Motion Sensor - May be getting heat beat function?

[Teken]

I was surfing around the forums today to see what I could learn about Insteon. When I came upon this public facing question from a Insteon Beta tester.

 

Where he indicates some motion sensors with firmware v.44 now have a heart beat broadcast? I am not sure if he is talking about the low battery condition vs a new heart beat node.

 

As has been seen in the door sensor which has both low battery / heart beat. I had speculated several years ago that in the future all battery operated devices would include the following as seen in the door sensor:

 

- Low battery with variable threshold

- Heart beat with variable threshold

- Program lock

- LED brightness level / LED on-off

- Blink on error

- Remote update (stay awake)

 

Perhaps we shall see all battery operated devices finally be updated to include all of these features.

[paulbates]

Hey Teken

I think that's Mark Sandler, who writes the premium Insteon plugin for homeseer. He has a lot of Insteon depth, and his HS plugin brings back things like MS x.x battery voltage to homeseer.

 

My guess is adding heartbeat to the motion sensor takes it one step closer (but not quite there) to Insteon being considered a managed sensor solution. It is good news if true. I would like to hear from my ms. I wish it was more than once a day, but I'll take it

 

Thank you for the research and update. I hope all of your feature requests are there too.

 

Paul

[Teken]

Hey Teken

I think that's Mark Sandler, who writes the premium Insteon plugin for homeseer. He has a lot of Insteon depth, and his HS plugin brings back things like MS x.x battery voltage to homeseer.

 

My guess is adding heartbeat to the motion sensor takes it one step closer (but not quite there) to Insteon being considered a managed sensor solution. It is good news if true. I would like to hear from my ms. I wish it was more than once a day, but I'll take it

 

Thank you for the research and update. I hope all of your feature requests are there too.

 

Paul

 

Hello Paul,

 

Are you saying the current MS can already tell a person (IF) properly programmed for the voltage level? It would make sense because how else would the device know when to trip the low battery condition? If Mark is already doing this in HS I wonder if he could share the same information to UDI for its inclusion?

 

Having the ability to create programs that monitor the battery voltage would offer a much finer grain solution. Also if they ever decide to upgrade the MS lots of us have asked that they make a very simple hardware upgrade. Which is to have a external button to press the set button at the bottom or rear of the unit so the case doesn't need to be unscrewed etc.

 

I've already done this on a few test units using a plastic plunger which has a extremely small spring to hold the cylinder in place.

[paulbates]

Teken

 

Yes, some how he brought that info back and it worked with my first MS bought in 2011. I think its  something similar to that write updates statement we have for remoter sensors devices, and it only happens when the sensor sent a signal, eg motion or dusk dawn. 

 

Agreed that maint of the MS and other sensors is ugly and difficult by design. I see stories here about people holding off updating them when replacing PLM because they are in difficult locations..  it seems like you want sensors in difficult locations, that's why we buy them(?)

 

Paul

[Teken]

Teken

 

Yes, some how he brought that info back and it worked with my first MS bought in 2011. I think its  something similar to that write updates statement we have for remoter sensors devices, and it only happens when the sensor sent a signal, eg motion or dusk dawn. 

 

Agreed that maint of the MS and other sensors is ugly and difficult by design. I see stories here about people holding off updating them when replacing PLM because they are in difficult locations..  it seems like you want sensors in difficult locations, that's why we buy them(?)

 

Paul

 

Paul,

 

So true, most MS units are placed in difficult areas of concern the person wants to monitor. It would be great if you know Mark to engage him and direct him to this thread in hopes this conversation could offer more insight and perhaps UDI will see value in including such a upgrade to the 994 Series Controller.

 

I took some time to read lots of the developer documentation for various products and was shocked to see many features and capabilities are not included in the 994.

 

This same discussion was posed last year when I did a comparisons of what HL2 software was able to do offer vs the 994. I was asked to create a POLL to see the level of interest and need. The interest level of high but sadly this did not translate into adding these missing features.

 

To date the lamp linc continues to have no ability to set the LED brightness, blink on traffic, blink on error, program lock, beep on press, etc. None of these were hidden or unknown features simply UDI didn't bother to include them.

 

Then we have the Trigger Linc (Open-Close) sensor which has lost the physical jumper on the PCB. The only way to enable two node support is via software yet UDI has not offered this support?

 

Most recently it was made known the Insteon TSTAT could be read to support remote sensors. Some of this comes as no great surprise to me due to the fact Smarthome has pretty much the worst communications in the free world. As far as I am aware UDI is still waiting for the API / E-DOC for the Alert Module?!?!

 

Really, one of the only supporters of Insteon is still waiting for API / E-DOC's two months after a product is released?

 

That is a real WTF?!?!?

 

It will come as no great surprise to me (IF) any of the Insteon products start to support new features not a soul will know about it. We will probably hear some random member buying a standard staple product and notice the famous: Insteon engine blah blah

 

Or they will see extra nodes that do absolutely nothing until such time as the proper information is provided to the developers like UDI.

 

Back in the day this was like breathing, eating, sleeping . . . You did it because its natural and expected now the entire world is upside down and retarded in *I'll let you know when I feel like it* or worse, *I actually have to ask and beg for the information*

 

I have no clue how it is Smartlabs has stayed in business this long offering almost zero information and support. As an aside I sent in a request asking about when the A/V keys that were presented with the Sonos integration would be made available.

 

It came as no great surprise not a peep was seen or received!

 

I sent my request into all three channels from PR, Sales, Tech Support yet not a freaking soul could take the time to let a customer know when such an item was going to be made available.

 

I just have to shake my head in thinking one day things are going to implode with Insteon and I will be literally SOL!