jec6613

I would use the Polyglot Ping module and have it ping my ISP's gateway. This means it won't get an erroneous reboot if the ISP has peering issues.

Aside: one thing I'd like either Insteon or a Z-Wave vendor to make is an ELV capable dimmer. The Lutron PD-5NE is the only DIY smart device on the market right now, and though it would be expensive, I'd purchase the heck out of an Insteon version of it.

The counter-argument to this of course is: what's really innovative out of Z-Wave that Insteon doesn't have already? About the only things I've seen are the Aeotec Wall Swipe and various sensors that offer more capability, but Z-Wave is seriously behind in a lot of areas. And the 240V load controllers and door lock controller that are now discontinued, of course. Insteon has both 2-wire and 3-wire dimmers, relays capable of 20A operation, both paddle and toggle style switches, DIN rail, micro modules, and in-line modules, all capable of true N-way operation. Think about that list for a second ... no Z-Wave manufacturer comes close. Even putting two or three together, Z-Wave is still behind, and some functions simply don't exist with Z-Wave at all. And that's not even considering the device limit. I have 214 Insteon devices, not counting the Z-Wave I have as well. That's far too many for a Z-Wave network to support without significant congestion.

I create a scene with just the controllers, assuming the sensors aren't controllers for another scene. Another alternative is to have one program with the sensors and OR statements, then reference it from other programs with an "If True" or park the state in a state variable set to 1 or 0. Edit: one other thing I've done is if the sensors support split nodes for On and Off, just link the On nodes to the scene, then have the off part in a program.

I played around a bit, and none seemed to adjust sensitivity. FWIW, my temperatures are pretty accurate for a PIR device, but I only pull temps for USB powered devices, and use good USB power sources for them.

That should be possible: simply wire them in series. Your hot coming into the box runs first to the micro module, then out of the load side of that into the existing fan controller, then out of that to the fan. Then wire your neutrals and grounds together. The micro module has constant power, and can provide or remove electricity to the fan controller using Insteon. Speed adjustment is only on the old fashioned fan controller.

Another really secure choice is to put a firewall between the ISY and everything else, and only allow certain known devices access on port 80. I do this at the VLAN level, so there are a few dozen devices that can hit port 80, all trusted, but you could create a tiny VLAN (/30 or so) and firewall it there.

Don't forward port 80 to the outside? The ISY accepts connections on both port 80 and 443, which are HTTP and HTTPS. I only allow HTTP inside of my LAN to reduce the SSL load on the tiny ISY CPU, and HTTPS only to the outside.

Another option to think about is the Ikea under cabinet lights, which can be equipped with either dumb drivers or their TRADFRI ZigBee drivers. You'll also need a Hue Hub at the moment as Polyglot doesn't support TRADFRI yet, you set the lights up on a TRADFRI hub, update the firmware, then move them to a Hue Hub, but they're purpose built under cabinet lights with local control.

I don't think a second ISY would be a wise choice. Now, a first one, that's a great idea. A great way for basic monitoring and triggering events, and it's bulletproof reliable compared to the other reasonably priced options. I'd put the well pump on a 240V load controller, and just kick it off when you leave - that will help with the freezing issues. The leak sensors are also good, as are remote temperature sensors. Go with a good thermostat, not Insteon: Honeywell or similar. Insteon RF will work pretty well on a generator, but once you're on generator you need a minimum load for the sine wave to be stable so powerline will not be reliable when you're away. I use a couple of 100W incandescent bulbs to soak the load on our home generator during the day, you may need more with such a low draw on generator power. So leak sensors and door sensors are good, the PLM is fine receiving RF, but the wired in devices you can't count on them working. Z-Wave for the load controller and leak sensors (and even thermostat) are also great options here. Now, your backup? Look up Sensaphone. It's a full second set of sensors that can auto-dial or otherwise alert when something goes wrong, even if it's your ISY going down. They're the industry standard in remote monitoring - usually the IMS4000 since we're monitoring server equipment, but any of it is really good for a property like this. I've never even heard of one going down, and since it's 100% different code and hardware the chances of both going down are almost nonexistent. Also, if you have a Generac or similar generator, look into running Genmon, which can tie into the ISY via Nodelink.

I'll echo others and say that it should work, but I would highly suggest putting the PLM within range of both systems individually if you can. This keeps the hop count to a minimum, at least.

I use IFTTT with a Schneider Electric Wiser Air thermostat for basic control, and the ISY only fires off a few things to it: 1) It will disable the HVAC and send an alert if the smoke alarms go off. This is the only condition which triggers an HVAC shut-down and it's very carefully programmed. 2) It moves between Home, Away, and Sleep programs based on both time of day and home/away status. It's controlled from keypads and the garage door sensor, and none of the programs are so out of whack as to cause problems. 3) If the outside temperature goes too high so that the cooling system is maxed out, it will raise the setpoint to allow the A/C some breathing room. 4) If the temperature sensors (built into USB powered motion sensors) in any part of the house exceed thresholds (55 degrees at the low end, 88 at the high end), it will send a notification to me so that I can take corrective action as required. So it's pretty simple: a basic setback program that responds to ISY state, and a manual shutoff tied to the smoke alarms. I'd actually like to also install a relay to the manual switched oil burner shutoffs in the event of a smoke alarm as well, but I'm still working on how to make that work and be code compliant and secure.

The In-Line module is a much beefier micro module. And all of the outdoor rated boxes of this type are PVC nowadays, but you can make an older metal one safe by grounding the box to both the grounding on the strip and to the upstream earth ground, easy peasy.

With grounded power, you'd need a wired in device to dim it... or, just grab a grounded to non-grounded converter plug for a few dollars, and wire the ground tab on it directly into a dummy plug, so the light is still grounded and just bypasses the dimmer. It's perfectly OK to do that and still provides you the grounded protection. Since it's on the end of an extension, you can pick up a weaterproof extension junction box and put it all in there. They're $20-$30 on amazing, and your cords go in, and things go out. Sure, you'll probably shorten the life of the dimmer module a bit because it's not designed for extremes of winter and summer, but they're cheap and if you blow it out in 3-4 years just throw in a new one. Alternatively, wire the whole thing with an In-Line dimmer into a weatherproof box contraption of your own making using standard outdoor boxes. The In-Line dimmer is much more durable than a micro module, and the boxes are cheaper, but it's a bit more work to put together. Nothing wrong with either approach.

At this point, SD cards are cheap and your config is wiped anyway, I'd replace it.

If it's not getting the first command, it's due to network noise almost always. Something on your electrical is throwing noise and causing the troubles. I have that issue for one switch, and for the life of me I can't figure out why just that one since the other one of the 3-way pair works 100%, but if I increased the retries it works fine.

When I did my search, I found that Tripp-Lite and StarTech both make them in 6' in black, but none in 10'. Of course, with a bit of careful work with a Dremel or similar, you could just cut a new hole in the battery cover and use a straight USB cable.

You can also use a dimming outlet and the existing wet in use cover if it's a plug-in fixture. If it's a permanent fixture, put a micro module or In-Line into a protected box (the In-line is almost certainly more durable outdoors).

For what it's worth, I'm waiting on the TRÅDFRI compatible blinds out of Ikea to come out, tentatively November 1st in the US. I'm not thrilled on the idea of a rechargeable battery since I have AC power right there, but the price is right and hopefully I'll be able to control them via a nodeserver, since they're ZigBee 3.0.

Smarthome has been shipping 2.4 at least since last year when I picked up my spare. They FIFO their inventory and is the best way to get a PLM for that reason: they go through them.

That's why I have filterlincs all over my house. I picked up a pile of them with the 50% off sales.

Right click on the device in the Admin Console and hit Restore Device. It erases and re-writes the EPROM so that it matches what's in the ISY database for the device.

If you're using an IOLinc with your sensor, you might want to restore it from the ISY just in case. I've found that I have to restore mine every year or so because it goes wonky being attached to the same circuit as the garage door motor load.

Network Resource. I use LiFX, because the lighting strips do not dim at the longer lengths I was using them for, but they are largely similar in compatibility. Older LiFX devices had some compatibility issues with multiple dual band WAPs, but the newer controllers have fixed those. I would choose to go with whichever system fits your lighting needs best, and for me that was LiFX, but for you may be different. There are also other systems with color change bulbs you could try as well, including some Z-Wave ones (Aeotec I believe has bulbs and strips) and I do have one caveat to bring up: LiFX is a larger security risk since it's more direct WiFi devices. It's not an issue for me, but I have them VLANed off and controlled access for them. For someone less savvy about networking, the Hue which use ZigBee or any of the Z-Wave devices may be better simply for that reason.

Yeah, and also to raise cash so that UDI can make a large enough production run initially to bring the per unit cost to reasonable levels. Not that I'm complaining though! You guys are a for profit business and I'll take any discount I can get.