ISY99i\Pro & Insteon Thermostat not reporting Calling for Cool

[ArCaDe]

Hello all, I have a ISY99i\Pro with an Insteon Thermostat 2441TH. I want to write a program to turn on an appliance module when the thermostat is calling for cool. The program is created but nothing occurs when the AC kicks on & off. I checked the logs & dont see anything that reports the thermostat is calling for cool. Im running the latest ISY99i firmware. Is this a feature that would only work with the newer ISY models? I basically want to have 2-3 modules connected to fans, when the thermostat calls for cool the modules will turn on & power the fans. When the thermostat stops calling for cool the fans will power off. Any clue what I can do to get this working. Sorry if I posted in the wrong forum.

[stusviews]

Are you running the same firmware and UI? Any reason that you're using a program and not a scene? Post your program here. BTW, the 99i is somewhat dated and there are no updates. I have no way of knowing if current thermostats are supported, but they really haven't changed.

[ArCaDe]

Thanks for the response Stu.Firmware is 3.3.10, UI is 4.5.4 (due to the expired SSL issue using the workaround). I remove & re-added the tstat & now it shows up as 3 devices, Main, Cool, & Heat. I was finally able to get the program to work. Im currently testing it & it worked twice. the last time it didnt & when I checked the admin console it had an error that it couldnt communicate with the appliance module. I get that error alot in the console but everything works otherwise. Are there any tips to resolve communication issues with devices? I dont want the AC to turn off & leave the fan on. In my last test the AC turned on but the fan didnt & thats when I saw the error in the admin console. When the AC turned off the appliance module did turn off. Below is the program I created. I tweaked it to leave the AC blower fan on for X mins after the setpoint is reached & then turn the blower fan & appliance fan both off. SO far in testing its working as expected.

TurnOnFanWhileColling - [iD 004F][Parent 0039]

 

If

        Status  'Insteon Thermostat - Cool Ctl' is On

 

Then

        Set 'FanApplModule' Fast On

 

Else

        Set 'Insteon Thermostat - Main' Fan On

        Wait  1 minute 

        Set 'FanApplModule' Fast Off

        Set 'Insteon Thermostat - Main' Fan Auto

[Brian H]

May not matter in this case.

You are using the older ISY99i/Pro with the latest firmware it can accommodate?

Did the 2441TH and all the modules add correctly?

 

Standard question these days. Is the PLM the older 2412S  or the present 2413S. If a 2413S how old is it? They have a reputation to fail at about two years and a few months.

[stusviews]

Adding dual-band devices can help with Insteon communication. So can filters, but only if you can positively identify the offensive device(s).

[apostolakisl]

There are two recent threads about this, one started by me and the other I forget who, but I participated in it.

 

Basics

1) Thermostats are RF only, so you must have either good RF range to the PLM (assuming dual band PLM), or other dual band devices to get the RF onto the power lines

2) The "cooling", "idle", and "heating" are "control" commands.  They have no status.  It is like a "fast-on".  You can not query the condition after the fact, while to all logical thinking, cooling and heating are states, as far as Insteon com is concerned, they are not states, they are one-off events that occur only when the change from idle to cooling/heating or vice-versa occurs.  

 

Finally, you seem to be having an issue with comm to your target device, as well as your thermostat.

 

In short, as you have suspected, you need to improve your comm.  dual band devices (especially PLM) and best if you can locate your PLM so that the rf from the thermostats and other devices in question can go direct without the power lines in play at all.