Motion Sensors/Switch Range Communications

[newbies]

Hoping someone can walk me through to resolve this problem.  Thanks in Advance.

 

2 motion sensors(both outdoor) linked to a switch(indoor).

MS-1 works fine, it's about 8 to 10 feet away from the switch.

MS-2 works ocassionally, sometimes it would turn light on, sometimes it would do rapid flash and goes out of sync. I assume is a range issue even though it is not more than the 150 feet range stated in the specs......I would say MS-2 is about 35 to 50 feet away and not in a direct line of sight.

 

I tried a scene that set MS-2(controller) to another switch(controller) that's in between MS-2 and the targeted switch(responder), it worked but one problem, it also turned the light on in the room where that middle switch is at.

 

I looked at the scene and somehow the middle switch is both a controller and responsder.

 

So I guess the question is how can I make MS-2 to send a signal to the middle switch without turning on its light, and then the middle switch will send a signal to the target switch to turn the lights on or off?  Also, what hapeens if the middle switch light is already turned on and then motion is sensed from MS-2?

 

Can this be done with a scene or do I have to write a program?  Looking at the scene, it seems as if I can remove the middle switch as a responder, then it should work, but then I can't remove it as a responder or I don't know how.

 

Thank You!

[oberkc]

So I guess the question is how can I make MS-2 to send a signal to the middle switch without turning on its light, and then the middle switch will send a signal to the target switch to turn the lights on or off?

 

All insteon devices will relay and repeat commands.  This is built into insteon.  No special settings or links required.

 

Perhaps there is a different question to ask....why is the middle switch (which IS in range of the motion sensor) not able to communicate with the target switch.

 

A couple of things might be important to know: which models of switches (are they dual-band) do you have?  Have you performed the phase bridge (aka beacon, 4-tap) test?  Are the two switches on the same circuit?  What else is plugged into that circuit?

[larryllix]

Hoping someone can walk me through to resolve this problem.  Thanks in Advance.

 

2 motion sensors(both outdoor) linked to a switch(indoor).

......

 

So I guess the question is how can I make MS-2 to send a signal to the middle switch without turning on its light, and then the middle switch will send a signal to the target switch to turn the lights on or off?  Also, what hapeens if the middle switch light is already turned on and then motion is sensed from MS-2?

 

......

 

Unlink the MS from the middle switch. Insteon devices do not have to be linked to repeat signals. This a native feature of most Insteon units as oberkc stated above. Battery units usually do not repeat signals.

 

I would enable the turn-off feature in the problem MS so you can test for signal success using ISY and a laptop running a monitor like admin console. After establishing reliability reset the MS to no Off, again, as most do.

 

Insteon MS units work better when a device responds directly. They tend to repeat sending motion detection many times until something acknowledges. I find it bogs the response of ISY down by Insteon congestion. I have 9 MS  units. They are too slow through programs except for the Off timing cycle where milliseconds don't matter.

 

Edit: corrected credited editor

[newbies]

Thank you OBERKC!

 

Target switch is 2477S, MS-2 is 2842-222, the middle switch is 2477D.

I believe the middle switch is able to communicate with target switch because when I had all 3 devices within a scene...(MS-2 controller, middle switch controller, targer swtich responsder), it worked everytime I trigger the motion, but the problem is it is also turning on the light where the middle swtich is located.

 

The phase brdige test shows middle switch and target switch are on opposite circuit. Both circuits are connected with a number of 2477S and/or 2477D.

 

If I'm understanding this correctly, you are saying when MS-2 is linked with the target switch and even though it is out of range, then the signal of MS-2 should be picked up by the middle switch and from there send over to target swtich to turn light on/off, no special setting or links required?

 

Thank you for all the help.

[oberkc]

If I'm understanding this correctly, you are saying when MS-2 is linked with the target switch and even though it is out of range, then the signal of MS-2 should be picked up by the middle switch and from there send over to target swtich to turn light on/off, no special setting or links required?

 

I believe you understand correctly.

 

Your scene should include, simply, the two motion sensors and target switch.  If other insteon devices hear the commands from the motion sensor, they should repeat them without including them in the scenes.

 

That your two switches actually showed opposite "circuits" (I expect, instead, this should be considered opposite legs of your electrical system) is an indication that these two switches are, in fact, communicating.

 

Now comes the fun part of trying to identify why the communication is failing, then.  There are not many tricks that I can offer other than brute force.  Identify the circuits that include the two switches and what other electrical load are on those two circuits.  Do you have a lot of CFLs or LEDs?  Home theater stuff?  Computer stuff?  Unplug or unscrew those loads, where possible.  Does this help?

 

Open the event viewer window and set to level 3.  Activate the motion sensor somehow, and observe the event viewer.  Past the results here.  Some around here are pretty good at reading these things, but I tend to look for the lines with "hops remaining".  If this is 0, that is not a good sign.

 

There is a scene test available that can help quantify communications among the included devices.  Unfortunately, this is not a big help in troubleshooting...identifying any offending devices.

 

You may also perform a "show links" for a given device, and then "compare" to the ISY records.  Sometimes, link records on devices can get corrupted.  "Restoring" a device can, more often than not, correct errors in link records.

 

If all else fails, sometimes one can simply remove devices from the ISY, factory reset those devices, then re-add and recreate the scenes.  Sometimes that is all that it takes.

[larryllix]

......

 

If all else fails, sometimes one can simply remove devices from the ISY, factory reset those devices, then re-add and recreate the scenes.  Sometimes that is all that it takes.

I have found many Insteon devices do really crazy things from the factory unless you factory reset them, especially the MS units. Good advice.