iowaj

I recently replaced the ISY994i and have it up and running. I have some switches though that are still not working and have tried all advice I've found through the forum. I have obtained replacement switches, but before installing I want to be sure the firmware on new ISY is updated. The ISY has v.4.8.0 and I see that v4.9.0 is available. I am using a Mac with java v8 update 281. I have never been clear about how to update the firmware on the ISY and have searched for instructions but don't find them. Can anyone here instruct me how to do that? Thanks!

No, trust me, some of the earlier switches were defective and that was acknowledged about 10-11 years ago. Became impossible to turn the paddle switch on and off without touching them a certain way and then eventually stopped working completely. Smarthome stood behind them and replaced the 30+ switches, but I could find no electrician around at the time who would touch them. So, with wonderful help through this forum, I jumped in with both feet to learn the system, and replaced all those switches myself.

I am curious when you sold if you gave any instruction on the system and how many devices you actually had. I, too, hope we can sell with the system in place, but I don't want any followup on it other than passing info to access the ISY launcher for admin console. Speaking of that, I welcome any suggestions for passing that on to a new buyer.

I am going to speak from the buyer side as we inherited the system with our purchase of a large home with many, many Insteon switches and ISY. For the previous owner I think it was a fun hobby, and he did spend an hour or two explaining things. For us, it's been nothing but a headache and large expense. It's so frustrating to have key switches go bad when all you want to do is turn the light on and off. It was a huge learning curve to learn how to work the system, and without the help found here would likely have ripped everything out by now. We literally had 30+ defective insteon switches we managed to replace on our own when no electrician could be found that would work with them. That being said, when we sell this place, there is no way I'm taking anything with me nor taking out the many, many switches. So I will be curious what suggestions show up here for passing the system on to the next buyer.

I did restore device and factory reset then restore but still not working. Weird thing is when you pull out the tab, which I thought shut off power to switch, the light on switch continues blinking green. These switches worked prior to ISY replacement. They just became available again this morning, but I’d rather not shell out $50 for them.

After input here and help via ticket, I have replaced our ISY994i and PLM after a power outage issue. I restored from the most recent backup I have. However, I have some switches that are not working now or are working but cannot communicate with. A couple are on/off switches that control fans. These are load switches that worked before and quit working after ISY and PLM replacement. Any suggestions? I see Insteon On/Off switches are not available and seem to have been discontinued. Any word on their status. If all else, I will simply replace with a non programable paddle switch. And if a switch is working, shouldn't I be able to delete from ISY and then add back to system, clearing any links in the switch as I do? I have attempted to do this via ISY but can't seem to get this to work. Thanks for any input! Hoping to possible sell this place soon, I am finding the lighting system to be a frustrating and expensive ordeal.

I went back through troubleshooting steps to see if I had missed something but haven't found anything. On my old Macbook Pro I had an icon on the desktop labeled ISY994i.jnlp that I used to access the Admin Console. I've tried that one, too. The Universal Devices logo pops up midscreen, but then nothing. I have cleared Java cache, etc. I really need to get back into the lighting system as we now have some wacky things going on with it I need to fix. Any help appreciated!

Thanks. I had already been through those troubleshooting steps with no success. And back in October it was suggested I replace the PLM. I did but was still in safe mode so next step was going to be new controller. My old computer was so slow so decided to upgrade before taking next steps. Still no success accessing the admin console though.

Hi, I posted here in October that we had been gone for a month and a half and I could only get Admin Console to come up in safe mode. It was suggested after trying a few things, including replacing the PLM that likely the ISY-994i Controller needed to be replaced. At the same time, I was limping along with an old MacBook Pro. I have finally replaced the laptop with a new MacBook Pro and had hoped today to try again. First, I cannot get access now to the Admin Console. I tried these instructions given in another post: Instructions: 1. Clear your Java Cache 2. Go to https://isy.universal-devices.com/start.jnlp 3. Click on the desired ISY row and, from the menu, choose the Admin Console or the Dashboard This brings up the blue UD symbol on my screen, but then nothing happens. No desired ISY row to click. Just goes back to my home screen. I figured once I got Admin Console access, I'd see if it was still in safe mode and then move on to getting help with replacing the ISY994i controller. I know when I upgraded to that before I was able to schedule an appointment with someone who kindly walked me through the steps. I'm pretty new at all of this and not too tech (inherited the system with house purchase) so really appreciated the help. Can anyone tell me what I can do to access the Admin Console and then move forward with help? Much appreciated!

Just unplug the ISY only and plug back in to reboot? Not the PLM? And by serial port are you referring to port A? And if so, does that suggest I need to purchase another ISY? Thanks! I'm pretty new to all the lingo.

Going that route shows the PLM status as: 0.0.0 v0 / Not connected

The old PLM and the new PLM have different Insteon ID’s. I haven’t gotten to a point to restore PLM since it’s in safe mode. Not sure why they’d ever have the same ID? So is the only next step replacing the ISY?

Tried another cable the appropriate length from PLM to to Port A. Ugh! Still comes up in safe mode. I'm curious and just don't remember...should the PLM feel cool to the touch when plugged in or does it get warm. Both the one I am replacing and one purchased are very warm when plugged in. Just made me wonder if the new one I purchased on Amazon was not exactly new. I think testing the PLM as mentioned above is a bit too technical for me. So....what next step do you suggest? Anything besides just replacing the more expensive ISY994i? Anyone??? I’d really like to get my system up and running.

Not sure what you mean on the ports. Am still a newbie to a lot of terminology here. Again, router ISY was plugged in to was definitely not working. As advised above, I plugged the ISY into a known working router and was able to access the system thru Admin console but said it was in safe mode. To replace the PLM with the new one, I did the following: unplugged isy from power outlet unplugged plm from isy and power outlet connected isy port A to new plm plugged in new plm to power outlet plugged in isy to power outlet logged in to admin console but system booted up in safe mode I have checked all cords to be sure they are firmly plugged in. And when this happened, I repeated the process but still get system in safe mode message.

I have a new PLM (v 2.5) and went thru the steps from the link above to swap out. However, when I log into the ISY I am still getting the running in safe mode message. I have not done Restore PLM yet. Is it abnormal to get the safe mode message at this step in the process? Thought I'd confirm before continuing. I assume I can't Restore because there is no communication at this point. Next steps?

I unplugged both and then plugged PLM in, waited 30s and plugged ISY in. Logged back in thru Admin console and still says its in safe mode. PLM was purchased Dec 2018 so just a bit under 2 yrs ago. Should I assume it’s defective? If so, I see a new one on Amazon for $58.46 which appears to be a good price. Can I use same power supply? And once new one arrives do I just plug in same order as above and go or do I need to restore from backup? Thanks for your assistance!

Just to be clear, how do you know when the PLM has fully booted up?

Thanks! I did and was able to access. But now I have the “Your system is in safe mode” error so isn’t communicating with PLM. How do I check that and do I need to backup system first or can I even do that with PLM not communicating? I appreciate you walking me through this.

I do not remember what version of the software was running. I still have the icon on my computer that I have always used to connect. When I right click it says it came from here if that is helpful: http://isy.universal-devices.com/994i/4.6.2/admin16.jnlp But the router the system connects to is not working. I do know how to get into the router, but I don't think I can if I can't connect to it. Can I just unplug and connect the system to a router that is working? Programs are definitely not running as I have an evening light program and lights don't come on.

I was gone for about 3 months. Upon return, I find our connection to the ISY994i is down. The router it is running through appears to not be working. I have another router available to connect the system to but am not sure if there is something I need to do to make that transfer. Kind of a newbie at all of this. The system was installed by previous owner though with help here have managed to upgrade some. But I really don't mess with the system much until it has issues. I'd sure appreciate any help in getting the system up and running again. Thanks!

Problem solved! You think I would have noticed that the on level was 0%. Never had that one happen before so didn't even think to look at it. Thanks!

I replaced a switch that had gone bad after trying suggestions listed in another topic I posted. At the same time I decided to replace an 8 button switch right next to it that has repeatedly had an issue. I am now having the same problem with these 2 new switches that I had when replacing a 6 button switch a few days ago. The ISY recognizes both switches and made the swap through the admin console. The Insteon and Firmware are both the same, V4.6.2. I can turn the switches on and off manually, and if on I can turn off via the admin console. But I cannot turn then on via the admin console and assume the programming I have with them is not going to work. I have not had an previous communication issues with the old switches that were there. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Thanks all for your input. This switch did have an air gap button and tried all the advice above that I could but appears the switch failed. I have replaced it along with an 8 button switch beside it that has been giving me issues off and on. Decided if I was dealing with one I'd deal with both. However, I have a new issue similar to a recent one I posted. The ISY recognized both the new 8 button switch and dimmer switch I installed. Firmware and UDI are both version 4.6.2. I was able to replace the old switch with the new ones added using the admin console. While it appears the ISY recognizes both switches and that they were programmed correctly with the swap, I cannot control either switch using the admin console. I assume the programming will not end up working either. Suggestions? Up until recently I have never had an issue swapping switches.

A couple of nights ago at the time a program was scheduled to turn on outside lights, I had one of the programmed switches go crazy. I first noticed the porch light turning on and off repeatedly and quickly and noticed the switch was doing the same. I pulled out the tab at the bottom for a few seconds but when letting go it continued the on/off cycle. I pulled out then pushed in all the way for several seconds, and this seemed to totally take out the switch. The ISY can no longer communicate with it so no way to restore, etc. It seems there is power to the switch as the bottom light on the side is on, but seems dead as no action when operating switch. Is there anything else I can do or do I just need to replace the switch?

Thanks for this response. We did have one company pushing wireless on us because they said it was the best, latest thing to work with new technology. I was skeptical and also questioned whether wireless would interfere with ISY hence my initial question. All of the system we currently have is hardwired. It is just missing a few key pieces and am not sure why the previous owner failed to wire those. I am also told by a couple of companies we can use the wiring we have for existing devices to connect into a new system and simply add 2 or 3 wireless devices needed to complete the system along with a cellular device for monitoring. We would have to replace the brains and keypads if switching over to a company that will monitor it. .