ISY99i - Configuring for Best Reliability

[gsownsby]

Though I am new to the ISY99i device, I am not new to home automation. I had a few questions about configuring the ISY99i device for maximum reliability. I called UDI's Tech Support and was called back in about an hour. I had a wonderfully helpful conversation...here is what I learned:

 

Stable Power Source.

Out of the box, the ISY99i is powered by the PLM which depends on stable household power to be available. As with about all electronic devices, the ISY99i/PLM expects the power source to be stable and not subject to spikes, brownouts, etc. At my home, we live atop a small mountain which is subject to lightning from frequent summertime thunderstorms...so power flickers and other 2-5 minute power outages are common for us.

 

UDI Tech Support informed me that the ISY can be connected to a UPS via a standard AC adapter. The adapter must provide 5 volts DC at a minimum of 300 ma. The adapter plugs into the ISY via a Type O plug (center tip configured to be positive). The adapter and center tip were available at my local Radio Shack.

 

My ISY is now plugged into my APC UPS (battery backup/surge protection socket) and is working fine. You are likely to find a multi-voltage adapter is pretty common so be sure to set it to 5 volts and cover the voltage selection switch with a piece of sturdy tape to prevent an accidental change to the voltage setting. Incidentally, we have already had a power loss since we installed the AC adapter and the system recovered without intervention.

 

Not much can be done with the PLM itself as it depends on an unfiltered direct connection to your house wiring for best performance. UDI suggested a whole house surge protector be installed by your local power company or qualified electrician (as it connects to your switch/breaker panel mains...a dangerous thing to try yourself). In our area, the local power company will usually install for free though this is not universally true in other areas of the country.

 

Static (Fixed) Local Network IP Address for ISY.

For web-enabled devices, assigning a static IP address is one of the best ways to avoid access and control problems between your device and your local router which usually assigns IP addresses on your network. UDI suggests assigning a static IP address to your ISY (which we did). This is especially helpful as most DHCP routers assign expiring IP addresses to local network devices. With an expiring (dynamic) IP address, sooner or later you will that you cannot access your ISY as the router has assigned it a new IP address as the old one had expired. You would have to log into your router and see what new IP address had been assigned to the ISY.

 

Static (Fixed) WAN Address for Your Gateway.

A static WAN Gateway IP address is also very helpful for accessing your ISY via the Internet. A static WAN IP address makes using your own domain name much easier. Your local ISP may be able to provide a static WAN IP address (sometimes free).

 

At our home, we have two conventional web servers (Abyss Web Server and a Windows Home Server) and one FTP server (Serv-U). We use multiple domain names and fixed IP addresses at the WAN and PC level to keep things routed correctly. With a static IP address assigned to your ISY device, you simply use your router's port forwarding feature to route port 443 access requests to the IP address assigned to our ISY.

 

With a static IP address for the WAN Gateway device and one for the ISY, we can access the easily ISY via our domain name, example: https://www.ourdomainname.com:443). Easier for us to remember than the WAN static IP address. (There are ways to accomplish this without a fixed WAN IP address but I won't address that here.)

 

So far, we've very happy with the ISY99i. It sure makes Insteon device programming much easier and less laborious. Our contacts with UDI Tech support were tremendously helpful and like a chat with an old friend! Thanks UDI.

[MikeB]

Very helpful and informative post! One thing I wanted to mention.

 

With a static IP address for the WAN Gateway device and one for the ISY, we can access the easily ISY via our domain name, example: https://www.ourdomainname.com:443). Easier for us to remember than the WAN static IP address. (There are ways to accomplish this without a fixed WAN IP address but I won't address that here.)

 

Port 443 is typically assumed when using HTTPS, so you should be able to simply use:

 

https://www.ourdomainname.com

[gsownsby]

Thanks for the clarification Michael.

 

Gary