upstatemike

There is a lot of confusion around PLMs right now. Hopefully the next version will not only hold more links but will also not lock up or go to sleep. Besides the PLM situation, there is another link related issue that is being discussed heavily in other forums. It has to do with the fact that once you have a lot of links in each group you have problems with group cleanup commands. This is because any time you fire off several group commands in rapid sequence (whether from a controller or just from pushing several wall switches in rapid succession) the group cleanup commands never get to execute. The first group never completes the group cleanup before it is interrupted by the second group command, whos cleanup is interrupted by the third group and so on. Only the final group cammand will be able to complete the full group cleanup process.

I was hoping the 99.9 would be available for EHX and the IR version by Christmas but no such luck. Unfortunately I have too many links for an ISY-26.

Here is a good report on EHX from MikeB: http://www.techav.com/ehx/ehxfall2007.htm

EHX is here. The doors have been open for hours. When will we be seeing the announcemnt about the ISY-99.9? Will the details be up on the Universal Devices web page?

KPLs are definitely a headache. Too bad they never came out with the promised wall mount bracket for the ContrLinc! Still the LEDs are handy when controlling outside lighting or other fixtures you can't see from the switch location. What RF version are you referring to? I know about an IR version, but RF?

Mark, [Just a heads up ... works fine with Safari v3.0.3 (running on OS X)....] Q1a: Playing with the calc... Why is it that an 8 button KPL is considered to be 16 links (when its the only item I add to the calc) but a 6 button KPL is considered to only be 10 links? Q1b: Why wouldn't the KPLs be considered 6 (or links (like the Controlinc is considered 5) instead of 10 (or 16)? Dave Q1a: A 6 button KeypadLinc controls 5 groups the same as a ControLinc. It only has 6 buttons because the main LOAD group is split into separate ON and OFF buttons. Q1b: A KeypadLinc button needs to be cross linked to control the button LED so 2 links per button. No LED on ControLinc buttons so just the single link per button is required.

So what was the logic behind this design change?

In program 1, why wait 1 min? Why not just turn it back off immediately?

I'm constantly re-thinking mine. Do you have an Elk M1? I just purchased one, and am hoping it will serve as a good bridge between CQC and the ISY-26 for me. I have an Elk panel but have not installed it yet... (well I have hung the boxes and inserted 5 Input expanders and a relay board, but have not powered it up yet.) It will make a good security/fire panel but it does not have the memory or the logic to be my main controller (no OR statements, no math functions to massage counter values, etc.) I may have to leave a lot of stuff on my Stargate. Elk M1/ISY = lighting, fire, security, motion sensors, temp sensors Stargate = Tstats, voice alerts/warnings/status/reminders, phone stuff, X10 Stargate ISY Or maybe Stargate PC ISY

I've tried to do the same with CQC. Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck. Really sucks because my time and money investment in CQC has so far been wasted. Unfortunately the Homeseer folks are not at all receptive, preferring to put their faith in SmartHome to come up with an easy interface for them to program to (sure that will happen!) I am now rethinking my overall automation platform strategy.

Unfortunately I do not know of anyone. I will continue to try to convince the Homeseer folks that it would be in their own best interest to support the ISY-26 by developing a plugin with Homeseer staff.

Thanks Michael. It looks like Insteon is about to hit a development brick wall since most new devices coming out are based on the PLM and it does not look like there is any strategy for them all to play well together. Certainly no way to manage them all centrally. This is a very discouraging situation.

I just want to be sure I understsand what happens when the link table of a switch contains links to a device that is not supported by ISY. I know that not all SimpleHomenet products will be supported and there is also a PLM based touchscreen coming out soon, and of course Homeseer creates links with it's PLM. If ISY finds links to these unsupported devices in the link table of a switch are they ignored? Or is there a chance they will be overwritten at some point as ISY edits the switches link table?

Don't they make a wireless bridge type device that you can put in your wiring closet? It would communicate wirelessly to the router in your office and provide a wired port for your ISY. I think Linksys makes them as well as some others.

Yeah that would be difficult to support. Not sure Why. If you think of the ControLinc as a 6 button device you would support it the same way that you would support a 5 button ControLinc. The sixth button will never get pressed but if you support it as if it could, then everything else works as expected with respect to All On and All Off.

That is correct. Maybe I should not have used the term "phantom" as it is causing confusion. Each set of buttons in a ControLinc corresponds to a group. There are 6 of these groups in a ControLinc but only 5 sets of buttons. (Sort of like a KeypadLinc in 6-button mode where 8 groups exist but only 5 are used in that configuration). You can program links to the sixth group but there are no local buttons to turn the group on or off. The sixth group WILL go on and off along with the other 5 when an ALL ON or ALL Off is sent from the Controller because these buttons include all 6 groups.

No problem, I was just curious. The ControLinc is kind of unusual because it is a six button device in a 5 button case. In a room with both RemoteLincs and ControLincs it is handy to program ControLinc button 6 the same as RemoteLinc button 6. That way All Off and All On buttons on both controllers operate the same lights.

One nifty trick you can do with PowerHome is to define a ControLinc as a 6-button device. You can then program links to this 6th "phantom" button. Even though there is no physical button on the ControLinc for direct control, the devices linked to the phantom button are included when using the ALL ON and ALL OFF buttons on the ControLinc. Is there a way to tell an ISY that a ControLinc has 6 buttons so you can program the links to the "phantom" button?

I Have the original SmartHome X-10 translator which is a PLC PowerHome uses a PLC Homeseer is currently a PLC but will be switched to a PLM EZX10RF is PLM based? EZIO8 has a PLM My Plan: Install a W800RF32A on my ELK panel and connect the ELK to an ISY 99.9 This will let me eliminate both of the EZ units and the X-10 translator. Convert Homeseer from the PLC to a PLM (Homeseer will not support the PLC in future releases. Not sure how ISY and Homeseer will work together yet. PowerHome only supports the PLC at this point but I will likely take it off line when I bring up the ISY. So the short answer is that I don't plan to keep any PLCs and just have to figure out how to work with Homeseer's PLM. Would be nice if Homeseer communicated to the ISY over the network like the Elk so I could have only 1 Insteon interface to manage.

The calculator shows me at 662 links and I am about to order some more stuff... should I be worried? Will the ISY-99.9 work for me? 0 8-button keypads 13 6-button keypads 10 ControLincs 5 RemoteLincs 102 Switches 48 Plugin Modules and SocketLincs Did not count PLCs on Homeseer, PowerHome, and X-10 translator, Did not count EZIO8 or EZX10RF (Hope to eliminate after ISY is installed) Will be adding more SockeLincs, ApplianceLincs, Relay switches, KeypadLinc Relays, and RemoteLincs (say 10 more devices total).

Will the details of both versions be released at EHX? I am anxiously awaiting 99.9 because of the large number of Insteon devices I have but I don't know if I also need the IR functionality without more information about it. Will IR functionality be in addition to all other features? Or will programming space require some sort of trade off? Will both versions work with an Elk security panel?