Wingsy Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 I'm about to make a major commitment to an Insteon-controlled house. Under construction now and we should be in in late May. Electrician coming for survey in 2 days. I'll have 30-35 Insteon light switch/dimmers, around five 6-button switches and a few plug-in on/off modules. One high power switch for an irrigation pump, and another switch for a pair of 20 million candlepower strobe lights at the end of the driveway (seriously, LOL!). An ISY994i is my controller. My main question is, will network speeds drop off with this many devices? 2nd question. I want to have a door switch turn on a light (hopefully almost instantly) and to turn it off when closed, AND the ISY to turn it off after a delay regardless if the door switch is opened or closed. That'll work, right? (I would test this myself but my test setup is disassembled.) Thanks.
LeeG Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 That is not an issue. Lighting control is not used heavily (not like turning On/Off devices every few seconds throughout the day). The Hidden Door Sensor can be used to create that arrangement. The On node (Open) can be linked to the light control switch for near instantaneous On with the Off node (Closed) controlling an ISY Program to determine when to turn the light control switch Off (door closure or time).
stusviews Posted March 18, 2015 Posted March 18, 2015 If you meant the Insteon network, then more devices actually improves communication (better, not faster). Insteon signals do not use an Ethernet network such as a LAN or WAN at all.
Teken Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 The three major things for any Insteon network is (confirmed) proper coupling / bridging outlined in the users manual. The 2413S PLM Users guide explains the 4 tap beacon test and what to expect. Next, is to identify all noise makers / signal suckers in the home and filter them or replace them. Do not plug the PLM on a circuit that is loaded with electronics such as computers, cell chargers, UPS, filtered surge strips. Last, is to ensure proper RF coverage either using the new Range Extenders or Lamp Linc / On-Off Relay. Since the Lamp Linc / On-Off Relay only loses 50 feet of RF to the RE. Having dual use is always great because the RE can not be re-purposed for anything else besides coupling and transceiving from RF to Power line. If you're going to have a wall wart might as well have a dual purpose one! Lots of folks like to place the PLM / ISY as close to the electrical panel as possible for the best power line distribution. I believe given the vast amount of dual band devices being offered by Smartlabs this requirement isn't so important anymore. No matter what you do best practices of any new install is to hard reset all devices prior to enrolling them to the network. There have been countless stories of ghost issues unexplained. Hard resetting the device will restore the unit to a factory state and remove any test links or programming from the production line.
Wingsy Posted March 19, 2015 Author Posted March 19, 2015 Thanks folks. Some good info up there. But I still want to know about your experience with speed in a loaded system. In my limited test setup, with an ISY and a handful of dimmers & other modules I have seen occasional delays of several seconds between an event and the ISY responding to it (from an ISY program). Usually it's a second or less. I'm chalking that up to the ISY sometimes having to do multiple retries to get its message out. Now with 40 nodes out there and each node capable of forwarding a packet from the ISY, how much of that will need to go on to complete an exchange between an outlying node to the ISY and back to another outlying node? That's what I'm curious about. It's going to be whatever it will be but I'd like to know what to expect so I can recognize a network problem when/if I have one.
Teken Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 Thanks folks. Some good info up there. But I still want to know about your experience with speed in a loaded system. In my limited test setup, with an ISY and a handful of dimmers & other modules I have seen occasional delays of several seconds between an event and the ISY responding to it (from an ISY program). Usually it's a second or less. I'm chalking that up to the ISY sometimes having to do multiple retries to get its message out. Now with 40 nodes out there and each node capable of forwarding a packet from the ISY, how much of that will need to go on to complete an exchange between an outlying node to the ISY and back to another outlying node? That's what I'm curious about. It's going to be whatever it will be but I'd like to know what to expect so I can recognize a network problem when/if I have one. Smartlabs recommends a Range Extender for every 2000 square feet. This is why coupling / bridging must be confirmed for all floors, rooms, zones. Do not rely on the fact you have dual band devices installed in the walls if the JBOX is metal. This will dramatically reduce the RF range from none to several feet. Programs by default require more time when compared to linked scenes. Best practice is to always use scenes for all primary use. This ensures if the controller is down the base system will always operate. NOTE: All the coupling in the world will not resolve a noise issue in the network. It's imperative you install the correct loads while following the maximum power output of each Insteon device. Always follow the derating of side by side dimmers etc. Ideals are peaceful - History is violent
Brian H Posted March 19, 2015 Posted March 19, 2015 If the communications between modules is marginal and retries have to be done. Things can slow down with all the time needed for retries. I also agree the RF communications for Dual Band switches in metal boxes. Can be compromised by the electrical box. I have see the internal photos in the FCC Database. Smartlabs has the antennas on the back side of the module. Buried deep into the box.
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