dbwarner5

@nathan Thanks for your posts. Have been debating to upgrade from 5.0.16c to 5.3, which would include upgrading my Zwave dongle, but I am using 3 YRD120 locks with Zwave, not Zwave Plus, so will avoid the upgrade for now, assuming the 3rd 120 will have the same problem. Will wait.

I too am on the 4.55.00 version. In all the posts, it is always referenced as 500 or 300 series board, and yet in all the Info menu items, this is never reported, just "Zwave 21100", or Zwave 4.55.00.... Why do we have to create so much confusion on something like this? It would be nice if the nomenclature being used matched what was available in the ISY Get info options. ...Just sayin'

Thanks for all the input. Zwave wont work fo me here as its an isolated pole barn w/o zwave. My plan is to purchase 3- $25 motion sensors that mount on spotlight fixtures, wire them all together to the sense from an micro on/ off, which will then through ISY manage the Insteon light switches for all the spots. The MD and the I/O linc will need power, separate from the switched floodlights. @HABit the easiest way to overcome that is to think of the motion control and the light switch control as two separate program areas that need to compliment each other, so for example a new program with a “when switch is turned on” program, then disables the motion program for x minutes or until the switch is turned off. I will need to using something similar. Cheers.

Update on the above. This has worked out great. I have the two "sensor" sides of the beam wired to two separate I/O Lines that then report to the ISY. Have had them installed now for 6 months w/o any issues. Work well and reliably and are very discreet. But am still looking for an elegant solution for a Motion Sense Spotlight that can talk easily to the ISY. Why this doesn't exist is puzzling Insteon moves more into the "security" area. Thanks.

ok.. I am into polisy now.. have run the curl command, its loading the update.. what is the reboot command? do I need to do anything else? Update: script tells you how to reboot.. 12.2 successfully loaded.. thanks everyone!! hope it solves my issues FINAL UPDATE: All working now! thanks as usual for all the support!

not working.. or over my head... lol if I remotely change my port forwarding for polisy to 22, it should work then to get into it and update it and then change the port forwarding back to where the isy knows where it is?

Found a site as to how to do it in terminal.. will try that.. thanks

no.. I havent changed anything.. using terminal on Mac remotely, with an address to my home router with port forwarding to the Polisy at port xxx... did get one time an error from terminal about nothin at port 22.. so if I am understanding you correctly, when I get to my router via SSH, it is automatically going to port 22 which is not where the polisy is at, and that is my problem.. if so, then how do I specify a port for ssh that matches where my polisy is at? thanks

so I have port forwarding os I can connect to my polisy remotely generally.. is this different for SSH connection? I am using a different port than 22 for my polisy.

should I not be using my own id / password? also I am remote so am going through a dyndns server with a port number attached via a colon. have tried several combos w/o luck yet.. will keep trying,.

Can you expand on this for those of us not technical? I havent used an SSH program in a long long time... on a Mac and remote..any suggestions of how to to do this? What is CURL.. and what do I do with line 2 if I am able to figure out how to SSH into polisy? thanks. need to fix this as I rely on this new connected device and the dozen node servers...

Recently did an update to 4 or 5 node servers... Polisy now seems to act normal, however, I cant stop or delete any node servers, nor are there any logs. I have rebooted it several times, also cleared my caches on my browser.. am remote so I cant unplug it.. UPDATE: Each activity I click on, the green bars shows up to acknowledge it, but nothing happens and ALL node servers are no longer working in the ISY.... after the last reboot, the polisy uptime is frozen. any suggestions?

I dont think it would add anything based on what you have shared. There are times for example where you may want a group of programs to run, but where the IF statement is complex, and then certain of these other programs may have their own additional IF criteria. In this case, this program may turn false if an element of the original group turns false, but that may not be what you wanted. The point being is that the complexity of IFs can be greatly simplified sometimes using conditional variables with just one program controlling the variable, or folders with conditional variables, But if you only have three and they are pretty simply, no need to add another layer through a variable. I also will use variables to signify a certain condition. I then have that variable drive a simple program that is true or false, that I then use in Mobilinc. phone app. on the dashboard to quickly tell if something is open or shut (garage door). etc.

I used to use a lot fancy things with existing switches to initiate different things, but generally I was the only one that could do anything. Then Alexa became usable. We now interact as follows: Direct switches 0 (except occasionally for that light, but never to initiate things), keypads 10%, Mobilinc 20%, Alexa 70%, with my wife at 100% for Alexa. Alexa revolutionized the ISY for my family of which allowed me to expand ISY use greatly. Everything from simple lighting changes (scenes) for the main level: Alexa, turn on kitchen mood, or kitchen dinner, or kitchen supper, or kitchen evening, or kitchen nightlight, or directly any of ~20 switches in this main room. or more complex routines like "Goodnight" which initiates a bedtime lighting routine changing over 30 minutes and then monitors for any light to be turned on and left on for more than 20 minutes to locking the doors, arming the security, and then setting off morning routines either based on an alarm time, or a set time, or "goodmonring" etc, that based on temps, turn on a fireplace, certain lights, unarms the system, prepares for a dog sensor for the dog to go out (to then remind us he is still out or notify us if he comes back into the garage), etc. Power of Alexa directly interfacing with ISY, along with (the harder to remember) custom routines has really been the key to making ISY an ongoing loved part of our house vs an isolated hobby of mine that generally annoyed others. lol

@TheHarbinger As you can see from the above responses, those are very experienced experts on ISY and have been creating programming for a long time and therefore are great resources. Sometimes in the beginning though it can be very confusing as to how to go about getting the system "structure" that will work for you long term. For most, it takes starting simple to experience different methods and then settle on the ones that will work for you. A great starting place is to glance through the ISY Cookbook, located about ½ down this page. https://wiki.universal-devices.com/index.php?title=Main_Page Some key concepts that are mentioned in the above responses: -Scenes: These include devices which can have different preset ON values etc. For example: when I turn on Kitchen Dinner scene, light 1 turns off, light 2 turns to 60%, light three to 100% etc. When I turn the scene off, they all go off. Its a very easy and powerful way to control quickly and locally -Programs: Allow for an infinite number of IF / THEN / ELSE combinations. For example, I could initiate the above Kitchen Dinner scene, through turning on button A of a 6 button Insteon switch. Or I could do it though Alexa via voice command. Or it could come on at sunset and go off 3 hours later, etc etc. One program can call any other number of programs, or disable, them or enable them, etc THIS IS THE REAL POWER OF THE ISY. Its infinite. -Variables: By using variables, you can put overriding conditions on any program, initiate programs, or even a folder containing many programs. ie: the AWAY examples above demonstrate this. By setting a variable AWAY to 1, then all your programs that you want to run while you are away will execute. You can put delay timers in etc so if its initatied var button B on a keypad, then you may delay it 30 minutes until you leave the house. The biggest learnings most have when beginning is with nomenclature. Consistency will pay huge dividends down the road as your system expands and gets more complicated. Some of basic tips most use include: All lights in the same room start with the same room name: Kitchen cans, Kitchen island, Kitchen sink.. etc. This way they are all grouped together alphabetically. Programs should use a similar structure in naming so that all related programs for a given task are easily identified and grouped. For example a program called Lights off is poor name.. which lights? better would be Kitchen lights off, Kitchen lights on, Kitchen lights dim at evening etc. All kitchen activities start with the word Kitchen. As your programing skill with ISY expands, you will want to have some programs that are Disabled. These programs do not test the IF statement unless called by another program. Sometimes during reboots or programing etc it gets confusing which programs should be disabled. I have adopted a naming process where I add LD to the end of any program to reference and remind me to Leave Disabled. Variables become a key part of any system as well. There are State and Integer variable types. Some put a S before each state variable name and and I before each integer name. Since I have 5x more state variables than integers, I simply just add the I to integer and assume if there is no I then its a state. Anyway, the ISY is an amazingly solid platform with lots of levels of complexity to discover. Feel free to DM me if you ever have a simple concept you would like an outline for etc. Cheers, welcome and good luck!

So far so good.... will keep an update.

Yes, it must be the newer version as I just got them this summer. Redid the installation to be more of a typical installation with a stationary magnet (on wood), and the transmitter moving on the door. So far, with limited testing, its working. Time will tell, but I think the metal hinge was somehow affecting it. Thanks!

I think its the metal of the hinge is affecting the magnetic field somehow.. having it removed, and inside, its working 100%. Will rethink my installation and try again! Will eliminate that aspect and then that will narrow it down to poor communications as the only variable left. Thanks for everyone's help. Will keep trying..

So far, I cannot get it to repeat inside. So this takes me to my hinge mechanism is somehow interfering or I am getting poor communications. Cant explain why it works well after the first time though. Will repeat experimenting with it tomorrow inside, and then may go back to a traditional fixed mount vs the hinge and see what happens. Thanks.

Pictures of set up: Door in open position, Door in closed position. I have unmounted it and have it now inside, in the Open position.. will leave it this way for an hour or two and test it.

Lots of vibration... mounted on a moving garage door. Yes..I'll post pictures.. Now I am curious enough to go uninstall them and bring them inside to see if I can duplicate the behavior indoors, manually.

Very unlikely that rain or anything else got to them. Just installed them a few months ago. They are close to the top of ten ft doors, on the inside. Gap is about as small as you can get it. I need to play with them some more, on another day, when its not 45, rainy with high winds.. lol . I have the magnet on a large hinge, which may just be moving too slowly at first. I have lubricated them, but need to have the door open for a period of time, and then get a ladder out and manually move the magnet once quickly and see if it registers. I have done this before as I was trouble shooting them, but it was before I had my hypothesis of what was happening. Instead have recently just shut the door, and seen that it didnt register, open it 2 feet, and then reshut it and it registers. At this point I have immediately repeated opening and shutting the door 2-4 feet and closing it and all open/shuts register. So to eliminate my installation method as the cause; theory possibly being that the hinge operates too slowly the first time, I will repeat it manually with a ladder. Next will be to remove the cover and see if I can see the switch manually moving and lastly, remove it from the door and bring inside where I can test it further manually. Will keep this posted later this week when I get to it. (or if I get impatient today, I may go out and get it off and test it further inside!). Cheers.

No it doesn’t seem to

@Brian H just to be clear, this is not the case.. “From your findings of OK first time and intermittent the next times.”. Please read my posts a little closer where i have stated twice: “It seems as if though it takes a “cycle” to get it to work. After that first cycle, i get 100% communications and consistency,” @larryllix Am not sure about the temp question. It’s been around 50-70 degrees F here when i have noticed and isolated the behavior. Thanks.

@simplextech i have it mounted on the door, with the magnet on a hinge. When the door is open, the hinge falls away. I may have to mount the magnet on the side and place an extra one 1 foot further up the track so that it gets a “false” cycle to kick the dumb thing on. May work......but really?