brians

Hi, I had an old install of Homebridge and working with rodtoll ISY pluginfor years, but my install didn't support the new Homebridge UI. I wanted to add more things to Homebridge and had to upgrade. What I decided to do is delete old Homebridge and start brand new. I installed on a Raspberry pi which is very simple, then I connect to the web interface which is installed by default. To get ISY working I noticed a new plugin by @pmouli. The setup was easy but this is not very good experience. Aside from changing the way the config works, more importantly he dropped support for Z-Wave so my lock and other lamp switches do not work. Considering his last update was Aug 2020 I don't expect anything more from this. It is important to note that the original rodtoll plugin worked flawless for me for years. I tried a new one Homebridge ISY Njs by @njs75 which is a fork of the original from rodtoll. Doesn't appear has changed anything except named njs for now but this at least has some hope of ongoing support. I probably could have used the original rodtoll one but chose this one. I was able to use my old config but I had to exclude the homebridge portion etc. due to the way the new gui handles configs. Here is my config to paste in which someone can use just change IP address and password... The Ignores also can be changed to how you use ISY - I use to exclude Keypadlinc buttons and other devices I don't want in Homekit. I don't want to see and slave switches and I have them named in ISY eg. Hallway Slave so this Ignores those. { "platform": "isy-njs", "host": "192.168.x.x", "username": "admin", "password": "yourpasswordhere", "elkEnabled": false, "useHttps": false, "includeAllScenes": false, "name": "isy-njs", "includedScenes": [ "123456" ], "garageDoors": [ { "address": "11 D8 13 1", "name": "Garage Door", "timeToOpen": 12000 } ], "ignoreDevices": [ { "nameContains": "Slave", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "Garage Door Switch", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLA", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLB", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLC", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLD", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLE", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLF", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLG", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KLH", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KB", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KG", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "KH", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "TriggerLinc", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "Pump", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "ZW ", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "foo use this to delete items", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" }, { "nameContains": "Master Bedroom Fan", "lastAddressDigit": "", "address": "" } ] }

Is it possible to take this into account when writing updates? In my case there is a ZW device that I had unplugged/offline which causes this, so not sure why it affects updating an Insteon switch just because some other device doesn't have updates. Anyways, it seems that a workaround is to temporarily disable any device with 1011 icons which will make updates faster.

If your Raspberry Pi is not stable then you either have a defective Pi, or are doing something wrong.

I agree, I switched from Google to Amazon last year (Google was first to Canada which is why I used first).

Sorry you are correct. I got confused with spokens which are used by MobiLinc but not by isy portal.

As far as I understand you have to manage the rooms within Google (same with Amazon Alexa groups). ISY room naming is only used by MobiLinc. Has something changed? lilyoyo1 says it is working for him. I don't used Google anymore but am curious.

I just moved over to a pi from a Windows 7 VM I have been using for a while...all went perfect - Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Buster Lite. I just copied over the config.xml (I also run Polyglot on it with no issues in case people want to know if can run both).

I use pushover and found that the pushover nodeserver was a bit of work to setup and the instructions are not very clear - took me an hour or so of trial and error before I got it working. I then found the instructions for network resource method and use that instead because it is much simpler and more flexible. I was used to having notifications for HomeKit (via homebridge) but I want to wean myself off HomeKit so looking for an alternative I found pushover. One thing those instructions for ISY don't say is you can add is &title (which the nodeserver seems to add). It makes the notification much better. body to 'token=#Application Token#&user=#User Key#&message=Test Notification' Just change the end and put a &title in there, this is an example of end of one of mine &title=Front Door&message=Locked You can also use variables etc. in message. For example one program can show status and user number of my Yale lock with one program could handle lock/unlock: &title=Front Door&message=${sys.node.ZW008_1.ST} User:${sys.node.ZW008_1.USRNUM} Does anyone know if there is a variable for the calling program name? Then I could make one notification NR for multiple things.

Different revisions of Insteon switches behave differently with the backlight level setting. The most recent dual band seem to be ok entering a percentage, but an older V5.2 2476S (ISY says v.37) with sense (I have 24 of these) pretty much any value will cause the backlight to turn off. I have to put in value of 0% for it to come on and a value like 1 or 2 to turn off (I use in program to turn them off at night in bedroom and I use 2 for some reason and I can't remember why). Some other higher values seem to make the LED go very dim but I didn't feel like going through all 100 values to test. I don't like the default brightness on new switchlincs - think its too bright. It is a challenge to make the LEDs look sorta same with different switch revisions. I had it figured out before but forgot so now I am experimenting again and determine 5% in a new switchlinc seems to match the older revision brightness of V5.2 set at 0%. But if I put in a value of 3% it jumps down to a very dim level. to 4% matches an older 2476D dimmer I have that I can't remember if I set backlight on it or not - but this new switch is replacing a V5.2 in a dual gang with this 2476D so I have it matching closer now with 4%. I will mention here, slightly off topic, but many of my V5.2 seem to be failing and in last year or so I have replaced 5 of them due to reliability issues with responding. I set another 2477D dual band v.41 at 12% to match a similar brightness as a V5.2 at 0. Very old versions of Insteon didn't allow backlight adjustment at all - it was something added in later on and seems took SmartHome a while before they added more levels rather than on/off. Pick a value that looks good... document it using Notes or some other means if you ever need to replace it or add another one and want same value.

Yes that works but I was trying to have option to just tell it to turn on/off the Bedroom Fan without specifying a speed and have it default to Low. I am going to try adding an additional "Bedroom Fan Low" along with "Bedroom Fan" and see what happens.

New FanLinc arrived yesterday and I installed last night. Seems to work good and fixed problem with old FanLinc not working on all settings. I made a mistake in ISY and replaced the new one with the old in ISY (backwards LOL) then spent an hour or so after fixing all my scenes, programs etc. New FanLinc says v.45 in ISY and on the label is Rev 3.1 4318. Fan still makes hum at low and med speed but that is not necessarily FanLinc's fault. I have Alexa spoken setup to turn fan and light on/off... works great except I have three spokens... "Bedroom Fan" (set to low speed scene), "Bedroom Fan Low", "Bedroom Fan Medium" and Alexa doesn't recognize the medium one and turns on "Bedroom Fan" unless I change first to something like "Bedroom Fan Low" or the medium spoken to something completely different. However it still recognizes the difference with "Bedroom Fan Hi" - that's an Alexa issue though probably something to do with too many similar devices and order of picking.

I took my failed EZFlora apart and seems to be a 2412 board. You think I should change the capacitors anyways - do these fail the same way as a 2413? Can I also take the Ez rain board and plug it into any other working plm or do the revisions have to be same as original?

I may try this. Mine just died. Just the two caps?

I just ordered another FanLinc after researching and no solution.

Here we can buy things like this.... https://www.amazon.ca/Universal-Ceiling-Receiver-Replacement-Complete/dp/B07DN7J16T/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Eogifee+Universal+Ceiling+Fan+Remote+Control+and+Receiver+Kit+Replacement+of+Hampton+Bay+Harbor+Breeze+Hunter+KUJCE9103+FAN-11T+FAN-53T+2AAZPFAN-53T+Kit&linkCode=gs3&linkId=ec71f17165cbc791f7887a0eb5839212&qid=1570668205&s=hi&sr=1-5 Should be simple for a Z-Wave manufacturer to take something like that and add Z-Wave control to it. https://www.amazon.ca/Enerwave-ZWN-RSM1-PLUS-Wireless-Control-Required/dp/B01G7OD3ME/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=zwave%2Bmicro%2Bswitch&qid=1570670413&s=hi&sr=1-4&th=1 This we need with a power output control for fan speed. It can work as simple fan on/off with light though and adjust speed via pull chain.

If it weren't for ISY I would have dropped Insteon a long time ago. UDI was able to take a mess of different Insteon versions and devices, along with all their bus and quirks, and make it work all together seamlessly... Insteon by itself, using Smart Home's controllers, is a disaster. I remember when I first got Insteon, I was trying to do a simple task like make two SwitchLinc dimmers have the LEDs dim level synchronized in a virtual 3-way configuration... there was no way in hell I could get that to work... but as soon as I redid everything with my ISY99i it was like magic. Since then I have a 994i and lots of Insteon. Last year I got the new Z-Wave module. In order to get my Schlage lock working, and to make reliable I had to purchase a couple Z-Wave plug in wall switches to act as repeaters. Before all this I that I had a HomeKit lock which was 100x easier to get working but I wanted one integrated into my ISY and only real option is Z-Wave. Now that I have Z-Wave I can easily add more switches but I would rather stick with Insteon for those because it is reliable (when it works). Z-Wave seems more suitable to add weird devices that Insteon doesn't support eg. my WaterCop water shut off device, more options for leak sensors etc. Having said all this, a Fan controller seems like it would be a good fit for a Z-Wave product and am surprised nobody has made one yet that works similar to Insteon FanLinc.

@zxplod Yes I have had PLM fail recently and discovered that an IOLinc, LampLinc dimmer, and ApplianceLinc, and EZFlora would no longer work. Tried doing manual resets and nope (think all the Insteon devices that use the plug-in design are flawed). I have been with Insteon since beginning and went through the micro switch recall/replacment. Most of my switchlincs are still single band but over the past couple years have replace about 10 of them (very old versions) that failed with dual band versions which I think are much more reliable. At this point I have about 40 Insteon devices and it is easier to just swap out the odd switch that fails rather than spend time introducing Z-Wave versions and redoing system. Couple rooms I have not done I will try some Z-Wave wall switches but anything that is in a scene I like sticking with Insteon.

My FanLinc failed a couple years ago... it only runs at High speed and anything else won't turn the fan at all. I can't be bothered to order a new one because of the price, high failure rates, and hoping that something else could be used, but there doesn't seem to be any other solution. I may order another one after all but I am frustrated with all the Insteon devices I have failing lately.

How do I access Polyglot cloud? Or is this still in beta?

My Ring Pro in Alexa app using Ring skill only allows a trigger by Motion, not when someone presses the button. Other reviews for the ring skill also mention this as a limitation. How are you doing this?

You can also try adding a message notification which may provide better troubleshooting rather than the voice to make sure your routines are triggering.

I had setup my old 2421 TriggerLinc several years ago in my newer ISY994i (had old ISY before). I bought that ISY994i in Jan 2014 so must have been around that time. I bought the 2421 in 2009 and I don't ever remember using it and can't remember if I ever had it tested on old ISY. I actually misplaced it because i never found a use for it but it stayed in my ISY994i config, and I just found last month in its original box. The battery still works in it and I was playing with it and seeing it update in ISY. However since it has not been used really this probably is not a very good example of its battery life but it has been sitting in box "working" for past 4 years.

I always wondered how MobiLinc does this to make slaves devices turn on/off when you are using the device to turn on/off rather than the group. Either there is some Insteon method they know which nobody else knows about (unlikely), or they have some specific code which handles this in mobilinc when it knows a device is part of a group. I solved by writing programs in the ISY for all my 3-way setups and lamplinc etc. which turn on/off the slaves if detect a light is turned on/off

Regarding announcement to multiple echos, I don’t have messaging option in actions. I just setup messaging by letting it access my contacts so maybe I have to wait for it to appear.

Because I don't intend on using them to playback music at all. I can buy around 3 dots for price of one Echo plus which give me more coverage to place more around the house. I only care about home automation. I don't really sit around and listen to music, but if I did then I would get a Sonos One. I am an Apple user and subscribe to Apple Music... at least with a Sonos One I could airplay to it and Sonos also supports Apple Music using Sonos app.