ISY/PLM Problem?

[Souixz1]

As a newbie, I purchased a number of Insteon devices in the hopes of building my own home security and automation system. I had the help of a nephew who had over 10 years experience working with Smarthome/Insteon devices. After installing the equipment I had great difficulty creating scenes and programs that were reliable. The programs and scenes worked intermittently and in some cases not at all. Due to a pending extended trip, Smarthome and I decided that I should return the questionable equipment before the 30-day No Hassle Return period expired, which did not afford me the time to determine the root cause of my problems.

 

I really want to consider another attempt at installing a Smarthome/Insteon system but am 'gun-shy'. Could my root cause have been either a bad ISY or PLM, or is it more likely that I have some 'power line noise' issues in my home's wiring?

 

Is there a way to determine this before I commit to another Smarthome equipment purchase?

[LeeG]

What devices were installed initially?

 

Were Access Points installed to couple the 2 120v legs? Did they pass the 4 tap Set button test?

 

The ISY would not cause the problem. It is also unlikely the PLM was the issue.

[Souixz1]

I attempted to install Open/Close window and door sensors, Access Points (communicated correctly), SwitchLinc Dimmers (2-wire, older house), 2 First Alert smoke alerts with a smoke bridge, and 2 flood sensors.

[LeeG]

With Access Points installed and confirmed working on opposite 120v legs, the next thing to consider is what else was powered on the PLM circuit. The PLM should be plugged into an outlet and other electronics on the same circuit should be isolated with a FilterLinc. Surge/noise suppression power strips can degrade Insteon signals to the point where the signals are not reliable. Many of the devices mentioned are RF only which means they must be in range of Dual Band devices such as the Access Points or PLM.