larryllix

I have discovered my ISY Portal switched at least one table entry with another spoken. I created a new spoken entry from a state variable and it disapeared. I found it with the variable number using another entries spoken table. I deleted anything I thought was related and rebuilt those three entries. In the Alexa app I found the same thing with the spoken (MS names) switched with Routines. I have deleted accounts and rebuilt all Routines from scratch. My Alexa Routines still do not function. This also happened a few years ago. IIRC Amazon tech did something after being told and it suddenly disappeared again. I can initiate state variable value changes and see the devices in Alexa app show "motion" and then "no motion", so the ISY Portal is working fine with the pseudo-MSes from state variables. The routines can be manually triggered inside the Alexa app and they speak properly. The routines just do not trigger. I just noticed the Routines all contain blank names now. I don't remember that field existing before. Looks like Amazon modified their software and made a mess.

Thanks! This happens every 6-12 months on my Alexa. Any clues to why my ISY Portal and Alexa accounts would seemingly keep disconnecting and clearing out my Routine setups? The device list is always maintained even after disconnecting accounts for hours. When reconnected no "Discovery" is necessary as Amazon remembers everything but the Routine usage of pseudo MSes (state variables) is always lost. The trigger MSes seems to persist but the routines think they devices are gone and remove the triggers involving them.

This has become a PITA for users of Alexa Routines. It seems every time the ISY Portal disconnects from the Alexa interface all routines lose their triggers when the devices become MIA. Each time this happens all Routines have to be rebuilt again in the Alexa mobile app only (Routines are not apparent online in browsers). Yesterday I rebuilt all my Routines again but this time Alexa refuses to run them. Not sure why this time. This hasn't happened for a long time now. Still working on it. If I disconnect the accounts and reconnect them, it may fix the Routine responses but I will have to start all over again with every Alexa Routine, rebuilding them again. **SIGH**

You are using the MS II units. Not going to work well. If you select "On commands only", the MS II will only send one On command while the internal timer has been retriggered within the last timeOut set time. (0.5 minutes). Once the internal timer times out with no motion sensed for the 0.5 minutes then the MS II must see no motion for another 0.5 minutes before it will reset again. These MS II units are not good for Insteon scenes in ISY. As the sole control source for a lamp, turning it on and off as a dumb Insteon Hub would use it, it may work well, but for ISY intervention the only way anybody has found to make it work with a lamp properly is by not using Insteon scenes between the MS II and a lamp. The response time will be slower then. Both the MS II and the original MS have an internal, retriggerable timer. The difference is that the original MS sends an On command every time it is retriggered. The MS II doesn't. Also in the MS II the off cycle is dependent on the same Internal timer timing out by not being retriggered with motion. That right...the MS II will never send an On command until the MS II doesn't sense any motion for the timeOut time. It's a design error by Insteon. One is used for a scene with light in my laundry room but is set for a long timeout and is a PITA. It's on USB power and that doesn't change the operation. I have three and only use them for detection of occupancy for security, and determination of home or away

My "Alexa. Turn on security lights!", turns all outdoor lights on, turns off all indoor lighting it can find, including WiFi bulbs, RGBWW strips and Insteon lighting. "Alexa. Turn off security lights!" restores all lighting back to it's original scenes and levels.

Yeah and 3:00 AM queries also show up un-reversed and cause grief. Need to write you own code or modify the standard published code to adapt insetad of using the reverse feature.

It is very hard to tell in advance what kind of Insteon noise disturbances will be on your power lines. Usually Insteon signals can be used up to 500 feet between devices with clean powerlines. The best way to test this would be to get two SwitchLinc dimmers, one in each between building, and attempt to create a scene between them. If this doesn't work, you will have two expensive light dimmers. If it does work then proceed with more Insteon devices. ***To make this test work both Insteon devices would need to be on the same phase (leg) of your power panel. Insteon devices have a built if four tap test to prove or disprove this association.

High tech stuff. When it works, it is great! When it doesn't, it sucks.

Typically you would create a program with a time trigger for each change of level desired. Out them all into a folder with an appropriate name and never have to look at them again.

Learn to read your Events Log where it tells you max hops and hops left. Unplug a dwvice and test again. One less hop left indicates a bypass happened. This won't indicate a parallel path if the counts do not change. Sent using Tapatalk

Yup! I was born before X10. I was born around the same time 60 Hz was.

Zwave devices are always in a state of flux. As long as the zwave devices tables are part of ISY firmware ISY v5. will always be considered beta. In 6.5 years, I have never heard of an ISY994 crashing it's firmware and I have run every version since late V3.x that my ISY came with.

No links can be adjusted in the MS, only settings in the responder(s). These MSes cannot be adjusted when not in the linking mode. UDI used a scene name that doesn't exist to differentiate between scene style controls. It was always a little weird but it works and makes scene adjustments available. I am not sure this will work properly using an MS II. If you link the MS II directly to a lamp the MS II will turn the lamp off as well, or if ON Only is selected, the MS II will never send another On trigger to restart the Wait statement until the MS II stops seeing motion for it's delay time, plus stops seeing motion for the length of it's Off time as well. Yeah, the MS II sucks. There may be a way to use this technique to just block the MS II and use both On and Off events sends.

I drive a 1960s car too. I don't need side mirrors or seat belts. Sent using Tapatalk

The first MS version was indoors only also. It didn't stop people from using it outdoors in protected environments though. @paulbates uses his MSes with some glue to seal the face, in northern US weather, protected from precipitation of course.

I use LEDenet RGBWW/CW controllers for my strips above cabinets. I don't use the CW output as the WW leds give off such a beautiful white colour, I like them everywhere. AFAIK these are completely compatible with MagicHome controllers except cheaper and 5 channel units. They take a 12vdc power supply to run the strips. For bulbs I use a Chinese knockoff that is 99 percent compatible with MagicHome. I wrote my own software to get around the differences and eliminate the popcorn effect of using 25 but I only paid about $8 per bulb fir them but the colours are not as strong as MiLight and some more expensive brands Sent using Tapatalk

My undercounter LED strips are not coloured, nor dimmable. I found a plug-in motion sensor and tucked it beside the fridge so it only shoots right down the counter. We have never touched a switch there in 12 years. You walk up and the counter lights up day or night. It's a dark corner far away from windows. Those LEDs probably cost me an extra 1 or 2 cents per year. Something like this..the original HA. https://www.amazon.ca/Télécommande-allumage-mouvement-intérieur-MLC4BC/dp/B009KSEE4G/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=plug+in+motion+sensor&qid=1594645067&sr=8-6 or better yet this https://www.amazon.ca/Westek-MLC12BC-4-Indoor-Activated-Control/dp/B009KSECO8/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=plug+in+motion+sensor&qid=1594645193&sr=8-5 Get the LED strips inside a silicone tube/sealed. You'll appreciate that when you try to wipe them down with a wet cloth.

Have a look here. If you install colour you will learn to like it. Just don;t install RGB equipment. Install RGBWW strips and 4 channel controllers. Likely cost you less than $50 for all equipment for up to 15.4 feet long. There are many compatible controllers but look for NS here that support MagicHome and other popular brands.

I use FileZilla Client to transfer files between polISY and Rpis and Win 10. It is updated frequently and works like a charm with many options. I don't know how to get files in or out of git-hub.

Insteon battery devices need to be in "linking mode" before they will allow any input to them. This is usually accomplished by holding a small button down for about 5 seconds until the device starts to blink slowly. After you program the device from the ISY admin console you tap the button a few time to take it out of linking mode again. Every device should be factory reset before linking to ISY, especially when new. That also involved that same button, and power cycling. Each device has it's own technique.

I can't remember all the details but IIRC you will need at least a wait of about 2-5 seconds or it can miss sometimes. @jfaiAlso it is not only the same routine trigger. Alexa will only allow a trigger every 30 seconds period. Now having said that this stuff is developing rapidly since I set these up and tested this. I found under 30 second hits may or may not work reliably at that time. I also noticed that leaving the variable value True caused some problems.(1-0-1) I think it had to be False for a few seconds before Alexa would clear it's allowance time???? and then your vocal would be delayed from the event. IIRC this was stated somewhere but I do not remember where...maybe the app?

@oberkc IIRC, we were originally told we had to only use a State variable to accomplish this. However maybe the emphasis was on "State" and not "variable". I cannot think of one application where I would want a raw sensing device to produce a spoken response, though. These inputs to Alexa routines are sensitive. If you do not observe the 30 second rule they will just ignore your requests. Programs and devices may not obey those rules nicely, and cause amazon to avoid talking. eg. If I created a routine using the status of my SynchroLinc on my dryer, it would attempt to say "The dryer has finished" every time my wife opened the dryer door. When loading the dryer with the door open, that would be a false statement. eg. When one garage door opens I report which door has opened. When one garage door is closed I report nothing unless they are both closed. That takes ISY logic, but I could use an additional program to trigger a vocal Routine, I suppose. Another thing that should be noted: Many times when amazon or ISY Portal makes an upgrade the connection between ISY Portal and amazon/GH can be broken. When you disable the account connection and re-enable the connection to re-synch devices, all your Alexa Routines will be forgotten as the trigger events did not exist for those few fleeting seconds. You must start from the beginning, rebuilding them again.

How did you manage to clear these write queues? My ISY is starting to display the busy box frequently again, and I have all delayed write programs deleted and battery write delay features all disabled. Last time, I had to factory reset my ISY before ISY events became very quick again as when ISY was new. AFAICT, with polyglot and a few other variable injectors going on ISY cannot seem to afford these extra CPU time or I/O burdens. I have had to add extra Wait times between NR sends again lately. Where I previously used Wait 1 second or no Wait line at all between NR sends, I have recently had to add Wait 3 seconds to avoid variable values being clobbered by the next NR call using those same variables. It seems that ISY's I/O processing of Insteon affects I/O processing of it's Ethernet port also.

Excellent. Just think of the memory on your calculator with a some sneaky mouse inside that watches for a piece of cheese. When you feed it, it squeaks out the phrase you taught it!!! ISY Forever! ASBRIL! VARIABLE KING!! ASBRIL! VARIABLE KING!! ASBRIL! VARIABLE KING!!

There won't be any mechanical gadgets or lights going on and off. It will be one speaker you test it on making sounds. Keep it close and the volume down. I would think GH would have the equivalent of Alexa Routines, but I can't confirm. My 3-4 units are all shut down now. Remember in any good computer programming, your device, variable and other thing naming is your documentation you may need two years from now. Use text name length generously. I like "camel case" style eg: $sSayGarageDoorsClosed. When you use it again a year from now there is no doubt what it does.