Insteon 2401LAL8 8-Button Change Kit for KeypadLinc, Light Almond

I bought this because it was so much cheaper than the white button kit. I think the reason for that is it doesn't show the keypadlinc lights through the buttons like the white kit does. Nothing in the product listing mentions that.The good news is you can turn this into a white 8-button faceplate for half the price of the white button faceplate if you already own a white six-button faceplate and 8 small white buttons. This faceplate comes apart into three pieces and the piece containing 8 clear buttons can fit onto the white trim pieces of a 6-button faceplate. Then you cover the clear buttons with white buttons and no more black is visible.As for the black buttons, I put a super-bright 100 lumen LED flashlight behind one of the buttons and still couldn't see light through it. I even tried carefully grinding the button as thin as possible with a dremel tool. It started at 1.12mm and I got it down to something around 0.3mm - so thin you can see the plastic flex by lightly pressing it - and still no light passes through. So the black buttons are seriously opaque. The only way to tell if a button is on or not is to look at the brightness of the light spilling around the edge of the button, and that's pretty much impossible except at night without too much light in the room.If you're feeling crafty, you might try drilling a hole in a black button, putting clear packing tape on the front of the button, and filling the hole with epoxy. When it's dry, remove the tape and you might have a reasonable looking clear portal to see the light through. I didn't try it, however.So, unless you want to drill or you have a room with 8 lights where you can see if all 8 physical lights are on or off, having 8 black buttons is pretty useless. The black buttons are also very glossy and reflective which makes the text impossible to read if daylight is shining on them from a bad angle, which it always seems to be where I have it installed.At least installation is easy. Remove two screws on your wall plate, then remove the wall plate. Remove four screws on old keypadlinc face plate (very small Phillips screwdriver required). Switch face plates, then screw back together. The installation instructions say to "wiggle" the old face plate off of the clear Set button but I had to pry off the bottom button labels before the Set button would slide through the faceplate. I later found that you can pull some of the frame behind the buttons off to make enough room to get the Set button out without removing button labels.To convert keypadlinc from 6 button to 8 button mode, pull out the Set button until it clicks and stays out, leaving all buttons dark. Wait 10 seconds. Hold the top left and bottom right keypadlinc buttons while pushing the Set button flush (don't push it all the way in). I think it beeps and then you can let go of top left and bottom right buttons. Check that all 8 buttons operate independently.

I made "the switch" to Keypadlincs this summer. Its no longer a contest for me of the value for the cost. Here is yet another reason:8 on / offs are better than 6.The standard keypad link comes with 6 buttons - 1 wide local load on button for the built in switch, on the top of the keypad 1 wide local load off button for the built in switch, on the bottom of the keypad 4 smaller programmable on/off buttons for insteon network functionsWith this kit, the 2 local load buttons can each be turned in to two buttons... adding four buttons to the controller for a total of 8. The upperleft button becomes the local load on and off. I was able to replace 2 gangs worth of leviton 4 button controllers with 1 gang of keypadlinc, still have 8 buttons plus a local load all. I also bought another kit to make lable buttons, it makes it easier to learn for the family.It actually makes more sense ergonomically too. My family was confused by wide local load buttons on the 6 key set.It took 2 minutes to open the package, remove the 6 button pad and replace with the 8 button pad. After you establish the keypad linc on your insteon network, there is a one time startup procedure to follow to tell the keypadlinc that its now an 8 button controller. That't it

Amazon is the best place to purchase Smarthome products because the return rate is about 10%. Between getting defective products to getting the wrong color, you need an online service like Amazon that is going to work with you to swap items/refund your money quickly. I had to return 2 Insteon Thermostats to Smarthome (for being defective) on Dec 7th, and I still have not be paid. Just spoke with Smarthome customer service and they are saying it could be as much as 2 more weeks before I see my refund. An Amazon return is much quicker (and easier). You might pay a couple dollars more for the Smarthome products (at times), but it's well worth it if there's a problem.

Easy to change the color of the buttons and surround of a KeypadLinc. A small screw driver (#0 philips) is required to remove the old surround and replace with the new one. Buttons snap on. Carefully read directions to avoid breaking plastic parts.You will not need this if you can make the right choice of KeypadLincs initially. Look for web sites that sell the color and the button config. that you need. Not all do this. The initial cost may be higher but should be about the same or less than buying the KeypadLinc and Change Kit separately.

I'm giving this a rating of 5 because of the quality of the product, and the outstanding customer service I've experienced through Amazon. I have purchase Insteon products directly from Smarthome, and had issues with prolonged refunds. It got to the point, I had to dispute the charge while waiting for my refund from Smarthome. This incident has since been cleared up, but I learned a valuable lesson. If it's expensive, and it's a Smarthome product, buy it through Amazon. The customer service is second to none!

I'm giving this a rating of 5 because of the quality of the product, and the outstanding customer service I've experienced through Amazon. I have purchase Insteon products directly from Smarthome, and had issues with prolonged refunds. It got to the point, I had to dispute the charge while waiting for my refund from Smarthome. This incident has since been cleared up, but I learned a valuable lesson. If it's expensive, and it's a Smarthome product, buy it through Amazon. The customer service is second to none!

Fit fine as they always do, high quality and always a pleasure to modify and use my Smart Home products.

Exactly what I expected and works as intended.