GDavis01

Stu... Thanks. I will order the micro module and then try to install it when I am next up here. Yes there is a neutral to the warning light.

Brian... I assume that you mean a resistor for that particular photocell.. Wouldn't there be another photocell that would in fact be sensitive enough to react to the warning light and lower the sensor voltage below 1VDC? When I use this particular photocell and a small flashlight (instead of the warning light) I get a 4+VDC reading when the light is not on the photocell but when I move the light towards the photocell at about 0.9VDC the Sensor switches to ON on the ISY. Although the Sensor Status Light turns green at about 3VDC, this seems to have no bearing at all on when the ISY sees the change! It seems that a photocell with the ability to yield a sensor voltage of less than 1VDC when the warning light is ON and anything above 1 VDC when the warning light is off is enough of a range to trigger the Sensor on the ISY. This suggests to me that the light sensitivity of the photocell is not acute enough and I would think that there must be others that are more sensitive... however, as I think that it might be a laborious task finding the right one, I am heading down the Micro Module path for now.

Not really understanding the complexities of why the photocell I have been trying will not work with a parallel resistor... I do get the point that it won't work. As I see it, simplistically, the warning light is not bright enough to bring down the voltage to a level below 1VDC which is where the IO Linc is triggered. I would assume that I might eventually find a photocell that could handle the level of light coming from the warning light on the sump-guard but it might require a lot of hit-and-miss to find the right one!! It is unfortunate because it did seem like a simple solution. So I am now considering the suggestion from Stu... the Micro Module. Am I correct that the correct model is the INSTEON 2443-222 MICRO ON/OFF MODULE? To help with the reply I am attaching 2 pictures... the Outside and the Inside wiring of the sump-guard box {You will note that there is a wire with an orange wire nut, on the right side of the Inside picture. When I opened the box, I thought that the power was off (didn't realize that there was a separate dedicated power line coming straight into the box!). Unfortunately the power wire to the TEST switch was loose and fried the switch!} Not being familiar with the Micro module I would appreciate suggestions on how I would connect the device within the box.

I'm back at my vacation home and I just tried the photocell on the sump-guard warning light... Using black electric tape, I placed the photocell over the warning light and the other end to an IO Linc. The sensor didn't go to ON when I switched on the test button! The Sensor Status Light turned green when the test button was switched on, and remained unlit when the test button was off. This is what I expect should happen. I connected an Outdoor On/Off Module to the IO Linc to verify that the communications were working. Using Mobilinc on my phone I was able to turn the Outdoor module ON and OFF, meaning that communications to the IO LInc are okay. I measured the voltage: when the Sensor Status Light was OFF --> 4.1vdc; when the Sensor Status Light was ON --> 2.25vdc. Does this mean that I need to install a resistor in parallel with the photocell? If so what type / size resistor? Any other thoughts?

Brian... Thank you. I will try this next weekend when I am at the vacation home.

Brian... Thanks. I like the photocell idea. I quickly tried the concept with an unused photocell I had hanging around, from a low voltage landscaping transformer, and one of my I/OLincs from my garage. Using a flashlight I was able to set the Sensor to ON. As long as the flashlight was aimed at the photocell the sensor was ON and as soon as I turned the flashlight off the sensor went to OFF. The question is, I think, will the warning light from the sump-guard provide enough light to trigger a consistent ON for the sensor. I guess I will only find out by trying. With respect to the use of a resistor in the attached link, you provided, what is he attaching the voltmeter to when measuring his 5VDC when the washer was off or how should I measure the VDC's to determine if I need to use a resistor?

Thanks for the replies... it appears that the IO Linc low voltage unit is not a workable solution and that the SynchroLinc is only a possibility! I am not familiar with the Micro Modules... am I correct Stu that you are suggesting the INSTEON 2443-222 MICRO ON/OFF MODULE? Does this mean that the RF signals would be completely lost or significantly reduced? I would plan to have a dual band Switchlinc dimmer switch within 15-20 feet of the sump guard, although the switch would be inside, and the sump guard is outside and enclosed in a wooden structure. Given that the module is dual band is it fair to say that I should be able to rely on the power line communications if the RF signal is not sufficient? I know that I cannot provide the layout of the sump guard's electronics at this time, but conceptually how would you suggest I connect this Micro Module? (I have been unsuccessful in finding a schematic so far... next weekend I will open up the box and take a few pictures)

Here is the attachment (I think!) P500-1.pdf

Attached is a pdf file for the sump-guard unit. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of information provided. I have sent an email to the manufacturer asking for more details, but I haven't received a reply yet. Teken... your suggestion to consider the Synchro Linc is an interesting one. I understand how the unit works with a TV but would it work with this type of unit too? I would think (and perhaps incorrectly!) that this unit would be 'always on' monitoring the water level and when the float triggers an issue some level of voltage is sent to the horn/buzzer... LeeG... as you can see form the attached pdf the system runs on 120v... does this follow that the signal to the horn/buzzer is also at that voltage?

I have recently purchased a vacation home which currently has a sump guard installed as part of the septic system (there is a holding tank at the back of the house which works on gravity; once the tank reaches a certain level the pump activates and pushes the fluid up through the pipes to the actual septic tank which is 200 feet above. The sump-guard alerts when there is a high liquid level within the holding tank). The sump guard is installed outside, but inside an enclosure, at the rear of the house. It monitors the level in the septic holding tank. My issue is that I would like to be notified if the alarm goes off . The current alarm is not, in my opinion, very loud (most likely because its at the back of the house and inside the enclosure). Furthermore since I am only there periodically I would like to be notified remotely if there is a problem. I am thinking that I should be able to connect an IO Linc low voltage unit to the sump guard, which would allow my system to send me an email/text when the alarm is triggered. I have not tried taking apart the sump guard unit but does it make sense that I should be able to simply connect the sense wires to the same connection as the alarm horn/buzzer? Would this generally be a low-voltage connection?

Thanks for the replies... Prior to receiving them I decided to delete the sensor and then reinstall it. After this I was able to see the Wet got to ON when I wet the device whereas before I wasn't able to do so! I will try the suggestion to place it near the PLM for the next day or so and see what happens.

I have set up the programs for a new Leak Sensor and I am having some problems. I keep receiving the notification that my sensor is missing the heartbeat (#2)! I am guessing that it may be a communications issue, however I am unsure as to how to debug this! The Leak Sensor - Dry shows as ON; the Leak Sensor - Wet shows as OFF; and the Leak Sensor - Heartbeat shows as ON. If I move the Leak Sensor close to say the PLM to ensure proper communications is there a procedure to test the unit? I tried getting it wet without success! I tried pressing the set button with no apparent change! I am somewhat confused by this little device!

Before I submit a ticket to support I thought that I should look into the Certificates issue, which I have ignored up until now, on both my ISY installations. I followed the WiKi instructions as I understand them and now I think I have Self Signed Certificates on both machines... Interestingly opening the Dashboard file (dashboard.jnlp... note that for some reason when I first ran this file I received a message that it was unable to create a desktop icon!) brings up the ISY Finder. Now when I click on the http:// addresses, that I previously added, I am able to get into the remote ISY's Dashboard! A few questions on the Certificate instructions... - The WiKI shows the HTTPS Server Settings as TLS 1.2 with a low strength and the HTTPS Client Settings as TLS 1.0 with a high strength... are these the recommended settings or simply examples? If they aren't the recommended settings what is recommended? - Am I correct that when setting up the SSL Certificate that I should use my local IP address as the Host Name and then fill everything else in as the example shows (Org = UDI; Org Unit = ISY; Locality = Encino; State = CA; Country = US; and Key Strength = 2048)? And do I do exactly the same for both the Server and Client? - Do I also have to create a SSL Certificate for my DDNS / WAN IP address? I doubt it but I am trying to cover all bases... Two questions related to using the Dashboard on the remote ISY... can I upgrade that ISY's Firmware remotely? why does that ISY give me a message saying that version 4.2.30 is available instead of 4.3.1? Can I go straight from 4.2.18 to 4.3.1? I also realized something else going through this exercise... I now no longer have the ISY Admin Console icon on my desktop! I received a similar message to the Dashboard one where it said that it could not create the icon on my desktop (and actually deleted it!)! So now I have to bring up the ISY Finder by clicking on the file admin.jnlp. The good news is that when I do this my local Admin Console no longer opens automatically and I am presented with the ISY Finder box only. Now when I double click on the remote ISY's http:// address I am able to log into the Admin Console. It appears that once ISY Finder opens an Admin Console it has to be closed before it can open another one... so earlier when my local Admin Console was automatically opened ISY Finder could not open any other instance! Now when I try to add the https:// address for the remote ISY into ISY Finder I only get the 'Not Found' error message. I presume that the SSL Certificate set up has reduced the errors. Am I correct in presuming that I should be able to use the https:// address within ISY Finder?

A double tap (or click) in ISY Finder, on the http:// addresses of the remote ISY, does nothing!

The remote ISY is not on a Beta. It is currently on version 4.2.18. My local ISY is on version 4.3.1. Am I supposed to be using different ISY Finder applets for these two versions? The ISY Admin Console icon opens up the ISY Finder and my local ISY Admin Console. When I go to the actual ISY Finder and try to add in my remote ISY's DDNS address https://mycottage.ddns.net:443(not my real address!) or the actual address (https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:443) I get a series of errors as follows: XML Parse Error https://address/desc Socket Open Failed javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException:Remote host closed connection during handshake Not Found However I am able to add the same addresses using http://! Any ideas on why the https:// addresses are not recognized? I am still able to log into the remote ISY using the https:// addresses when I go the browser route! With respect to the ISY Finder... how do I actually launch the remote Admin Console once I have an address added? The Admin Console for my local ISY is automatically launched when I click on the Admin Console icon on my desktop but I haven't figured out how to launch the remote ISY's Admin Console from the ISY Finder (even using the http:// addresses)!

I am using Safari! What do you mean by this? Is this the admin.jnlp file? If so how do I set this up for a remote ISY connection? Whenever I run the file it opens up my local ISY Admin Console!

I am on an iMac running Yosemite. As I understand it the older versions issue is a Windows issue. However, I did delete Java from the iMac and then I reinstalled it. I am no longer getting the error saying that Java is out of date... but I am still not able to get to the Admin Console! After I click on the Admin Console button a browser page opens which shows the Universal Devices logo and the message "Please Keep This Windows Open!". Normally I see the Java logo below and the progress of it loading before the Admin Console opens. However, now instead of the Java logo I am getting a box with "Error. Click for details". When I click I get another box: Application Error ClassNotFoundException com.univeraldevices.client.ui.UDClientApplet.class

I have two installations (home & cottage) and up until a few minutes ago I was able to log into the cottage ISY, from my home computer, and then startup the Admin Console. However now when I try, I can still log into the remote ISY but when I try to open the Admin Console I get the message that "Your Java version is out of date." I had already updated my Java version on my home computer to version 8 Update 51 just prior to this problem starting! This is the same version that the message is suggesting that I should update my computer with! I have also confirmed that my computer is in fact running this version of Java! Any thoughts?

Here is the table (Thanks for the explanation on how to attach the file)

Is there a way to attach a spreadsheet table in this forum? If so can someone please direct me to the procedure...

Edit... the pasting of a spreadsheet didn't work at all!! I have removed the table and will have to figure out how to put it in correctly! No I do not have the latest units with dual LED's. Until you raised the issue I didn't realize that the 4-tap test could be applied to any dual band module! Very interesting... below is a table of tests (hopefully the table copies in properly!) that I ran through doing the 4-tap test on different units and how I determined which devices were on which phase. I started with the premise that the PLM is on phase 1. Note that I was able to conclude on which phase each device was on only after going through the various tests and then determining that the results of specific modules from the earlier tests were in fact anomalies caused by the devices presumably not receiving the RF signal or hop. I put bold boxes around the devices that had anomalies. As an example, the Family room (3) module stayed Solid White when I tapped the PLM and also when I tapped the Lamplinc, which I had already confirmed was on the opposite phase to the PLM... so my next test was to tap that particular module (test D) which caused the Lamplinc to blink green. This allowed me to conclude that it was actually on phase 1, despite the fact that it did not blink when I tapped the PLM! Similarly the two back stairs modules (6 and 7) initially appeared to be on phase 2 but were probably simply out of range. Test D,E and F confirmed that they are on phase 1. Tests A and B allowed me to conclude that there were other units on opposite phases and therefore the Lamplinc wasn't really needed to bridge the phases, since the results were exactly the same for all other devices. Test F, where I tapped the Back Stairs bottom wall dimmer seems to suggest that this module is having the most problems with communications, judging by the 6 anomalies! That module is a 3-way switch controlling one set of lights with the Back Stairs Top switch, so I ran test G by tapping the other switch in the 3-way (Back Stairs Top) and the results are a bit different in that the communications seem to be much better with the exception of 1 module (Soffits Side # 12). The Back Stairs bottom wall dimmer is in a gang box with 2 other dual band dimmers (Bar Accent and Bar Main)! Shouldn't the other two devices strengthen the communications of that device? Aside from now having a pretty good idea on which phase each of my dual band modules are on, I am also concluding that, if there are sufficient communications, then when the 4-tap test results in Solid White or Green Flashing devices then those modules are on the opposite phase; whereas a White Flashing or Red Flashing means that the modules are on the same phase.

Unfortunately I am back home and won't be back to the cottage for a week. Hopefully I will have the Filterlincs by then. I didn't think to try looking at the outdoor module when I did the 4 tap test! I will try it next time. I assume you mean by doing the same test in reverse, that I should 4 tap the outdoor module and then check other modules... right? (see below for my at home test) I decided to do some testing on my home installation and it has raised some questions in my mind! When I set my system up a few years ago I used a Dual Band Lamplinc to bridge the phases with the PLM. I have been assuming all along that I had to keep that Lamplinc in place to ensure that bridging. However when I look at the PLM's Quick Guide is see the statement Does this mean that my dual band wall dimmers which are a solid white after I press the set button on the PLM 4 times are confirming that I have bridged the phases? The only problem I see with this is that they are also solid white before I do the 4 tap test! Interestingly the Lamplinc now stays solid red when I do the 4 tap test from the PLM, which suggests to me that it is not on the opposite phase!! I'm almost certain that when I set it up I was getting a reaction from the Lamplinc that confirmed that it was on the opposite phase!! So... to see if I was encountering any phase issues, I removed the Lamplinc and ran a query all from the Admin Console (35 devices and 18 sprinkler zones on 3 controllers). The only communication error I received was for the disconnected Lamplinc! So I am assuming that I have successfully bridged the phases with something other than the Lamplinc. Does this make sense? Doing that same 4 tap test from the PLM I see that 4 dual band wall dimmers right next to the PLM are blinking white, whereas every other dual band device had no change (e.g. wall dimmers remained solid white). I also tried to do the reverse 4 tap test using another outdoor module, which I plugged into an outlet in my kitchen. The results were mixed in terms of which Dual Band devices reacted to the test: (note the devices below are only dual band) - 3 wall dimmers were blinking white; - 1 wall dimmer was solid red - 1 Lamplinc did nothing (remained solid red) - 4 wall dimmers did nothing (remained solid white) - 4 wall dimmers remained solid white... but occasionally dimmed - about every 10 seconds - 1 wall dimmer was blinking green, but every 10 seconds it would turn white and then go back to blinking green - PLM remained solid green How should I interpret these results?

As explained in an earlier post, I did verify the proper bridging using the 4 tap test. I think that you are probably right and that it is the transformer that is sucking the signal!! I disconnected it from the transformer and it does communicate! I guess I will have to figure out another way to deal with the landscape lights! I still think that I have noise issues because I am experiencing other communication issues from time to time. So the hopefully the Filterlincs will help.

As a test, I unplugged everything except the router, PLM and the ISY. I have another computer on another circuit. Using the Admin Console I am still not able to query the outdoor module!

Thanks... I have ordered 3 Filterlincs.