ergodic

Well Michael, as is often the case with Insteon the plot thickens.... Tonight I noted that the ISY was having trouble communicating with some devices (roughly about a third, though that's just a guess.) Queries would either work after several tries, or just fail completely. Some devices had no problem at all. So... following your suggestion, I unplug the power strip to which the PLM (and thus the ISY) are powered, and then plug it back in. Presto! everything starts talking again and no problems. I can query everything and it all responds more or less instantly. Any ideas? Perhaps a voltage spike during one of the power failures did some harm? But then how could it just start working properly again? (Are these things protected internally?) Just FYI, the main power strip is one of those 6' wiremold affairs mounted on the garage wall: it has an access point, an EZX10RF, a FilterLinc (running into the cabling cabinet UPS), and a pigtail to a power strip also running inside the cabling cabinet that has only the PLM on it. The ISY is powered off the PLM cable. I've had no problems with this config up until this stuff started happening....

The PLM most definitely is not dead. After a power fail I can manually reboot the ISY (not the PLM) and everything then works fine. It does not show disconnected at any time. The only problem is with communications following a power failure - which seems to necessitate a manual restart of the ISY. I wouldn't dispute that the problem might be with the PLM if you think that's likely - I'll take the issue up with SH in that case. The PLM isn't that old. OTOH, I've never tried re-plugging the PLM after a power fail instead of the ISY. But I wouldn't know what to do with the information no matter which way that test turns out. I screwed up my courage and installed 2.7.9, but I haven't had a chance to test power-fail recovery yet.

Yeah, I've read that thread. It's hard to see how a backup p/s is a fix for this -- for one thing even a large UPS will run out of juice sooner or later. And this happens every time, whether the ISY's been off for 6 minutes or 6 hours. The PLM is V72 - not that old - got it about 6 months ago when the last one died. I'm going to try V2.7.9, I've been holding off to see if it achieves release status, but this problem is starting to cause social unrest around here.

I have an ISY 99i/Pro running 2.7.6. The ISY is powered from the PLM. The rest of the network is on a UPS (connected through a filterlinc). Anyway, some drunken halfwit ran his truck into a power pole out here in the canyons a few days ago. As a result we have had several power outages lasting minutes to hours as the power company tries to fix everything. Each time the power comes back on, after the ISY comes back up, it can't communicate with any of the Insteon devices. It is talking to the network fine, and it appears to be running fine, but a query on anything just generates the "lost communication with..." dialog after it gives up trying. I click the ISY reboot button, the ISY restarts, and all is then well. Is there a way to figure out what might be going on? Would connecting the ISY to a UPS-provided power supply fix this? I'm sort of stumped - I can't imagine that the ISY comes back online faster than the PLM initializes, so what could even be the reason for this?

The motion sensor is a status-only device so far as I know. I don't believe you can programmatically control the state of an Insteon motion sensor because I don't think - (I could be wrong) - the sensor itself evn has that capability. Motion sensors do show up in the "Insteon" action list but I'm not sure the reason or what affect changing the state has - I've never tried it. Perhaps Michael can shed some light on this.

I think you may be having problems if you've scene-linked your motion sensor and are also at the same time trying to use ISY programs to control it as you've described. What you have seems reasonable. But use the motion sensor to trigger the programs and take it out of any Insteon scenes as they just end up (logically) fighting with each other. The only advantage of scene-linking is that it is almost instantaneous, vs the small lag you get with ISY programs. I use something similar, but I also jumper-disable the MS "Off" and use ISY program "Wait"s to handle the off delay. This is more flexible - for one thing you can cancel a program from other programs. It also is easier to change since you don't have to put the MS in linking mode every time you want to alter the setting. My general rule is I don't even bother trying to scene-link motion sensors. Even if it works the way I want at the start, I soonor or later seem to end up with some enhancement or another I want that requires the flexibility of programs. The other thing you may want someplace in your program list is to re-enable the disabled program if things get 'out of sync', which they inevitably do. I use dimmer fast on/fast offs (which people rarely use) to signal program enable/disables. And I also have one program that runs at 3AM and is also linked to the ISY startup and a KPL button that resets everything to a known state.

I think the ISY could still assist with some sort of basic troubleshooting even in the current situation. Some plain-language interpretation of the event log lines would be very helpful ("Trying to talk to device xxx but no response, retrying"). Understand you guys deal with this stuff all day long, but I have to dig out the Insteon spec and try to shuffle through it each time. How about just a simple equivalent to a 'ping'? Send a repeated query to a device and show a simple meter control of some sort for query successes over the last n seconds. As I change things I can see (even audible?) whether I am improving or not on that control. I realize that device S/N ratios and such would be better, but my bet is that it isn't going to be the Holy Grail - we will still be fighting bizarre comm problems that refuse to reveal themselves except empirically.

The simplest is to just create another program that watches for the control/status change you are interested in, and executes a Stop Program on when it sees that happen. If isn't running it won't hurt anything.

Even if you enable the registry hack to allow imbedded credentials in IE URLs and specify it that way, the ISY still prompts for the username/password when the ISY Java app comes up. Perhaps there's more to it I don't know about that would get it to work? I know nothing of the Java side of things. I just want the option to turn it off on the LAN, I don't mean to suggest that that should be a permanent change or even a default. And let's be honest: if you use Insteon to control garage doors opening in the first place (and I actually do), any security risk from the ISY console is WAY down on the list of things to worry about.

Hi and welcome I cobbled together a pair of sample program that uses one switch to control the kind of scene change you want. "U/S Office Cans" is the light being controlled and "U/S Hall Aux." is the controller for the program. Just what was handy - translate for your own needs If Status 'U/S Office Cans' > 49% And Control 'U/S Hall Aux.' is switched On Then Run Program 'Program2' (Then Path) Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') If - No Conditions - (To add one, press 'Schedule' or 'Condition') Then Set 'U/S Office Cans' 50% Wait 10 seconds Set 'U/S Office Cans' Off Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') You need two programs, though not I believe for the reason you think. If you collapse Program2's logic into Program1's Then part, you end up canceling your own program after the initial change down to 50% (though I'll confess I'm hard-pressed to explain exactly why that happens.) Granularizing all the logic in another program prevents that. I believe there is also a restriction that a tail Wait in an ISY clause does nothing, though again I could be fuzzy on this; I don't try to use that sort of thing much. Programmers look at the ISY languange and see programming constructs, but it is really a very nice, simple, real-time, largely stateless, instantiated, applicative language. Don't try to force too much out of one program and it gets easier. While sometimes useful, if you start looking for ways to emulate nested ifs, variables, etc. it gets ugly very fast. HTH

I really don't want to come off as some know-it-all here, but between NAT routing with private addresses, modern BGP routers at ISPs and a halfway decent premise router the risk of source routed spoofing seems about zero in AD2009. But still, I take your point - it's always a remote possibility. I'd just like the toggle. My wife wants to know why she has to keep doing it every time and I don't have any good answer. I suppose if you really want to secure it, possibly use a MAC table of allowed logins instead of IPs, though I think that's overkill. Anyway, if some antisocial kid in Uzbekistan wants to try to turn on my hall lights, good luck. He's a lot busier these days trying to spread Conficker-C for money. But if it happens I'll just turn the login back on. NBD. On the topic, if anyone's interested and wants something more robust than your average (perfectly-fine) $50 Linksys, I've been running one of the new Sonicwall TZ100 firewalls for about a month at the house which I have to say is a just absolutely incredible deal. Unlimited connects, enhanced O/S, multiple VPN links with VPN client and SSL VPN, assignable ports, ICSA stateful firewall, packet logging, and on and on. For a $200-$300 firewall device you can't touch it.

Is there any way to suppress / bypass the ISY login for LAN subnet addresses? I don't really want it or need it on that end of things and it just seems to get in the way.

You first need to find the address of your router. Then you have to login to it. 0.0.0.0 is not valid. You can try http://192.168.1.1 - that's the default out-of-the-box address I believe. If that doesn't work either, and assuming it is Windows, click Start... Run... cmd to open a command prompt. Type the command: ipconfig . (Press .) Make a note of the "Default Gateway" address shown under your active network connection. That's your router's address. Use "exit" to close the command window. Open your browser and type http:// . The default login for the Westels is username: admin, password: password. If you did the config using your ISPs setup program, the login is probably your username / password you setup with them (your "PPP" connection credentials and usually the email/password for your primary email account). If you don't know these and can't find them then you'll have to hard-reset and reconfigure the 327 from scratch. This usually isn't much; you did it before so you can do it again. But if you don't know your wireless encryption settings and you're using the wireless then you'll have to reset that and recode the new key info into all your wireless clients. Steve

If by "rule" you mean ISY program, then disabling you 'on' program for some period of time after you press the OFF button should do it. IOW assuming your motion programs are these: M1: If 'motion1' is switched on or 'motion1' is switched fast on then set 'S1' on M2: If 'motion1' is switched off or 'motion1' is switched fast off then set 'S1' off Now I think what you want to do is add a program like this: D1: If 'S1' is switched off or 'S1' is switched fast off then disable program 'M1' wait 10 seconds enable program 'M1' You cannot do what you desire with scenes, you'll have to use programs. With motion sensors and the ISY I've found that's almost always to the best. If there's a power failure in the 10 second window then your ISY comes back up with D1 disabled. That's fixable either with a startup program or by adding a usually-redundant 'enable program 'D1'' line to the M1 script.

I have nothing but problems with CFLs and Insteon. I'd really love to know what brand you're using that don't give you problems as I have a number of applications here where I'd like to be able to install CFLs.

I'm having a problem with a simple motion sensor program for my garage. There's a 2620M, and two cross-linked switchlinc relays for the lights. The lights are fluorescents but are connected through a FilterLinc and there are no comm errors at all. The 2620M is set for on/off and 30 second delay. I'm controlling the motion sense with programs - it isn't linked. The On program is this: If Control 'Garage: Motion: Sensor' is switched On Then Set Scene 'Multiway: Garage Lights' On Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') The original OFF program was this: If Control 'Garage: Motion: Sensor' is switched Off And Control 'Garage: Motion: Sensor' is not switched On And Status 'Garage: Lights (*)' is On Then Wait 15 minutes Set Scene 'Multiway: Garage Lights' Off Run Program 'Garage: Motion Off' (Else Path) Else - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action') The problem is that the lights weren't always shutting off after 15:30. When I'd look later, the status of "Garage Lights (*)" (which is the load switchinc) was showing status "OFF" in the ISY even though the lights were still on. I'm - thankfully - having zero problems with any sort of comm errors and so I have a hard time believing this due to a comm failure. I can poke the buttons on both switchlincs and the status tracks exactly, and the ON status seems to always track correctly for the motion sensor too. So am I not understanding what I'm doing, or is it possible the ISY is somehow failing to track the status of the light or the motion sensor in some other way? I've taken out the 'Status' line in the off script to see if that fixes it, but I'd like to understand what I'm doing wrong here.

Thanks - I already have an EZX10RF for the RF codes, but that's what I was afraid of. Glad I asked and appreciate the response. I'm not reallly sure how much 'security' is afforded by 1 / 8x8, (I suppose a little more than 1/1.) Anyway these will just be interior door sensors and I don't care about the security issue and the price is right of course at $5@ but I'll have to look at the other options. The Triggerlinc doesn't look to bad and is a little smaller than the DS10a which is nice.

I'd like to use a few of the X10 DS10a sensors with my ISY99. However what I read in the DS10a user guide is that it self-generates an X10 code at random. Is this workable with the ISY?

As my "My Lighting" list has grown larger, I'm finding I now have a problem getting a right-click context menu to appear for either the last or first item in the tree. I can highlight it, just not get the context menu. Even with the item highlighted using a keyboard right-click doesn't do it. If I fiddle around with right-click/contexts on the ones above or below I can eventually get one to work. It is pretty clear this is a UI or Java interface issue of some sort as occasionally I will see a context menu flash before disappearing. (I am running 2.7.6). I added a "zzz" scene which shows at the bottom; new scenes will appear below it but I can close and reopen the app to get it moved up above zzz. A workaround like this for the top item isn't readily apparent to me. Possibly a menu item could be added to replicate the right-click/context options? I'm wondering if anyone else is seeing this? Maybe something related to my own video or mouse settings or something, but nothing else has a problem on this machine. I have cleared the Java cache several times.

Have you tried "is not switched off"? Just a thought.

Does this program actually do anything? I understood a 'Control' condition to be evaluated only when the event is fired by pressing the button. If so, doesn't this program only run the 'then' clause when the garage light button is pressed at exactly 3AM? Or am I still not understanding things right?

They did not show in generate topology. I just bit the bullet and removed and re-added. It occurred to me too late I could have replaced a temporary KPL in there and then swapped back. Never attempted to remove individual button nodes, but the buttons were unused by anything.

I have a 6-button KPL which now appears in the ISY with only the load button. The other four buttons are not there (I sorted My Lighting by address and checked - just one entry.) Somewhere along the line the ancillary buttons (which weren't doing anything yet) just.... vanished. Is there ANY way to add these back in without completely deleting the device and re-adding it? It's tied in as a responder in all sorts of scenes including motion sensors etc. and I'd really like to avoid rebuilding and checking it all if possible. I did try manually adding the device and address back with 'keep existing links'. That didn't hurt anything but it didn't do anything either.

That's correct I believe - you can use fade up/down/stop but there's no way - at least none I could find - to access the dim/brighten commands of the RL via the ISY. It would be useful to be able to intercept those in the ISY (a-la IR "is held") or have them appear in the interface in some way.

To improve battery life try unlinking the RL scenes and just running the RL controls via programs. You could also consider using either the X10 keypads and an X10 RF pickup, or a universal RF remote (if you have a /IR ISY) and running control through programs. Admittedly the X10 RF keypads are even more aesthetically challenged than the RLs, but they are small, available incredibly dirt-cheap, they have 10 vs 6 device controls, and the 4xAAs seem to last forever. I have all three types and I don't find the now very small delay in program execution to be much of an issue for anything I've tried. I've even stopped scene-linking the RLs because of the hassles involved. All my remotes now just run programs and I can easily adjust the programs whenever I want without fussing with putting RLs into link mode and without worrying about a half-baked RL link.