feels there has been a bait-and-switch when my lifetime service is no longer supported. Advertised as lifetime, actual 5 years.
Look, I love UDI products and have been a happy customer for around a decade. I always recommend UDI products when the topic of home automation comes up. I most likely will continue to do so.
That said, if a company is selling a lifetime service, they should stand by it.
Dwayne Peterson
February 14, 2020 @ 11:57 am
I can tell you I just installed Weatherbit and OpenWeather Map nodeservers. Already had dark sky its very limited as to what date it gives you. About 1/2 the fields from climate are missing.
Both Weatherbit and Openweathermap are free for basic but they both have limitations.
Both are free on Polisy and Polygot Cloud and easy to install.
Here is a summary.
Weatherbit- 16 day forecast is free but limited to 500 calls a day. Forecsast updated hourly. Does not give UV Index otherwise all the same data as climate. This seems to be the best option. $35 a month if you want 5000 calls a day and up to the minute forecast.
OpenWeathermap- 5 day forecast. Has all climate data including UV Index, ONLY 60 calls a day. Only updates 1 time per hour. For $40 a month you get 16 day forecast and up to the minute forecasts plus 600 calls per day.
So I did both and get everything I need to replace climate for free for my needs which is a daily email with all the weather stats for today and tomorrow and weather as the condition in programs.
Now I wont miss climate at all and took me an hour to setup.
February 14, 2020 @ 11:57 am
Hi Dwayne, thank you. But this lifetime service depends on the hardware that it runs on. So, are you saying that we should do the same with our hardware? If that’s the case, then we’ll be bankrupt in a week.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 11:58 am
Jeff, THANK YOU THANK YOU!
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 2:14 pm
I don’t like this either because it is a big loss with short notice and no easy resolution.
I guess “lifetime” depends upon whose “lifetime” you refer to.
I am glad Microsoft gives us more time and solutions for retiring their products for end of life.
Need better options even if it requires firmware upgrade on UDI end to fix it.
February 14, 2020 @ 2:34 pm
Hi Jimmy,
Why don’t you start the migration and, as I mentioned, we will consider extending the time. Also, this is not an issue to be fixed. This is a financial issue: we were forced to pay $6K/year for this service. And, we have for the past 2 years without charging anyone anymore.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 4:14 pm
I might be an outlier here but I have not updated my ISY past the latest non polyglot based system. It works. I didn’t have time nor the inclination or let’s face it: brain capacity to learn new things. I haven’t added or changed much since it was first installed and got it humming. Awesome that it’s bulletproof. That being said , I use the wx module to give me a temp forecast to determine the next days pool pump schedule. I run our pool pump x hours depending on the high of the day. Dinner runs longer. Winter less. And it works great. No algae buildup and variable run times rather than a fixed amount of hours per day which can get costly. Without this next day forecast option I can’t perform my runtime math.
I get your decision. But in my experience there aren’t great how to manuals at all for the ISY. Just the forum of countless work in progress threads. And honestly I have got the time and I’m stupid. I kid I’m leaving for a six week trip and not a lot of time either.
So what am I asking? A definitive guide (not discussion thread) that step by step guides you to migrate from the 4 to the five and hopefully how to get weather back. There are done of us that aren’t as active as others. I use your product because it help me migrate off x10 at the time and I learned enough to be dangerous and get it working. It’s not a hobby or ever changing environment. I’m fairly certain that if I opened up the interface I’d be struggling with what I accomplished already.
Any thoughts? Thanks for your time.
February 14, 2020 @ 4:22 pm
Hi Garrett,
Thanks so very much for the feedback. Can we start by upgrading your ISY to 5.0.x? That would be the first step.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 14, 2020 @ 5:23 pm
Joseph Meadows,
I use WeatherPoly on my Polisy to get data directly from my CumulusMX software. Sounds very similar to your CumulusMX software running on a Raspberry Pi.
If you are on the Universal Devices Forum, you can find me as DaveStLou. I’d be happy to share my experience and Polisy setup.
Dave
February 14, 2020 @ 6:11 pm
I don’t understand why UDI could not replace the backend climate service with something free…I also do not understand Michel’s reasoning of lifetime service vs hardware…but the following is what I do understand….
No one complains about all the times UDI goes above and beyond to support their customers.
When your ISY breaks and they replace it for free, no one complains.
When they spend hours supporting you via email for free, no one complains.
When they build hardware that last for years without breaking instead of designing through planned obsolescence, no one complains.
When they offer a portal service for a fraction of what other companies charge…again…no one complains
When the owner of the company makes decisions that help them stay in business so they can continue to support us for free, and bring us top of the line technology for a fraction of the other guys…no one complains.
So long story short, while it is disappointing and an inconvenience to have to migrate to a new weather service….I stand by UDI and ISY. And Shame on anyone who sends them an email requesting a refund. UDI, maybe it would help things if you started charging for annual support agreements instead of giving us unlimited and free lifetime support. I for one would be happy to pay.
February 14, 2020 @ 7:21 pm
Hi Michel,
Try to keep it professional. Nobody is suggesting that hardware replacements should be provided for life.
Like others have posted, my hardware still works so I expect my lifetime licensed modules to be supported. I absolutely agree that if/when I upgrade to a new model, I would need a new solution. I’m not there at this time.
I also understand if UDI has made a business decision to no longer support a particular module. This is perfectly fine as well as long as you have factored in fair compensation for ALL those that own the module.
My original post was only trying to point out that you can’t give a prorated refund on a lifetime license. A prorated refund would be a refund based on the percentage of the service that hasn’t been used. It is impossible to derive a percentage unused for a lifetime license.
Basically what I’m saying is that UDI should treat all owners of the module the same, regardless of when the module was purchased.
So I’m fine if the refund is $0 or $100 as long as all your customers are treated equally. This feels like being punished for being an early adopter and long standing customer.
Dwayne Peterson
February 15, 2020 @ 2:00 pm
Absolutely. Will all my things stay in place to start? If so I can get right on this! Thanks Michel
February 15, 2020 @ 2:04 pm
I just noticed this:
Upgrading from an ISY 4.x version to this version may require a lot of manual intervention including verifying scenes, programs and program settings are correct. The 5.x ISY firmware and the data files it uses has changed drastically from 4.x
Yikes.
February 15, 2020 @ 7:48 pm
Garrett,
You will have to upgrade eventually.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 16, 2020 @ 9:30 am
Trying to consolidate these requirements….
If I understand correctly, to get weather on my isy994i running v4.7.3 where I’ve be using the weather module:
1. Upgrade isy994i to v5.0.16 RC1
2. Set up polyglot cloud
3. Install openWeatherMap node server in polyglot cloud
Am I missing or misunderstanding anything?
I am concerned about having to upgrade my reliable isy994i running v4 to v5 RC1 to replace the weather module functionality that is being discontinued. Is v5 now stable/GA? From the firmware forum, I see that “Upgrading from an ISY 4.x version to this version may require a lot of manual intervention”.
Thanks,
Chris
February 16, 2020 @ 2:38 pm
I’ve very much appreciated the reliability and simplicity of my ISY/Climate Module combo, as well as the fast and helpful support I’ve had from UDI over many years. Thank you!
But WOW…this announcement is a huge kick in the gut! Apart from the trauma of finding out that I’ve paid for something that I thought I could depend on to hum quietly in the background and take care of the things for a lifetime, and now it’s just vanishing, I simply don’t have the time to learn, implement, and test everything that I think needs to be done in order to change over to a replacement/s by 3/31. And this announcement does not set me onto a clear and simple step-by-step path (with plenty of hand-holding) for how to migrate from here to there.
I rely heavily on my ISY/Climate Module combo for control and automation of multiple aspects of my home and garden that depend on current and predicted weather parameters. I’ve put 100’s of hours into learning, programming, and optimizing the setup and I’m not on even v5 yet. Doing it all over again and testing it thoroughly so I don’t have costly failures, all in a matter of just a few weeks, with all the new concepts, acronyms, and jargon I’d need to learn and understand, is out of the question for me. I just don’t have that kind of time available.
I can understand that your business is being adversely impacted by the fees your vendors have started to charge, and I’d rather see UDI thrive as a successful long-term business. But I need much more time to make this change, and I need a much clearer pathway (with plenty of hand-holding) for what specifically I need to do to leave my Climate Module behind.
HELP!!
February 16, 2020 @ 3:19 pm
Dwayne, don’t understand your comment vis-a-vis “Try to keep it professional”. My question is very simple: would you be as upset if we stop supporting ISY994 and the climate module along with it? And, just so that I understand, you would feel happier had you purchased your module within the last 6 months and got $0?
With all due respect, the decision stands. I am so sorry that you feel betrayed.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 16, 2020 @ 3:22 pm
Hi Chris C,
You got it. 5.0.16 is RC = Release Candidate and very stable. Although intimidating, the migration is not that difficult. And, you can always revert to 4.7.5.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 16, 2020 @ 3:26 pm
Hi Justin,
I totally empathize. Please start by upgrading to 5.0.16. As I mentioned, we will reconsider the end date/time. But, it will eventually stop. With regard to instructions: if you don’t have MobiLinc Connect, then the process is simple: setup ISY Portal, install one of the climate services from Polyglot (through ISY Portal).
With kind regards,
Michel
February 16, 2020 @ 5:02 pm
So I plunged into the upgrade to 5.0.16 even though not an official release (guys make sure you do a clean backup, Generate a Topology (under tools) and follow the instructions to a “T”) . I still had issues with my z-wave translating over. I did a synchronize to fix that then I had to rename all them again. Thank God I saved the Topology Table so I could cut and paste what I had before.
Now I understand to get my weather I have to go buy a Polisy at minimum of $329 for the basic unit to just get my weather back for all my devices that use the climate module today. It’s winter here and we use the temperature and outside humidity to control my inside whole house humidifier. This will not get fixed by 3/31. In the summer we use the weather for the irrigation.
No I can’t use Polyglot cloud because I use MobiLinc Connect for all my mobile devices and in house keypads.
I appreciate everyone’s comments here how UDI has supported them over the years and offered them free hardware and upgrades. That is great but that is news to me it was ever an option I was aware of from them. I have purchased all of my hardware including upgrades from the first ISY99 unit that was end of life. Also replacements that died out of warranty.
What am I missing here on a clean inexpensive climate module replacement?
February 16, 2020 @ 5:14 pm
Jimmy,
RPi is very cheap.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 19, 2020 @ 4:47 pm
Ok… a question not related to refunds or the weather – but about the Polyglot-Cloud that is supposed to be the new thing we should be using now.
Is it possible to only install node servers from the store? Or can I install my own ones, too? If so, how?
In particular, I’d be interested in installing homebridge…
Is that even technically possible?
(I’d like to use Siri instead of Alexa to control ISY scenes – because I don’t like screaming across the house every time when I need light…)
Thanks for any hints
February 19, 2020 @ 4:50 pm
Georg,
HomeBridge is not cloud based. So, no, you cannot. You can, however, join our developer community and make node servers that a) can be included in the store and b) run on Polisy as well as RPi.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 23, 2020 @ 11:24 am
Michel,
Trying to follow your instructions on using the RPi. Purchased a kit on Amazon and installed Polyglot. Got that running and nodes connected but I do not see the “Node Servers” menu tab in ISY admin console. Trying to find instructions on this and found the link to NodeLink_Setup.pdf and it talks about needing “Network Module” installed. Do I need to purchase that module now to replace the climate module?
Jim
February 23, 2020 @ 11:26 am
Hi Jimmy, you need either the ISY Portal or the Network Module. Please follow the instructions in the article and send your information to our sales dept.
With kind regards,
Michel
February 23, 2020 @ 11:39 am
Michel,
As I stated earlier I can’t use ISY Portal (therefore can’t use the cloud version so I am stuck buying hardware and now the Network Module. According to my account I purchase the Climate Module in 2015 so I guess I get $0 credit to purchase the module I need to replace the Climate Module.
It would be nice to see UDI in this case swap out the modules especially since I had to purchase hardware to fix the UDI decision to cancel the lifetime Climate Module.
Jim
February 23, 2020 @ 11:40 am
Jimmy, please send your information to our sales department and we’ll consider.
With kind regards,
Michel
April 11, 2020 @ 10:26 am
It is now April 11 and the Climate module is still updating. I haven’t done anything, Is this just a last gasp before it dies? Or is some magic happening because I have the Portal installed?
Thanks
April 12, 2020 @ 12:25 pm
Tom, we have extended the expiration to 05/01.
With kind regards,
Michel
April 30, 2020 @ 11:37 am
All this is very confusing. The climate module is going away. I understand replacements exist with Polyglot? I watched videos and I don’t understand. I have to setup RasberryPi? What exactly is Polyglot? I use the ISY Portal and the Desktop app, that’s it. Am I missing something?
April 30, 2020 @ 12:10 pm
Jason, please read the response to Jimmy Stewart.
With kind regards,
Michel
July 12, 2020 @ 2:39 pm
I guess I’ve been living under a rock! My climate module just stopped a couple of days ago and my lawn and flowers are dead…well not quite yet. Today I opened up my Admin Console to find out what was wrong and the climate module wants me to confirm an uninstall! A quick search brought me here and to the shock that I now have another project that I don’t need! I have two ISY systems that I have been using for many years and am in the process of installing home automation with an ISY in a friend’s house. Support has always been amazing and although I understand why the module went away I’m concerned that I never had clue until the lawn started turning brown. I expect there will be many other customers with this same issue in the next few days. Which rock was I supposed to be looking under to find out about this! I am subscribed to UD forums that I have contributed to and receive emails, even one today but not a word about this.
Thanks,
Bob
July 12, 2020 @ 3:13 pm
Bob,
I am sorry to hear. But we did send 3 different emails. Please make sure you subscribe to Product News and Announcements in your account (https://www.universal-devices.com/my-account).
With kind regards,
Michel
July 12, 2020 @ 4:19 pm
Thanks Michel for the quick reply! (as usual, great support) I just created a portal login to be able to post here and when I checked the link you sent I found that I am subscribed by default. Two birds with one stone!! Not sure why I didn’t get the emails bu it should be fixed now.
Now to choose the path to getting my weather working again…
Bob
July 12, 2020 @ 4:26 pm
Michel,
I just noticed that my “new” account does not reflect any of my “old” account. Any insight on how to merge or update my old account? Old account was BobMic and the new account is BMicheletti. Sorry to be a problem child but I guess I now have two accounts…Oops!
Thanks,
Bob
July 12, 2020 @ 4:43 pm
Hi Bob, yes, please send both your email addresses to support@universal-devices.com and we’ll merge them.
With kind regards,
Michel
July 13, 2020 @ 12:00 pm
Hi Michel,
Thanks for the help with the accounts. I upgraded to 5.0.16c without issue from 4.7.3. I just followed the instructions on the forum. I don’t have any Zwave devices yet so can’t comment on that. Step one to replacing the climate module complete…
Thanks,
Bob
July 13, 2020 @ 12:28 pm
Thanks so very much for the update Bob.
With kind regards,
Michel
July 21, 2020 @ 12:39 pm
I’m in the same situation as Bob Micheletti. I have been using ISY994i / 4.7.5 successfully for years, but Climate module has stopped working and my lawn is dying. I have no idea what a Polisy or Polyglot is or are and I have little spare time to do any research
July 26, 2020 @ 8:44 am
Same situation than Bob and William.
First of all , I did not ask how much you were paying for the LIFETIME SERVICE I bought from you, so now I can not understand why you cancel it when you taken my money for a service you discontinued later on.
Also, you are not providing a clear guide of how to get the substitution service working. And in my personal opinion , you must provide to your customers all need it hardware and software to substitute the LIFETIME service you sold them before.
July 26, 2020 @ 1:32 pm
Julio,
Thank you for the copy/paste of your support ticket. At this juncture, I let you copy/paste my response as well.
With kind regards,
Michel