Master - Slave

[Wooper]

I just installed the ISY and entered all my insteon switches. I have 4 scenes that were automatically created for situations where I had two or more switches controlling one light. The problem I have is the second switch, which was discovered by reading the link in the first switch, does not function remotely. If I tell it to turn on, it will turn off the led light on the switch, but not turn on the light. Any help would be appreciated.

Howard

[Sub-Routine]

I just installed the ISY and entered all my insteon switches. I have 4 scenes that were automatically created for situations where I had two or more switches controlling one light. The problem I have is the second switch, which was discovered by reading the link in the first switch, does not function remotely. If I tell it to turn on, it will turn off the led light on the switch, but not turn on the light. Any help would be appreciated.

Howard

 

That is correct. You are controlling the individual switch. Since the switch does not have a load you will not see a light turn on.

 

What you want to do is to control the scene, then the switches and the lights will turn on, off, dim, bright, etc. together.

 

Notice that the levels/ramp rates can be different for the ISY and each switch in the same scene.

 

Here is one page from the Wiki referring to Scenes: Working_With_Scenes_-_in-depth_tutorial.

 

You can learn more about scenes in the How-To_Guide.

 

Rand

[Wooper]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm not sure I understand the need to control the switch and not the load, but I guess I have some learning to do here. Seems if you control the switch and it is a controller of the other switch, it should keep the two in sync. The whole idea of linking the switches is to keep them in sync.

Howard

[Sub-Routine]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm not sure I understand the need to control the switch and not the load, but I guess I have some learning to do here. Seems if you control the switch and it is a controller of the other switch, it should keep the two in sync. The whole idea of linking the switches is to keep them in sync.

Howard

 

The idea of linking the switches is to keep them in sync when activated locally and when you control the scene.

 

Think of having two switches (primary/load, secondary/no-load) for your hallway lights and a switch for your foyer light. Then imagine you would like to control them from another part of your home. You would create a new scene that contains all those switches and another switch (or RemoteLinc, KeypadLinc button, etc.) You wouldn't want the foyer to always control the hallway or vice-verse, hence the new scene and new links.

 

In that new scene you would not have to include the secondary hallway switch but you would want to so that it matches the state of the primary (load) switch.

 

How am I doing?

Rand

[Wooper]

You're doing great. I was thinking more along the lines of allowing others in the house to have control of lighting, namely the boss, I mean wife. At present, I have no scenes and don't really want any. Surely this may change in the future. Scenes were automatically created just because of the link that existed in the switches themselves. These links were only there so that both switches would be in sync, and so that either switch could turn the lights on or off. this mimics the behaviour of non insteon switches. For the non-techie boss, the inclusion of scenes on the screen, and even the display of slave switches will be confusing. I was hoping that if she happened to click on the slave instead of the load bearing switch on the screen, it would have the same behavior, the light would turn on or off. Maybe there is another way of accomplishing this. Maybe I need to be looking at the GUI instead of the switch setup. Thoughts?

[Sub-Routine]

At present, I have no scenes and don't really want any.

 

Let me see if I can convince you otherwise.

 

You should create scenes that mean something to you and her. Kitchen Cook, Kitchen Eat, Hallway Bright, Hallway Dim, for example. Create a scene for your outside lights and use that scene in a program to turn them all on and off at specific times. Make another scene with the same lights but with some of them dimmed and some off that you can use at midnight.

 

Make scenes for your living room for talking, watching TV, romantic

 

Ask your wife what she would like and create those scenes. One click and the lights fit your needs. You can have as few or as many lights in each scene as you like.

 

The ISY makes this all extremely easy to do.

 

Have fun!

Rand

[Wooper]

I do understand the concept, and appreciate your coersion, but at this point the idea is to turn off that noisy fan in the bathroom from in bed. Oh look, the kids left the kitchen light on, we can take care of that.

 

Right now, I'm just trying to provide basic on/off capabilities. Something that works and is easy for her to learn. I've had INSTEON for quite some time and have suffered through her dissatisfaction when things went awry. Paddles stopped working, surges after power failures blowing out 80 percent of the switches. The usual INSTEON headaches. I've used ECS and PowerHome both, but I thought this would be simpler for her.

 

I'll play around some more and see what I can come up with.

Thanks for your help,

Howard

[Sub-Routine]

I do understand the concept, and appreciate your coersion, but at this point the idea is to turn off that noisy fan in the bathroom from in bed. Oh look, the kids left the kitchen light on, we can take care of that.

 

Right now, I'm just trying to provide basic on/off capabilities. Something that works and is easy for her to learn. I've had INSTEON for quite some time and have suffered through her dissatisfaction when things went awry. Paddles stopped working, surges after power failures blowing out 80 percent of the switches. The usual INSTEON headaches. I've used ECS and PowerHome both, but I thought this would be simpler for her.

 

I'll play around some more and see what I can come up with.

Thanks for your help,

Howard

 

Okay. Sorry to read of your failures.

 

What does the Mrs. want to use as a controller? RemoteLinc from bed? ControLinc in the living room? Touch Screen?

 

Whatever controller you decide to use you make a scene in the ISY and include the controller and all the responders you want. If you want a button on a RemoteLinc to turn off the noisy bathroom fan those are the only two devices you need in that scene. Create another scene for another button on the RemoteLinc and include the kitchen light and that button.

 

If you want to also control the bathroom fan from a keypad button add that button to the scene that controls the fan.

 

Would you like the switch at the front door to control more than one light? Make a scene.

 

Rand

[Wooper]

I was hoping the Mrs. would use her laptop, since her Kindle has no way of sending a signal. Ideally though, she would use the Pronto remote to trigger things via IR. In order to do that I need to find a way to get the IR signal from the bedroom to the den where the ISY resides next to the router.

[Sub-Routine]

I was hoping the Mrs. would use her laptop, since her Kindle has no way of sending a signal. Ideally though, she would use the Pronto remote to trigger things via IR. In order to do that I need to find a way to get the IR signal from the bedroom to the den where the ISY resides next to the router.

 

If you want her to use a PC you should indeed consider a new GUI. MikeB's interfaceGO could fit your needs.

 

If she only needs control of the bathroom fan I would keep it simple, like a RemoteLinc or two.

 

Rand

[MikeB]

Thanks for the referral, Rand!

 

Wooper -

 

If you want to use an IR remote with no line of site to the ISY, you have a couple of options:

 

1 - Use an IRLinc from Smarthome, which we support:

http://www.smarthome.com/2411R/IRLinc-R ... ter/p.aspx

 

 

2 - Use an IR to RF repeater. I've heard some people have good results from the inexpensive units Radio Shack sells:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2049642

[gregoryx]

Use an IR to RF repeater.

 

Some of the Pronto units have (had?) an RF interface option. I use it. No IR leaves the Pronto - it goes to the RF/IR unit, which is cabled into my IR repeater network.