ISY and PLM with UPS

[eataft]

My ISY994i is plugged into a UPS, but the PLM is plugged into a dedicated circuit without a UPS. As the installation instructions recommend, the PLM isn't behind a UPS, since that would block the PLM's power-line signaling to other Insteon devices.

 

When a power failure occurs, the ISY remains up, but the PLM goes down until the power is restored. After that, I sometimes find that the ISY has lost contact with the PLM, or at least it has lost the ability to control Insteon devices or track their status. I need to restart both the ISY and the PLM to restore normal operation.

 

Since the PLM also has RF capability, I wonder if the power-line signaling from the PLM is really all that important. Would it make sense to plug the PLM into the UPS and to depend on RF connectivity to nearby AccessPoints and dual-band Insteon devices? I would be interested to hear if other people have tried this and if there are any pitfalls to keep in mind.

 

[jerlands]

I have the same setup with ISY powered off UPS but I've never noticed the problem losing contact after power outage (yesterday replaced a switchlinc that required power off to PLM circuit.)

That said.. you could experiment and see if your Hops Left count drops (Event Viewer > Level 3 and operate a few devices.)

 

 

Jon...

[stusviews]

All dual-band device depend on power, so transmitting to or receiving signals from those devices is useless when power is cut even though the ISY has uninterrupted power. But the ISY will attempt to receive signals from and send signals to battery powered devices. The Motion Sensor will send a signal to the non-powered SwitchLinc and a thermostat will ask the HVAC to respond? Oh, that won't happen--the PLM is doen. A UPS will probably inhibit power line signals, too, when the power is on.

 

IMO, if protection from the power line is a goal, then whole house surge suppressor is a better, albeit, not the ultimate solution.

[Teken]

My ISY994i is plugged into a UPS, but the PLM is plugged into a dedicated circuit without a UPS. As the installation instructions recommend, the PLM isn't behind a UPS, since that would block the PLM's power-line signaling to other Insteon devices.

 

When a power failure occurs, the ISY remains up, but the PLM goes down until the power is restored. After that, I sometimes find that the ISY has lost contact with the PLM, or at least it has lost the ability to control Insteon devices or track their status. I need to restart both the ISY and the PLM to restore normal operation.

 

Since the PLM also has RF capability, I wonder if the power-line signaling from the PLM is really all that important. Would it make sense to plug the PLM into the UPS and to depend on RF connectivity to nearby AccessPoints and dual-band Insteon devices? I would be interested to hear if other people have tried this and if there are any pitfalls to keep in mind.

 

There have been several people here that have gone that route of placing the PLM on a UPS system in hopes of solving their communication related issues. Based on feed back some of them have indicated it has resolved their communication related issues and left it at that.

 

In the big picture that is simply a cheap band aid to an existing problem that needs to be solved. Everyone knows there are some appliances that simply create noise or eat up the Insteon signal. So you can't expect a person to throw away, upgrade, or replace something like a furnace, fridge, etc.

 

But that is why they made power line filters . . . 

 

So it really comes down to putting in some sweat equity to determine what is the root cause of the noise makers / signal suckers in the home.

 

Now, from a loss of power stand point unless your home is on a pure sine wave back up generator I don't see much value in placing the PLM on a UPS. The only thing I agree on given the terrible design of the PLM is to ensure its on a protected circuit using all three types of SPD's.

 

Obvious considerations are to ensure what ever SPD is in use does not have a filter that blocks or absorbs the Insteon signal. 

[elvisimprsntr]

My ISY is powered from the PLM, but all my networking/computing gear is on a UPS, including my main router and cable modem. Never had an issue with Insteon comm post power restore, since the ISY will reboot when the PLM is powered.

 

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BGE70-Back-UPS-3-outlet-Uninterruptible/dp/B00KH07WRC

 

Of course, my Elk and garage door also have battery backup.

Edited April 9, 2016 by elvisimprsntr

[kwindrem]

My ISY994i is plugged into a UPS, but the PLM is plugged into a dedicated circuit without a UPS. As the installation instructions recommend, the PLM isn't behind a UPS, since that would block the PLM's power-line signaling to other Insteon devices.

 

When a power failure occurs, the ISY remains up, but the PLM goes down until the power is restored. After that, I sometimes find that the ISY has lost contact with the PLM, or at least it has lost the ability to control Insteon devices or track their status. I need to restart both the ISY and the PLM to restore normal operation.

 

Since the PLM also has RF capability, I wonder if the power-line signaling from the PLM is really all that important. Would it make sense to plug the PLM into the UPS and to depend on RF connectivity to nearby AccessPoints and dual-band Insteon devices? I would be interested to hear if other people have tried this and if there are any pitfalls to keep in mind.

I have my ISY and PLM set up the same way (ISY on UPS but not the PLM). I simulated a power outage by unplugging the PLM. With the PLM unplugged, a query to any device failed (obviously). After plugging the PLM back in, I was able to query devices indicating the link between the PLM and ISY was intact.

 

I recall when I was setting up my ISY for the first time that it if the ISY powered up first (without the PLM connected) the link would not be established when the PLM came up. But this shouldn't be the case with the ISY on a UPS.