madcodger

@TrojanHorse This may end up being the way to go, and is the reason for my question. Perhaps this will answer @Teken's comments on a security-ISY combo, as well. Let me re-summarize. "Real" security is currently handled by a Napco Gemini. The alarm itself is apparently fine, but it communicates with the monitoring station via a proprietary mesh radio network (many homes form the mesh) that was common in rural areas some years back, but that is apparently failing as fewer and fewer people utilize it. So, we need to replace at least some equipment. That has me thinking that I may as well replace the "brains" of the system (the panel), leaving the hard-wired sensors in place. That would allow me to install a system that integrates with the ISY. I don't need or use the ISY for actual security (to answer Teken's concerns), but it's very handy to use the sensors for things like knowing when a garage door has been left open. I use z-wave sensors for that now and am not thrilled with that approach as z-wave battery devices aren't all that great and batteries tend to fail at inconvenient times. The previous owner ran cable between the buildings that connected the Napco panel in the main house to Napco's equivalent of the M1XIN in the other building, creating two areas/partitions. So, we could use that cabling and have just one alarm panel (and monitoring fee), but two areas/partitions, which we need. But I'm forced to have two ISYs, as that's needed for the z-wave to work (one doesn't cut it). I ran additional CAT6 between the buildings when we installed a new generator last year to power both buildings, so comms between the buildings are very solid. I guess I could have one ISY interface with the alarm panel, set up state variables in both ISYs, and have that "main" ISY communicate with REST commands to the other ISY, updating the 2nd building's door and other sensor status as state variables instead of security zones. I'd be more inclined to do that if the ISY allowed variables to be displayed as virtual devices, but I'm not aware of a way to do that (which, I maintain, would be a nice addition, but UDI does not agree). Anyway, greatly appreciate everyone helping me think through this. Ideas welcome! I just wondered if anyone had been faced with this before me. I may become the guinea pig...

Thanks, @apostolakisl. I, too, am a bit worried about two ISYs and one alarm panel - even on partitions. But I am forced to have two ISYs at the property because I'm running z-wave (no Insteon) at this property and after many attempts with repeaters, etc., nothing would allow one ISY to control the two buildings I have here. So, I'm stuck in that regard. Z-wave is working well, though. If I went the DSC route I could just put a separate alarm panel in each building, and the cost would be about the same as installing a single Elk, I think. But then I'm stuck with two different monitoring fees, which is a bit irksome but not too terrible. If I go with my current alarm company (that monitors my Napco) I may be able to cut a deal. I think you are running the DSC nodeserver with an Envisalink. Is that working out well for you? Are you able to see and use the DSC system's zones as devices in the ISY? I currently have z-wave door, window, and motion sensors and would like to get rid of them, using the alarm panel's open/close, and motion, to trigger programs. Are you able to do that (reliably) with the DSC-ISY combo using @Goose66's impressive-looking nodeserver, and are you happy with that combo? Any downsides vs. what's available with the Elk integration? Thanks for any input on that. I'm already running a RPi with polyglot on each ISY, so setting that up should be simple enough if I go the DSC route.

I can't for the life of me see how connecting an ISY to an alarm panel harms anything, from a practical sense. I'm not storing state secrets here where some nation-state is going to crack the code on my alarm login and steal the national jewels. And if the connection doesn't lock out the alarm panel, what on earth would anyone be worried about? If heaven forbid something catches on fire, or some punk breaks in while we're away, then I need the alarm to "call out". But it's not like the punks I worry about when we're away for the winter months are going to somehow shut down the alarm panel by breaking into my ISY. So, back on topic, has anyone ever connected two ISYs to a single alarm panel? Thanks.

I have a property with two ISYs (one in each building) but a single alarm system that is separated into two areas/partitions (buildings can be armed/disarmed separately). I want to replace the current alarm system (a Napco Gemini) with either an Elk M1G or a DSC that uses Envisalink, so that I can integrate with the ISYs (I've used Elk/ISY in past properties, but with only one ISY and area). I'm very familiar with the Elk-ISY combo (for a single ISY and area, at least). So, my first question is, do I gain or lose anything if I go with the DSC/Envisalink vs the Elk? I run polyglot on a RPi on each ISY, if that matters. But then I thought about the two ISYS/one alarm panel situation, and wondered if that might be a problem for either or both alarm panel choices. Has anyone connected two ISYs with one alarm panel? Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on the idea? Thanks in advance for input.

I am not the OP or person with the most recent problems, but had a similar issue of Orchestrated Mobilinc not connecting for several days, and losing many (but not all) dashboard devices. It's not happening now but happened earlier this month, twice, so I'm posting info in case it helps Wes or others diagnose a larger issue. Also, on one occasion it occurred for only one of my two ISYs. Router: Peplink Balance 30 LTE. Portal: UDI (two ISYs running through that, with two portal profiles, but they share a common external WAN connection. ISYs have static LAN IP assigned. ISYs do not have DHCP reservation within router. Suggestions welcome (first time this has happened after years of OML use), but posting primarily to aid in diagnosis.

I've gone at least six months without rebooting my past ISYs, and possibly more than a year. No issues.

I've found battery level reporting in Z-wave devices to be horrible. I just replaced two batteries and they're still showing the old levels. And 60% of my functioning battery devices aren't showing any battery value at all. I think I've been living under a rock, as I did not know about wireless tags. Looks fantastic! I see that Jimbo wrote a nodeserver, and has a purchase link, so will buy some through that tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!

I have a Homeseer LS-100 battery-powered leak detector that I use to measure the temperature inside a generator cabinet (tells me whether it has run/started/stopped). The battery has clearly died, and did so while the gen was running for about five days during a recent outage, as the temp shows 88.7, and it's in Maine, and it's April). We're also at that property, so I know it's not running. I'll just replace the battery today, but I now wonder if there's not a better way to know whether a battery-operated z-wave device has died? Can someone think of a way to create a program for this? Also, I don't think most battery-operated z-wave devices respond to the daily ISY query, do they? This device has been out for days, as have a couple of leak detectors I haven't been worrying about, as we're onsite. But it would be great to know that a device was still alive, if anyone can suggest something. I'd like to monitor the temp of some freezers, and those might have temps that remain constant for days. Finally, if anyone has good suggestions for battery-operated temperature monitoring via the ISY, I'd appreciate suggestions. Thanks.

I don't even have a PLM as I'm all z-wave, and my Verizon messages (emails from ISY to my Verizon number) weren't sending for a few days (basically Th-Sun of this past week). I thought it was my ISP as they were having issues, but looks like it may have been on the receiving end. Good to know. Thanks.

All good on my end as well. Combination of trying to do something after or during portal maintenance and then simply forgetting how to add devices to Alexa (it had been a long time). All's well now.

OK, so ISYs now once again reachable via portal after rebooting each (pays to have them on a wifi switch, I've found). But no go on Alexa. Will mess with it over next day or two. Far from essential. Still on gen power after snowstorm (not likely related to Alexa problem), 60 mph gusts and 1.6" rain forecast for today (not helpful in getting power restored), buried a utility knife into my hand yesterday during the garage cleanup (FWIW, Walgreens carries tetanus toxoid and pharmacists can administer them if you ever need to know that), and have to finish a client project I wanted to do on Friday, when I was instead out clearing snow and fallen trees. A busier start to the week than I had planned, but it does help to put the lack of Alexa into perspective!

My sensors always needed to be activated (just opened or closed, etc.) to show up again. Querying via program doesn't work for battery devices, IME. Also, small UPS for ISY has been a great investment for me. Includes surge suppression, as well.

Seems like some of us can, some can't. On this COVID-containment Easter (with much snow on the ground here in Maine) we're spending it cleaning up the garage. So, will check later. Not a big deal at the moment, and sure UDI will have it back to normal by sometime tomorrow. Thanks for the feedback, all.

Have you tried actually reaching your ISY(s)? I can log into the portal, but not my ISYs using it. See edits to the post to which you replied.

Actually, I think the portal is having some connection issues. I can log into into, but not the ISYs via it. Neither of my ISYs, in either building (on separate electric meters) can be reached from the portal. Both are on the same network I'm using for this laptop as I write this, and I can log into one via the admin console over LAN, so the network (LAN and WAN) is up. Will try again later in the day, but that might explain all of this.

'Bout four times, from three different devices

@bmercier Sorry, but these instructions just aren't working. Am on an iPad, and even when I start from a browser it just takes me back to the Alexa app. There is no setting for "Home A" and I have three locations set up (Home, Work, and a third property we have). Home is set to the place where I have two ISYs. Have tried with one ISY stipulated in portal, and with all ISYs allowed. Same email address used for both Alexa and ISY portal. Just never discovers devices. Have tried to discover "hub" alone, too. No joy. Keep in mind that I used Alexa with ISY extensively in the past in an ISY-Insteon system, so have done this in the past. We sold that property, and all from that ISY and location have been removed from portal, Alexa, etc. Portal works fine for both ISYs (use it to connect via Mobilinc, and for admin console sometimes). Just no-go for Alexa. Any help appreciated. Thanks!

Definitely a problem here. I deleted all my devices and disabled the skill, to start over. After re-adding the skill and entering portal credentials (which seemed to "take" just fine), NO devices were found, for either of my two ISYs. I am all z-wave (no Insteon) but I wouldn't think that should matter.

Absolutely agree. I can make programming changes, add new devices, other infrequent things via the admin console. I hate the java aspect of it, but it's workable, and IMO not worth a developer's time to recreate that wheel. UDI will likely do so, in time. It's the "everyday / several times each day" use case of needing to JUST ACCESS devices on a mobile device that I'm primarily hoping can improve. Often, I don't even need to change something, but just need to see its status (particularly temperatures or open/close/occupancy" status, for me. One thing I've noticed in many past threads, and in some comments here, is that some think the desire is for an app that's "pretty". I don't much care about that. I just want it to be easy to quickly scan, understand, and if necessary, act. As noted earlier, I would actually be thrilled with something like Orchestrated Mobilinc or Agave if Wes / James respectively had continued to update either of those just a bit. And, I would be happy to pay a reasonable subscription fee (ongoing revenue) to help maintain whatever app(s) I decide to use. But if an app won't even list some of my needed devices (e.g., some fairly common z-wave devices not showing up), then it just becomes unworkable. That's not to criticize these developers, but rather to say that the need for a different solution - or reinvigoration of an existing solution - appears to still exist. So, one thing I hope is not lost in all this is that I primarily see a need for FUNCTION that is not being met, as opposed to just a better FORM for delivering that. "Pretty" is in the eyes of the beholder. Whether or not all your devices are accessible is not. Hope that helps.

Will PM you.

We're good. Just want the thread to stay open to all developers and those who want to express their desires for a better user interface.

Here's all I can tell you... I'm happy to throw $$ at a problem. There are others like me. How much? Dunno yet - but I've spent $99 for an app, and I'm happy to subscribe to an app I really like and spend a fair amount more, over time. If you want an extension of your hobbies, @lilyoyo1, that's great. Enjoy! But I don't want another hobby right now. I just want a better app. Frankly, if @InsteonNut would continue development of Orchestrated Mobilinc, I'd probably be fine with it. But that solution is basically a deadend while he concentrates on Mobilinc X / Mobilinc Connect, which don't meet my needs. I can't say what others want, but if I can grab a few minutes this weekend I'll show an example or two of what, personally, I'd like to see. Then, to me, it's just a "how much, and how soon" discussion.

NO, @kewashi, THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS THREAD IS ABOUT. I started it, and you have been an active contributor, but don't try to hijack it. Start your own if you wish. This thread was started to gauge the need/desire for a better user interface for the ISY. There appears to be some interest, which is great. But ANY developer is open to contribute, and discuss their ideas here. HousePanel may or may not fit the bill (personally, I'm not yet interested as it requires too much DIY for my tastes). If you want a HousePanel thread, go start one, or revive one. But please don't think this thread is all about your product. Contributions and ideas are welcome. Hijacking is not.

Just a thought, not specific to Alexa but re: use of a gmail address in general: Google requires two-factor authentication as I recall, but you can turn this off (make it "less secure") for an email address. If you haven't done this, access via a gmail account may not work. Also, try ports 465 or 587 if you have an option to change them. I also have two ISYs in a property that haven't been linked to Alexa (I think Alexa still linked to another property) so I need to mess around with my installs as well. Will check into it and report back this weekend as our systems/situations are somewhat similar. Only confounding factor is that we're without power and running on gen after an April storm here in Maine, and will likely be out for several days. Gen power seems very clean, though, so wanted to experiment with that effect, as well. Using zwave so might not be bad at all. #automationexperimentweekend!

Thanks, Dennis. Do you receive more than about 100 messages per month via vzwpix? My issues started when I added a second ISY so I'm wondering if perhaps it's a monthly limit on that service.