edokid Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 I was having major connectivity issues before so thought it was the PLM as I was told on here it indicated it was bad, so bought a new one. Turned out to be a bad LED bulb causing interference, so while cleaning last night I came across the other PLM that I forgot to return, oops! I have an ISY994 with Z-Wave, is there anything I can use the PLM for, like even just to bridge or extend the network or something? Just wasn't sure how I'd add it, if I'd add it as a new device like normal, or if that would cause problems and have it take over as PLM. Or is it better to just sell it and buy something more fun to play with like a SwitchLinc?
paulbates Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) I'd say its best value is found in storing it and being ready to replace the current primary PLM if/when it dies. It could be treated like an access point and plugged in somewhere that it would help dual band bridging, but then it would be exposed to the same kind of electrical spikes, etc, that could kill the primary PLM. Also, if it used actively and programmed for other PLM duties, that would have to be "unprogrammed" before swapping out your primary if/when it dies, and then what happens to that functionality? I have a PLM on standby, sitting in its box for the day my several year old PLM dies or is destroyed by an electrical problem. Paul Edited July 28, 2016 by paulbates
mwester Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 Yep, keep it safe, standing by for when your original PLM fails. That'll happen at about 2 years and 2 months of plugged-in time. So don't plug the new one in -- the clock will tick on its lifespan as long as it is plugged in. (The PLMs suffer from a dreadful problem that limits their lifetimes in this fashion; Smarthome claims to have improved the situation with the latest HW version, but based on the component-level investigation done by others on this forum, I'm skeptical -- I think it'll last a bit longer but ultimately suffer the same fate. So brace for the inevitable, and keep that unit!)
paulbates Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 That'll happen at about 2 years and 2 months of plugged-in time. So don't plug the new one in -- the clock will tick on its lifespan as long as it is plugged in. I'm within T-30 days of that milestone.....
mwester Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 I'm within T-30 days of that milestone..... Start tracking your error/retry rate (just examine the diagnostics level 3 info whilst doing a compare of the links table on something with a lot of links, like a KPL). You'll probably observe it going sky-high just before the unit croaks entirely... I've been wondering if it's at all practical to have a diagnostic program run every night and use the API to do that automagically, and chart the results -- it might be an early-warning system of sorts.
paulbates Posted July 28, 2016 Posted July 28, 2016 Start tracking your error/retry rate (just examine the diagnostics level 3 info whilst doing a compare of the links table on something with a lot of links, like a KPL). You'll probably observe it going sky-high just before the unit croaks entirely... I've been wondering if it's at all practical to have a diagnostic program run every night and use the API to do that automagically, and chart the results -- it might be an early-warning system of sorts. Thanks, good idea. I participated in testing a PLM over a year ago for about a month before it died, and I waited for the symptoms to catch up with me before I figured it out. I then reinstalled the current PLM. I should start looking for the signs now periodically rather than waiting. The diagnostic program sounds like a great feature request to me. Paul
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