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You can have a program adjust a scene too. For example, my hallway and restroom motion sensors turns lights on to 90% at .1 second ramp rates during the day, and to 15% at 2.5 seconds after the last person to bed hits the bedtime button. Then they return to the bright setting a few minutes after sunrise. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So before I switched to the database, I used a program to test whether the exterior temp variable on the ISY was greater than the record high variable. If it was, that became the new record high current and init to value, and a notification was sent stating "A new record high temperature of ${var.2.XX} has been set at ${sys.time} on ${sys.date}.". The "init to" made sure the value survived a reboot, and the notification captured the event time. Now, this was only good for records that don't change often, because otherwise you're getting notifications all the time as the day gets warmer. But for a "hey, this value just went beyond anything it's ever recorded before at this time" notification, it's great. The notification is stamped with the time as it is sent, so if you need to know when it happened, you just need to find the notification. When I started plotting out how to get regular updates on the day's highs and lows that didn't come at inopportune times, or too often or rarely, I chickened out of doing it on the ISY, and I went for the Pi instead. I could see the solution would be something like what is posted above, but that I'd need to tweak it to my needs. I figured if I was going to spend a bunch of time coming up with a solution that worked for me, I'd rather it be web-based so I can access it however and wherever I want. And I knew I was going to want to do more with the sensor data I was collecting than just looking at it moment by moment.

And let me know if you need a write up on the LAMP stack installation. I'm not sure what your comfort level is with the command line. As it happens, I recently purchased a new micro SD card and put a fresh installation of Raspbian on it that I was planning to install a LAMP stack on soon for some testing purposes. I have been using nginx as a web server so far (making my installation a LEMP stack), but I want to try Apache too. It's a pretty simple process to install either, so it won't take much to write up. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Happy to help. Here's my write up from a while back on how to set up MySQL on a Pi, and how to pass 1-Wire data to the database: http://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/15273-wundergroundcom/?p=130307 That will give you an idea of how the database side of things works, basic queries, etc. I'm sure we'll have to figure a way to get your sensor info into MySQL. I'm not familiar with the Autelis product, which I believe you use. Hopefully there's an easy way to do it. You'll also need to install a LAMP (or LEMP) stack on your Pi before you can get started. But that's relatively easy, I just searched online for guidance. If you get as far as getting your data into the database, I'll write up the web server and PHP side of this. Let me know if you get stuck anywhere along the way. I'm no expert, but hopefully I can be of assistance. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

On my Pi, I run a web server. Any time I load a particular web page, it runs a PHP script that queries my temperature database, and spits out the current readings of all sensors, and the min/max of a couple that I care about. They say things like "The 24 Hour Max Exterior Temp of 85.5° F occurred at 3:54 PM. The average interior temperature at that time was 76° F". If a new entry is made to the database with a greater value, the new time stamp is returned when you ask for the high. What I have is still not pretty, but it's functional. A work in progress. But the beauty of it is that once you have all the data, you can ask anything. Want to know what the high temp was on alternate Tuesdays in July? Or what time ranges one sensor was lower than another today? Or which sensor has the highest average values? No problem. Not to knock it, because I love my ISY but it just isn't built for data storage. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not sure I'm reading this right... Are you trying to find out when min/max values occur for tracked variables? If so, might I humbly suggest that such a task is better handled by a database than the ISY? Put all the data in a database, then just politely ask it what the max value for a given field is, and when that field was written to the database. This is how I have all my temperature information stored. I can query the database for a max over any time period. Or averages. Or between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Or every Nth record. When I first set up my 1-Wire system, I created a series of programs on my ISY to track daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and all time temperature highs and lows. They're still chugging away, but I haven't bothered with them since I got MySQL up and running. It's much easier to query the database if I want to know. Not to mention that there's no issue with data surviving a reboot. If you want anything to point you in the right direction, let me know. I've got min/max query structures and php code you can look at or use. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Like most here, I'm not too worried about anything worse than inconvenience from this., because I'm not relying on it for safety or security. But I expect companies who make IoT devices to have network security at the very top of their priorities list. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Replace the whole setup then. Buy a new fan, abandon the old system, and install the fanlinc. If/when you sell, just replace the fanlinc and KPL with a standalone remote system (there's a reason most modern fan mounting brackets accept a remote, and it's not for us hordes of Insteon users!) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So, most newer fan mounting brackets have a shape that allows the fanlinc to slip in at essentially ceiling elevation. The brackets are made to accept a remote. Look online, you'll see what I mean. You don't remove any switch. The basic homeowner fan won't be modular like that, it's all integral. But typically, the chain exiting the housing is short on arrival, with a coupler. You add chain for typical use. For the fanlinc, you want to hide that chain stub. Or ignore it. All that's going on is voltage control to a motor designed to respond to those voltages in much the same way a 3-level light does. You'll need to look under your fan housing (or see if you can check model info online) to see where your voltage control is happening. If it's at your switch, you can probably use the fanlinc. Basically if voltage control occurs outside the wire nuts for the fan, you're good. The guide is clear that the fanlinc isn't appropriate for fans with a built-in remote control. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

One of mine has the chain through the lens, so I just disconnected the long pieces and tucked the two short pieces inside the light. The others I just disconnected and left alone. Because of the (stupid) shape of the fixture, the lens hides the chain exit locations. (Stupid because this meant the chain rubbed the lens every time you used it, and you weren't pulling in line with the action, requiring more force as well.) Honestly, now that they're tied to temperature sensors in the rooms, I rarely use the KPL to turn them on or off. It just changes state or speed by itself, which is what I want from automation technologies. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm using the Pi / OWLink setup, and it's working great. I'm also pushing data to a MySQL database for storage using a crude home brew script, and using the pi to run a web server with a couple basic PHP scripts to display info. My network is a star configuration, with some of the runs having multiple sensors. I'm only up to 7 sensors so far, but it's been largely flawless. My biggest single expense was the box of cat5 cable I bought for $80, and the crimp tool I splurged on to make my life easier installing the cable runs. I even bought a can of black Plasti-Dip so I could drop a sensor into the fish tank. It's been a fair bit of learning experience for me, since I'm by no means a coder, but I have learned a surprising amount by just poking around online, and in the 6 months or so since I started on it, I've gotten a lot more comfortable on the command line, and with basic elements of programming. The end result is that I have a very nice temp sensing setup, accurate and reliable enough that I have barely touched my ceiling fan controls all summer. And it's been hot! If you decide to go this route, I'm happy to help you any way I can, and I'm sure others here will be equally happy to help as well. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

There are dust control setups that will trigger your vacuum upon opening a blast gate at the machine. That's what I'd use.

Not sure if it's useful to anyone, but after much trial and many errors, I've just recently gotten my TrendNet Pan/Tilt IP camera responding to the ISY, via a php script on a Pi (no Digest authorization on the ISY). I've got it pointing at the back or front door based on Insteon open/close sensors now. I'll probably add motion sensing soon. Then I'll get to work on sending me pix on command... Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Also true. There are lots of ways to skin this cat, and I'm certainly no expert at any of it. It's just a way that's worked for me before.

Couple thoughts: As has been noted by several people, if you use folder conditions, you need to plan how to pick up any running programs or devices that are on when the newly active folder takes over. This can be as simple as 'shut it all down and start over', but is more elegant when you take time to really think it through and create a graceful hand-off. Can't agree enough with oberkc about planning before coding. I find it helps to use a pad of paper and a pen first, listing all the requirements out first, then structuring it into logical chunks that readily turn into programs and variables. Also his point about edge cases. Try to break your programs, then find ways to keep the bad stuff from happening. I find it's easy to write successful programs for 95% of what they will react to, but the remaining edge cases will consume vastly more of your time to get right. And finally, if your vacation is coming up soon, you likely won't have time to implement any overly complex setup right now, nor chase down and squash any bugs that come up. Consider keeping it extremely simple for now, and planning an automated away state for your next vacation. No reason to create potential stress when you're supposed to be out enjoying yourself!

Since you mention it, I'd also like the ability to organize variables in a folder structure (this goes for network resources too). My variable page is a hot mess right now, but I'm so used to them being ordered by variable ID that I just leave it alone. And speaking of folders, regarding the OP's question, one possibility is putting your vacation programs in a folder that only runs when vacation = true. I have some vacation timers and other programs I run that way. You just have to plan how the transition between states affects running programs, other schedules, devices that are on, etc., Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'd love to see something like this. I pictured it much like how nodes currently list what scenes they are controllers / responders for when you click on them. Sort of a "this variable is an 'if' for AB&C, a 'then' for DE&F, and an 'else' for XY&Z. " Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

You'll want to read up on port forwarding if you want to access your ISY from outside your LAN. And probably SSL certificates too. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Are you using Google Chrome to try to access the ISY? If so, Google recently started blocking Java Applets in Chrome. Try this: http://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/15885-chrome-and-isys-admin-console/ Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If you don't have one, go to the hardware store and spend $10 on a voltage testing pen. This will help you tease out which is the traveler wire. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

IMHO, home automation will become more of a mainstream technology once device prices drop by at least 50%, and someone sells a hub capable of learning your house habits the way the Nest thermostat learns your temperature habits. The obvious problem here is that device prices aren't likely to drop much without widespread adoption. The other way I see HA going mainstream is if demand-response requirements get put into the residential building codes for new construction or significant remodels, and the financial incentives of the demand-response program are sufficient to justify the expense of installation. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Dunno if this is your issue, but an update about 2 months ago disabled the I2C interface by default. It's an easy fix, but had me pulling my hair out for a bit.

Malfunctioning devices aside, the amount of trouble you have really depends on your desired system complexity. When I first got started, my automation system was pretty much just an expensive replacement for several existing analog timers. Those programs still run and are rock solid. It was when I started playing with sensor inputs that things got complicated. Smart homes should do smart things, and I've found that in most cases, it's pretty easy to program stuff for the 95% - 98% use case scenarios. But getting programs to also handle that last small percentage of edge cases (or at least fail gracefully) is where the work piles up. Even motion sensors can require extensive planning and programming to get right, let alone presence detection, open/close, or temperature sensing. And the more 3rd-party stuff I added, the more complex things got. Suddenly I'm learning how to work from the command line in Linux, and trying to figure out how to GET and POST things, and acquiring an SSL certificate. Way outside my normal comfort zone. But ultimately, it's a hobby I enjoy, with a definite benefit to the family that outweighs the occasional incident. My wife even tells me occasionally that she's happier with it than without, and it's such second nature to my kid that he's thrown off when you can't double tap a Decora switch and have it do something. I learn a lot doing this stuff, and it makes my life easier. No regrets. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I installed my first fanlinc this past weekend just in time for some warm days, and it's really nice! Specially in conjunction with a temperature sensor in the room in question. The KPL is almost superfluous at this point, I just need to fine-tune the set points at which the fan speed changes. Automation at its best. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Ah, I see. So that would be a good place to use a 6-button relay instead of a dimmer, if you wanted to use a scene to control the light, yes? Edit: never mind. Answered above. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk