jtara92101
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Posts posted by jtara92101
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1 hour ago, lilyoyo1 said:
I'm not sure why you're having such a hard time. I simply tell Google or alexa to turn my lights on or off and they simply work. If something is in the room you don't have to say the room name. It's literally as simple as saying turn on the light. If I want to control something in another room such as the master bedroom, I'll say turn off the master bedroom light.
We must be using entirely different things.
I'm using the Google Home integration available in the ISY Portal. Connectivity/Google Home.
You have to create a Spoken mapping for each action you want to be able to perform, AFAIK. Each to a device, scene, program, or variable.
Is there some way that it "just works"? What am I missing here?
My device names in ISY aren't the best to speak!
For example, I have scenes called "LR Main" "BR Main", etc. But scenes don't even seem that useful, since you can apparently only turn them on or off.
And devices called for example "BR Lamp Window".
Because when I set it up I wasn't thinking of convenient names for spoken commands.
To add to the trouble, Google insists of defaulting the name of my Nest to "Living Room" because it's been assigned to that room. As well as my Chromecast. So I have two devices called "Living Room" so good luck getting "Living Room" to turn on the lights! I try to turn on the living room lights, and it turns on the cooling...
I changed the name of the Nest. I had to create a room called "Nest"!
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I've deleted the Universal Devices device from Google Home.
Too complicated. I can get up and push buttons easily enough.
I guess you have to do this in order to delete anything you've added anyway? You have to delete ALL of the spokens, right and delete the device, right?
Not ready for prime time.
Geez, Red Lamp is still there. Even though deleted along with everything else.
Arggh! Red Lamp won't go away. The Universal Devices integration won't go away.
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OK, giving up for now.
I set up Chester. The keypadlinc that controls the living room lights scene.
Now Home app shows Living room lights. I can turn on or off in the Home app. But it just turns the red lamp on/off.
Google Home does nothing speaker does nothing now.
I've been able to control individual lights. Maybe best to stick with that. I just have to give them silly names.
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Haven't decided yet if I am going to replace the Nest with an Ecobee. But pretty sure I will. In the mean time, Google's naming conventions are driving me batty.
Next problem I have is that I have a Chromcast device. It's of course called Living Room.
So, I guess I have to do something wacky with it as well so that I can turn my living room lights on and off.
I think I should take a clue from one of my neighbors. She's an Alexa fan. And one of her lights is named "Bob"...
Off topic, but I guess Insteon scenes are less than useful for controlling from Google Home. Because you can only turn them on or off.
Going to try controlling the switch that is linked to the scene instead.
But haven't found a trigger word that will work yet, because of the "multiple things called living room" problem. So, I think I will call that switch Chester.
I have a red lamp. That is, it's a decorative lamp with a red fiberglass shade. At least "red lamp" works, and also makes sense.
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Just getting used to 5.x/Polyglot/Polisy and just set up Google Home on portal.
I don't use the Nest node server, not sure if it even works or if there is some use for it. I already transitioned my account.
I have a related concern, though, and ugly workaround...
I set up a few commands for Google Home e.g. to turn control living room and kitchen main scenes.
I ran into a roadblock because Nest defaults to naming after the room the Nest is in.
Well, my Nest is in the living room, so it's called Living Room.
Which is insanely stupid. Because then I can't have a Google Home scene Living Room. It will turn the Nest on/off instead of the lights!
I found out the ugly solution is to make a custom room - "Nest".
I had to change it in BOTH the Nest app and Google Home app before things would work as I expect.
Now I can say "turn living room on". And it will turn on the lights. Not the thermostat...
Is there a better way? Of course, now my Nest is shown in a room called Nest...
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I have another strange thing going on. Have not meddled with it for a while, but the excess messages are bugging me.
What I find is that I get TWO "opened" messages every time the door is opened! The second one is delayed.
That is, I get an "opened" message immediately. Then a couple minutes later, I get another.
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32 minutes ago, lilyoyo1 said:
You have to open it up. The address is in the casing on the board. .
Choose link a sensor, type in address, put into linking mode then hit ok
Thanks - that worked! I had opened it up, but didn't recognize the address as such.
Apparently these can't be discovered?
Now, one more thing...
Front Door - Opened - shows status of Off or On.
But Front Door - Closed - shows no status.
Nor Heartbeat, but don't know what I should even expect there.
Obviously, I can use Opened in programs. But curious about Closed and Heartbeat.
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How do I link a 2843-222R open/close door sensor? I am using v4.6.2
I swear I have done this successfully before. But I had no need for the sensors - now I do.
I put the sensor in linking mode, and nothing I do seems to pick up the sensor.
Link management - start linking
Link management - New Insteon Device (auto discover)
Link maangement - link a sensor
None of them do anything.
There is no address anywhere on the sensor, so I can't enter the address. But there doesn't seem to be any auto-discovery happening.
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Yes, you can dim the 12V (or 24V) side.
You need a driver that has some means of control.
ONE way is to use a driver that accepts a 0-10V control signal. There is an Insteon product that can be used to generate the control signal:
http://www.insteon.com/0-10v-ballast-dimmer/
You would use it with something like this:
https://www.diodeled.com/0-10v-dimmable-led-drivers.html
The Insteon dimmer has been on sale for some time for $49.
You can certainly get cheaper products than the Diode LED. It was just the first link that came up in my search. Diode LED is a very high-quality manufacturer that you will find at your local commercial electric supply.
This combo will give you "architectural" dimming to <1%.
Other ways include: DMX, proprietary (e.g. Hue, Magic UFO), etc.
Dimming on the 12 (24)V side is the CORRECT way. Dimming the 120V input to a transformer is a KLUDGE.
Most installations use the kludge, because it is an easy retrofit with existing wiring.
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There were/are a few Insteon products. Most of the Insteon deals aren't too smoking, but there is a good deal on SwitchLinc on/off, if you need that sort of thing.
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KPLs are not designed for fluorescent ballast loads! And they cannot be usefully dimmed with a triac dimmer.
You need to either disconnect it, put it on an on/off module of some sort, or get a 0-10V fluorescent ballast which can be controlled with an Insteon 0-10V module (but that doesn't make much sense...).
Sure, I can see it causing a wider failure of the KPL beyond just the SCR, due to heat damage.
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You will not find one that does architectural (<1%) dimming on an SCR dimmer. It is impossible.
Warm glow bulbs do "OK" due to a side-effect of their "color temperature changing" trickery. There are a few LEDs that are always on at a constant level and they have a lower color temperature. They are driven by a circuit that will work at very low voltage levels. As the voltage is reduced, the few LEDs with the warmer color temperature dominate the emitted spectrum. It is not so difficult to make a circuit that can drive those few LEDs at a low voltage input as it is to drive ALL of the LEDs at a low voltage input. I guess one could make an also "OK" bulb that does not have changing color temperature by doing something similar with all of the LEDs at one color temperature.
But, really, the scheme involve extreme and silly over-complication in order to accommodate existing control devices (e.g. SCR dimmers).
Almost ALL bulbs with INTERNAL dimmers can dim to architectural levels with no problem. This includes e.g. Hue bulbs (but which may suffer from OTHER glitches) and many commercial troffers that use old-school analog 0-10V dimming signal or that use some proprietary or standard (e.g. DALI, DMX512, etc.) digital signaling scheme.
I think this link will "shed light" on the subject. This is ONE of the new solutions in the offing:
http://www.enlight-project.eu/user/files/insta_ledotron-article_25_09_2013.pdf
The basic issue is we are trying to retrofit existing wiring. The kind of LED bulbs we screw into standard outlets will be an odd curiosity from a few years of history in the future. They are a strange transitional adaptation that will never work really well.
Save them for your children's retirement! They will be worth a bundle! You can make-up for the childhood toys that you failed to leave in the box, unopened, or the Apple I you threw in the trash!
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Something else that's odd, but probably unrelated, I could no longer connect the ISY with Firefox because I got "Java 2+ Required" error which I never got before, so I had to switch to Safari.
That's to be expected, as ALL browsers are removing the ability to use a Java plugin. Your probably updated Firefox.
Going forward, you should use the standalone admin console. Search the forum - there are TONS of posts about it.
I don't understand what you mean about switched outlets. Why would you plug the ISY or devices into a switched outlet?!
Disable all of your devices. Unplug them if plug-in, or gap them if in-wall switches (pull the little plastic tab). Start with ONE device that you have factory-reset. Factory-reset the PLM. If it is an in-wall device, it is convenient to put it on a zip-cord for test. Plug the PLM and device into a normal outlet - no power strip, no filter, no UPS, etc. etc. etc. Plug the PLM and device into the same duplex outlet, or outlets that you are sure are on the same circuit.
Once that works, next step is to establish bridging to the other leg of your house wiring.
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To clarify Michel's response, if you "already have a certificate", you would have (typically) created a CSR from some command-line or GUI app using Windows, MacOS, Linux, etc. It would have generated a private key, and saved it in a file. It would have been up to you to retain and safeguard the file with the private key. The private key is not recoverable. If you've lost it, you'll need to get another certificate.
If that's how you created your CSR, the private key is where-ever you put it.
If that's what you did, you MIGHT find it in a hidden directory called .ssh on whatever computer you generated it on. Maybe under your home directory.
If you generated the CSR on your ISY (Dashboard Settings/Network/Server Certificate) ISY created a private key for you, and stored it in the ISY. And then you would use "receive certificate". You don't need to have the private key, but I guess it would be included in your ISY backup.
You are asked for a "keystore password", which isn't well explained. I GUESS you supply a password to protect the file that holds the private key.
(I've never set up my ISY with a server certificate. I've done the command-line bit for various unrelated certificate needs.)
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Maybe MS could supply screen drivers to make their Windows operating system hardware independant (of their own hardware yet?) like they introduced in 1980 something and other OSes introduced in 1960?
I think they actually have. Maybe at least on their own devices. But Java manages to be pretty resilient against anything sensible that's been done in an OS to make your life easier.
I have a Surface Pro 4 sitting here for a project, and I noticed something about global font size in the settings. I didn't play with it, but it caught my eye.
I just fired it up to run updates ALL DAY SUNDAY due to the ransom-ware scare. I also did my yearly opening of my Windows 10 VM (VMWare on MacOS) to also run updates NEARLY all day Sunday. (It went faster.)
Typically, I do this once a year, and then never use the VM. Unfortunately, this time I'm going to need it in about a month.
I might install the ISY admin console on the Surface Pro to see if it plays nice with font size.
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The ISY configuration file with the font size is saved in the windows temporary file. When the temp file is cleared out you lose some of the ISY's configuration settings including the font size.
If you open the admin console via the java app then there's no option to adjust the "browser font size" same if you open it via a direct call from a browser window.
Yes, exactly.
As I understand it, though, UDIs future plans for not relying on Java would be to create a fully-functional admin UI that can be accessed from a web browser. A "web app" per-se. Like UDAjax, but fully-functional admin.
So, in the future, if you don't like the font size, you will just adjust your browser font size.
As well, it would be easy for them to also support font size selection within the UI itself, and it could remember your choice in localstorage, cookie, etc.
So, "when they eliminate the reliance on Java" it becomes a non-issue. It won't be using Java, either on the desktop or with a browser plugin. Just HTML/CSS/Javascript/AJAX.
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Oh, yea, I turned off the local notifications because they were such an annoyance.
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question would all this be only possible using the Isy network module or can it also be setup with the mobilinc connect service.
and is the network module a yr subscription?
Mobilinc Connect does not help you to control Hue bulbs. You need the network module in order to make outbound requests from ISY.
The Network Module is a one-time purchase.
The Network Module is also INCLUDED if you get ISY Portal. ISY Portal is a two-year subscription. If you already have the Network Module, I believe you can be credited for it on some pro-rata basis against ISY Portal cost.
Philips Hue is not seamlessly integrated by using the Network Module. You have to use programs to make network requests. The alternative is to run some node server on a rPi, always-on desktop, etc. - there are several that support Hue. Then the Hue devices appear just like any Insteon or Z-wave node.
I dunno about Hue sensors. That's in the opposite direction. Does the Hue gateway have some ability to send network requests? I'm sure Hue owners here can comment. You do not need any add-ons to RECEIVE network requests. It can be done locally, or via UDI portal or Mobilinc portal. Again, not as nice and integrated as with a node server.
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Locative had a new update in the Apple Store today. Now I no longer get any notifications that it did anything. I assume the cloud removal also removed the sound and visual notifications that I listened for to ensure it worked correctly. Anyone else?
That makes sense, as Locative was sending push notifications. That requires that Locative maintain a server to send the pushes to Apple. (You can't do it directly from an app - they have to be consolidated into a single stream.)
It would have eventually been booted from the App Store with broken functionality had they just shut off the server.
Alternately, it could have been changed to send local notifications. But would have been a bit of work for the author. I'm assuming the idea behind the push notifications is that it was able to notify all devices on the account? Just a guess.
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Actually, it's not just an issue with local loads!
You have to think carefully, as well, if the paddle controls a scene. To avoid strangeness, you shouldn't do that, but have both both on/off and fast on/fast off just trigger programs. But, then, you will introduce a delay.
That said, I use to to turn off all bedroom-area lights. (Bathroom, closet, led candles, floor lamps.) There is no load on my KPL. I could assign a button, but I thought the double-tap was more intuitive.
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fast-on/fast-off events with a program are best done with a non-load device, or a device where the load is not in use. I found this out the hard way.
The device will still control the load locally, and there is nothing you can do to change that. (Wouldn't it be so very nice if Insteon would provide a way to configure a device to decouple a switch paddle from the load!)
If you are using the load on the dimmer, then, you are going to have some strangeness. The local load will immediately go to full-on or full-off (depending on where you tap) and then your program will do whatever your program does. The result may not be pleasing!
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Well, how embarrassing! I just went to GitHub to make the repo public, and then I realized that when you fork a public project, it is public by default, and you can't even change that! (If you want to make it private, you have to make a NEW repo...) So, it's been public since I created it.
I changed the name to distinguish it from the original, but any similarities that have not already faded away probably will.
Here is the github link:
https://github.com/watusi/google-cast-public-address
I won't have much time to work on this for the next couple of months, but it is certainly much more functional than the original.
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The frame and the buttons come as a set. That's how you change the color.
You can use the frame and keep the buttons as spares.
Look at the picture in the link that paulbates posted:
http://www.smarthome.com/insteon-2401wh6-6-button-change-kit-for-keypadlinc-white.html
he suggested you might want to use the buttons that come-with, because yours might have faded, or just because of different color batch, and so might not exactly match the new frame.
The white ones are on sale for $1.55. (Usually $5.99). But the Teken Tax (Canada Post) will kill you if you are in Canada.
No part of the frame is clear, though. You might have a clear light-pipe (the colors of light-pipes are changeable, too...) If you broke a light pipe (not difficult to do... I can NEVER figure out which direction they go in...) you can order light pipe kits, and they are cheap too.
The body of the KPL is clear. It is not a replacement part. Epoxy is your friend.
Defeating the stupid Nest naming convention, so you can control your lights
in Google Home
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No, that's exactly what I thought! So, we are on the same page.
Still unclear if the Google Home portal adapter will just automatically use the names I assigned to ISY devices.
Assumption is made here that one has a Google Home in each room. I don't. In fact I only have one. The place is so small, it can hear me in my office, living room, or kitchen. So, can't depend on the Google Home to locate where I am. I've been meaning to get a mini for the bedroom.
I was assuming you could use a voice prefix for the room to disambiguate. So, yes, I started out with just "lights'. And, so, I say "turn on the living room lights" and the air conditioning came on...
I'm going to re-add the Home connection and start over from scratch.