smokegrub

I installed a TriggerLinc v.43 in an outbuilding yesterday to assess the status of a door. I was amazed that although the building is about 40 yards from the nearest dual-band device in the house it worked well. However, as compared to Hidden Door Sensors, the nodes in the device tree (opened, closed, heartbeat) do some weird things: 1) The “opened” node displays ON and OFF indicating whether the door is opened or closed; 2) The “closed” node displays nothing; and 3) The “heartbeat” node is always ON. The fact that the “closed” node does nothing isn’t of concern since the “opened” node displays the door status…just weird. My question pertains to the “heartbeat” node. Will this node display OFF when a heartbeat is no longer received from the device? If so, I assume I can use a simple program that assesses the status of the heartbeat and, when it is OFF, notify me.

Everything went as planned...I think. Thanks for the help. Despite the fact that the batteries in the Hidden Door Sensors were still going strong after one year I replaced them with new lithium batteries.

Thanks, Teken. I have a backup on hand. Always makes me uncomfortable doing this sort of thing. It would seem to me that this would be a great candidate for a robust software guided step-by-step process. As much as I love the ISY some very important things are left to the end user gleaning information at this forum, the WIKI and the experts who frequent the forum. In my opinion that has to change for the ISY to become the tool of choice for many.

Good catch. I updated Java, cleared the cache and both the UI and Firmware are now 4.2.30. I will start the PLM replacement tomorrow.

I have a small second home located more than 300 miles from my primary residence. I visit the second home frequently during the summer but beginning mid November I shut it down and do not return until May of the next year. I use ISY/Insteon/X-10 devices to monitor the status of the home, create the illusion that the home is actively lived in and monitor the heating system and well system. The system performs beautifully. I am nearing the time of my last visit for the year and I have an old (more than 2 years) PLM (2413S) in place. Given the well-documented failure rate of these PLMs, I have purchased a replacement and want to install it proactively prior to shutdown. I have read most of the material here regarding the procedure but, candidly, I find much of it confusing. I have the following devices in this system: ISY 994i (1) PowerLinc Modem 2413S (1) Firmware 4.2.18 UI 4.2.30 MacBook Pro (mid 2010; OS 10.10.5) MobiLinc Pro v4.7 Hidden Door Sensor 2845-222 (3) SwitchLinc 2466SW (3) SynchroLinc 2423A5 (1) Outdoor Module 2634-222 (1) LampLinc Dimmer 2457D2 (2) SwitchLinc 2477S (1) X-10 Modules (6) Wireless Thermostat 2411ZTH (1) ApplianceLinc 2456S3 (2) The replacement PLM is a new 2413S. I understand that the battery devices (Hidden Door Sensors) may present a special challenge during the replacement. Would someone be so kind as to provide stepwise directions to help me successfully undertake this replacement? By the way, my neighbor is very talented in working on electronics and he will replace the caps which are the problem in the older PLM. That will provide me a backup for the older PLM at my primary residence. As always, any help will be appreciated.

Thanks, Stu. As usual, you and others at this forum not only inform me me but educate me as well.

Having no electrical skills, I was unaware that only one of the ToggleLinks was wired to the load. That explains what I have seen here and elsewhere in the house where I have 3-ways. Thanks. I appreciate the continued effort to help, but I am going to take the first step to improve communications in the garage by replacing a ToggleLinc with a dual-band. If that doesn't help, I will return to seek additional assistance. Thanks again.

The KPL is a controller for both ToggleLincs but the scene will not work with one of the ToggleLincs if I include it alone.

I think that may be the problem as I noted in the previous post. I am going to replace one or both of the ToggleLincs with dual-band devices and see what happens.

As I was experimenting with the setup I recall that if I placed the MS in front of the entry door to the garage it executed the scene much more quickly. That might be attributable the the fact that the dual-band KPL is only 6-8 feet from that location????

The scene is MS Controller, ToggleLincs Responders. There may well be a communication problem. One of the ToggleLincs works as it should when sent a command; the other doesn't although it works fine when toggled. That is why I used the other ToggleLinc in the scene controlled by the KPL. When the KPL button is activated the scene executes immediately. But when the scene controlled by the MS executes I get the delay. Tends to be a sweeping motion, i.e., entering in a manner parallel to the sensor.

The sensor is placed at the midpoint of a wall and located near the ceiling. It is located on the wall with a window and a door so as to avoid light issues.

The two ToggleLincs are part of a 3-way that controls the lights. The KPL controls one of the ToggleLincs. None of the devices are dimmers. A couple of seconds slow and not particularly sensitive. In other words, waving at the device from perhaps 15 feet may take a couple of tries before the lights are activated.

The MS is controlled by a scene where it is the controller; 2 ToggleLincs and a KPL are responders. All 3 of these devices control the same lights as the MS. The MS is controlling the scene correctly but it is slow in doing so. Very slow, in fact. What are the likely causes of this slowness?

Timeout (minutes) - 2 LED Brightness - 0 Darkness Sensitivity - 0 LED On - Unchecked On Commands Only - Unchecked Might Only Mode - Unchecked The scene mentioned in a post above. Success! Excellent information, Larry! If you see anything incorrect in these settings please advise. Thanks!

1. Linked device to ISY 994i. 2. Created a scene with Motion sensor as Controller and a TottleLinc controlling a light as Responder. 3. Jumpers 1-4 are on single pins; jumper 5 is on both pins. 4. Left dial is turned as far as it will go counterclockwise. 5. Pressing Set Button once turns the light on. 6. Motion will turn the light on, but it does not turn off automatically . 7. Current Stats show the Motion Sensor and ToggleLinc are both on when motion is detected. Behavior is as if Jumper 5 was on both pins. What am I doing wrong in my objective to have the light turn off automatically after motion has ceased for 30 seconds?

That, to me, makes the current price point all the more ridiculous. It would be interesting to find out who the previous vendor was and see if there is an interest in customers buying direct.

I am aware of threads here complaining about the outrageous new pricing structure for these buttons. I have posted a suggestion for a new product at http://forum.insteon.com/forum/main-category/new-insteon-device-wish-list offering KPLs with custom etched keys included. This will expose the cost of custom etched buttons in the initial purchasing decision. I encourage you to "like" my idea or, alternatively, propose your own.

I don't particularly mind some Cree bulbs having a two-year life, but I do mind their being advertised and sold at prices indicative of 10 years service. Maintaining sales receipts keyed to specific bubs and their location is just too much trouble. It would be especially useful if we had a bulb section at the forum where we could document our experiences and thus enable us to make better purchasing decisions.

The recessed fixture Cree bulbs have performed well with my ISY9994i IR Pro and Insteon switches. However, in less than 2 years 2 of 6 have failed. They have a 10-year warranty, but I did not keep my sales receipt and other required information for replacement by the manufacturer. Have you experienced a similar failure rate? Given the high price of these bulbs this does not bode well for their future use in my home.

Yes, for heating system failure I use 60 degrees for notification. That provides ample opportunity for someone located nearby to start the backup system. There are propane stoves in the house. The first, pilot lit, is in the same room as the thermostat. It only fails if the pilot is extinguished. The other stove is electronically ignited and is subject to failure with a power outage which is commonplace in the area. Thus, I use the pilot lit stove with the electronic stove as backup. I would love to find a way to have the electronically lit stove automatically relight following a power failure but I know of no way to do so. A manual press of an igniter button is required.

I am glad you shared this Larry. Your hand on experience shows that Smarthome's advertising is clearly incorrect. I have a 2441zth (with dongle) that I use to monitor the interior temperature of a vacation home. I have programmed notifications for 0700 every morning and a low setpoint indicative of failure of the heating system. I was considering adding the waterproof sensor to my setup.

I am curious why the Insteon thermostat would not be a desirable solution. INSTEON Waterproof Temperature Sensor is an external sensor that wires into your INSTEON Wireless Thermostat. Able to withstand temperatures ranging from -13° to 185°F (-25° to 85°C), Waterproof Temperature Sensor is ideal for monitoring and maintaining temperatures in harsher environments, including pools, spas, aquariums, cellars, attics and more. When connected, INSTEON Wireless Thermostat's LCD display will show the sensor's temperature readings in small digits above the Wireless Thermostat's internal monitor temperature reading. Waterproof Temperature Sensor's range can be extended up to 100' with 22 AWG wire.

I sincerely apologize, but I fear I have been describing my setup incorrectly. I am going to carefully reassess with the help of a competent electrician then I will post a schematic. Again, I am so sorry if I have wasted some of your valuable time. I will not post on this again until I am certaibn about my setup.

I am going to abandon this project for the time-being. I have the kitchen and fan torn apart and my daughter and her family are returning from shopping --they are here on vacation. Maybe at some time in the future I will seek help on this again. Please accept my sincere thanks.