Export Lighting Devices to Elk

[CJVann]

I'm confused about what would require a new export lighting file to be sent to the Elk. For simplicity - Say I have One light. I will never add or delete it. If I add new devices into the ISY, and delete other devices from the ISY, thus changing the order that the lights are in, will that require a new export file to be generated and imported into the Elk? I'm afraid the lights will get out of order (Light #1 is now the Garage Door instead of the Entry Light) and the Elk will start controlling the wrong devices.

 

On the same topic, do any changes to programs, variables, or anything else on the ISY cause issues with the Elk lighting file?

THANKS!!

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello CJVann,

 

If you add/remove devices, then you should re-export. Otherwise, you should not.

 

Programs reside in ISY and thus you can do as much as you wish with ISY programs without having to synch with ELK.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[CJVann]

Let me make sure I understand how this works....

 

1) I exported a light switch into the Elk last month. It is my one and only Insteon item in the Elk.

2) Today I removed a RemoteLinc from the ISY, that has never been a port of the Elk in any way.

So... does this mean I still have to export My Lighting to the Elk, even though there are no changes to my one light in the Elk?

 

Or is it that the Elk has a pointer to a location in the ISY for that light (Like Elk Light #1 = Isy Light #23), so any additions or deletions will cause that pointer to point to the wrong device (Now Elk Light #1 = Isy Light #17). And if so, would moving a device to a different folder, or changing it's name cause a similar problem, a broken link between the Elk & ISY? Would that also require you to re-export the device list?

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi CJVann,

 

Do you have the optional ELK module or not? If yes, then you don't have to do anything (you can select what's imported). If not, then you will need to reexport and import into ELK.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[apostolakisl]

Changing the name of a device or folder that a device is in within ISY will not affect its node location in ISY and thus the Elk location won't change either.

 

I'm pretty sure that the only way a node changes in ISY if you delete the device and re-add it. I have about 60 devices in my ISY as well as a boat load of scenes which have all been exported to Elk, and I have never had one change location.

[CJVann]

Yes, I have the Elk Module for the ISY. I was just paranoid I would forget and delete something from the ISY, like extra Christmas lamp modules, and screw up everything in the Elk! Sounds like it's a lot more stable than I was giving it credit for. Thanks guys!

[gatchel]

You don't have to delete holiday lighting controllers. You can just disable them.

[apostolakisl]

Yes, I have the Elk Module for the ISY. I was just paranoid I would forget and delete something from the ISY, like extra Christmas lamp modules, and screw up everything in the Elk! Sounds like it's a lot more stable than I was giving it credit for. Thanks guys!

 

 

If you were thinking that deleting one item would shift everything else, it does not.

 

But as mentioned, there is no reason to delete a device unless you are going to retire the device permanently from your collection.

 

Also, remember that scenes get nodes too. Elk can't tell the difference between a device node and a scene node.

 

I'm not 100% sure on this point, but I believe if you do a "replace with" command (like if a device fails and you get a new one) it puts the new device at the same node as the old device. I say this only because I have done it a number of times and all my Elk rules still worked.

 

Also, since I got the Elk module, I don't have any reason to have Elk control lights anyway. I have moved all of my lighting programs into ISY. I don't have a single Elk rule controlling an Insteon device at all.