johnjces Posted August 29, 2017 Posted August 29, 2017 Somewhere, and I am not certain where, I thought I read that the ISY should not be plugged into a UPS, (uninterruptible power supply). I have followed this advice and maybe to a fault. I just recently read in another thread on this forum the advice to plug the ISY into a UPS so I STFed and found nothing helpful regarding the ISY. It was my belief that if you had a power failure it was best to have the ISY reboot and theefore re-read the tables after the PLM restarted and of course the ISY. You always plug the PLM in first then start the ISY! Obviously we do not want to put a PLM on a UPS but what about the ISY? What is best practice? John
Teken Posted August 29, 2017 Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) Hello John, This really comes down to your personal environment and how complicated your system is. My intention for placing the ISY Series Controller on a UPS is based on up time, reliability, and reducing life cycle due to an electrical fault. Providing clean and steady power is important to the longevity of any electronic component. For most people a UPS for a controller is a moot point since 99% of the population don't have or employ a whole house generator. So there really isn't anything to control or manage. Having said this it really comes down to use case and personal need. I am of the mind everything that can be placed on a AVR / UPS is done so . . . Edited August 29, 2017 by Teken
MikeD Posted August 29, 2017 Posted August 29, 2017 I have both my ISY and PLM on a UPS. Been configured this way for years without issue. There is a dual-band SwitchLinc a few feet away and other dual-band Insteon devices nearby. I would say just try it as long as there are dual-band devices within earshot of your PLM. 1
johnjces Posted August 29, 2017 Author Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) Thanks guys! I have everything on UPSes and do have generator backup. I will, without a doubt, put my ISY on the UPS and play around with the PLM on it as well. I do have a couple dual band switches within 20 feet. Maybe the PLM will last longer than 2 years!!! (Doubt it tho). WOOPS. Forgot that I have a couple X10 devices still operational so PLM will have to stay where it is. John Edited August 31, 2017 by johnjces
Brian H Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 If the PLM is on the UPS. Its power line conditioning will probably kill the Insteon power line signals as noise. Others have had a few Dual Band devices close enough. So the Insteon RF commands from the PLM work fine.
etsvilik Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 I have ISY on UPS, but not PLM. My reason is twofold. I want to have both insteon and RF signal unobstructed for reliable comminication. Secondly Im concerned with rudimental power supply in PLM being fed with non pure sine AC. Typical consumer UPS are non pure sine output. This places extra stress on weak, poorly designed power supply with underrated capasitors in PLM
lilyoyo1 Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 I have a whole house generator which kicks in pretty fast. However, I don't put my ISY on its own battery backup simply because I want it to reboot with the devices so that it can pick up proper status of devices again once it reboots. I tried a battery backup a long time ago but I found the ISY wouldnt update properly so I would need to reboot it anyway. Instead of going through that, it was just easier to let it reboot when power came on. I've only lost power a few times since my house was built so the frequency it happens really isnt worth it for me. Like Teken says, it comes down to your usage. I don't think either way is wrong
Teken Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 I have a whole house generator which kicks in pretty fast. However, I don't put my ISY on its own battery backup simply because I want it to reboot with the devices so that it can pick up proper status of devices again once it reboots. I tried a battery backup a long time ago but I found the ISY wouldnt update properly so I would need to reboot it anyway. Instead of going through that, it was just easier to let it reboot when power came on. I've only lost power a few times since my house was built so the frequency it happens really isnt worth it for me. Like Teken says, it comes down to your usage. I don't think either way is wrong The only thing I do different is when the system detects a power outage I have a program that executes a *Just In Time* delayed Query. This ensures all of the hardware is polled for the correct state. As of this writing this program hasn't been activated once because we have rock solid power. Well, besides the fact I have three layers of online power on tap . . . 1
nwchicago Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 I really like Teken's suggestion to refill all devices after power loss. Yemen, could you share the script? How do you discover power loss occurred vs some other error? Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Teken Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 I really like Teken's suggestion to refill all devices after power loss. Yemen, could you share the script? How do you discover power loss occurred vs some other error? Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Hello nwchicago, I should have clarified this requires other supporting hardware to accomplish this task. I have three devices which fail over to compensate for the other two systems in place. I have two Brultech Green Eye Monitors (GEMS) and two Brultech Dash Box's (DB) which send data to the ISY Series Controller. When the GEM / DB system(s) detect a power failure it sends a State Variable to the ISY Series Controller to initiate the delayed query. There are four ISY Series Controllers in my home one of them is the primary system which performs the bulk of the operations in the home. The other three operate in a isolated sand boxed environment which covers security, force protection, environmentals, and network tasks. Should the GEM / DB fail to detect or complete this power outage tasks my Guardian system will spool up and complete the alert notification to the ISY Series Controller. In basic terms: No power for (defined) X duration -> Send State Variable to ISY -> Set var from 0 to 1 = ISY Initiates Delayed Query of targeted hardware. 1
nwchicago Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 Thanks so much for sharing Teken! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1
Teken Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 Thanks so much for sharing Teken! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk No problem ~ Obviously I have more advanced hardware and systems in place then the average person. But, wanted to share and clarify this is something I'm doing given the tight integration and power of the ISY Series Controller. The adage I've heard and lived by is: If money can fix a problem ~ Its not a problem. If money can't fix a problem ~ You have a serious problem!!
larryllix Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 No problem ~ Obviously I have more advanced hardware and systems in place then the average person. But, wanted to share and clarify this is something I'm doing given the tight integration and power of the ISY Series Controller. The adage I've heard and lived by is: So you have too many probllems or too much money?
Teken Posted August 30, 2017 Posted August 30, 2017 So you have too many probllems or too much money? Life's not about problems ~ Its about challenges. Lots of people go after fast cars, fast woman ~ Had lots of them in the past. Now, its all about a fast house!! 1
builderb Posted September 3, 2017 Posted September 3, 2017 My ISY is connected to the same UPS that powers my modem, router, IP cameras, NVR, and the Pi I use as a web server. We get a decent amount of power flickers here, and I don't want all this stuff rebooting every time that happens. Had a couple just yesterday with this blasted heat.
db2ace2 Posted September 4, 2017 Posted September 4, 2017 I have been running with ISY and PLM on a UPS for 6-7 months now. Everything works great Even when PF occurs. Just FYI! 1
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