3-way switch help

[dismania]

I have installed 3 insteon switches in my hallway and bottom of steps. How do I create a link so they all work as one?

 

I did the link where I pushed the set button on one switch, went to the next, etc. That worked last night, but now that I have added it to the ISY, only 1 switch works now.

 

Any help appreciated.

[stusviews]

The ISY does not understand manually linked devices. Create a scene with each device being a controller of the scene.

[paulbates]

Take a look at this wiki entry, it walks through how links need to be created

https://wiki.universal-devices.com/index.php?title=ISY-99i/ISY-26_INSTEON:Scene

 

This applies to the 994i as well as the others. To the comment above, if you've locally linked the devices you should factory reset them (no need to delete or re-add them to the ISY). 

 

Then follow the procedure from the wiki link to create scenes that add links that can interact with the ISY

 

Paul

[apostolakisl]

Yes, as per both comments.  

 

Especially Pual's.  You need to erase the manual setup that you did with a factory reset and do it all in ISY.

 

1) Factory reset all 3 (pull the tab all the way out till it stays on its own, wait 5 seconds, then, in one motion, push all the way in and hold the tab for another 5 seconds, then release it to its natural position)

2) Delete the devices from ISY (unless you never added them)

3) Click the little swirly linking button at the top of the ISY console

4) Go to each of the 3 switches, push and hold the tab in until it beeps (maybe 3 seconds)

5) Go back to ISY, all 3 switches should be showing in the popup window, click OK to have ISY add them and name them.

6) Create a scene and name it

7) Right click on the scene name and click "add device", then select one of the three switches, specifying it as a "controller", repeat for the other 2.

[dismania]

Thank you so much! The answer was thorough, concise and easily followed. It worked like a charm!

[dismania]

ok, a follow-up.  The switches work fine,  UNTIL I use Alexa to turn the scene off.  Once I do that, they all get out of sync.  I have to go to the main switch (the one that is hooked up to load), pull the tab, wait 5 seconds, then push it back in.  Once I do that, they work fine again as a 3-way, until I turn them off using Alexa.

 

Any ideas?

 

Dismania

[apostolakisl]

Alexa turns the scene off using ISY.

 

1) Can you turn the scene on/off from ISY admin console?  

2) Did you set Alexa to turn the scene on/off or one of the switches in the scene?  It should be set to turn the scene on/off, not the switch.

 

If you can't turn the scene on/off from ISY admin console (turning the scnene on/off should cause all 3 switches to turn on/off), then there may be something wrong with the links table in your plm.  But I kind of doubt assuming you did what I outlined above.  There are ways to check the links table, but first things first.

[dismania]

I can turn the scene on/off from the ISY admin console.  And I checked to make sure Alexa was using the scene and it is.  What else should I check?

[apostolakisl]

I can turn the scene on/off from the ISY admin console.  And I checked to make sure Alexa was using the scene and it is.  What else should I check?

You are using Alexa throuhg ISY, correct?  Not the Insteon hub.  If you have an insteon hub, well . . you should just not have an insteon hub.

[Goose66]

You are using Alexa throuhg ISY, correct?  Not the Insteon hub.  If you have an insteon hub, well . . you should just not have an insteon hub.

 

At least not an Insteon Hub AND an ISY.

[stusviews]

I can turn the scene on/off from the ISY admin console.  And I checked to make sure Alexa was using the scene and it is.  What else should I check?

 

Did you add the switches to the portal and also the scene?

[dismania]

I only added the scene to the portal.

 

I do not have the Insteon hub anymore, once I graduated to the ISY, I gave it to a co-worker.

[apostolakisl]

Don't know what to tell you.  Like I said,

 

portal -> isy -> Insteon plm -> switches

admin console (your pc java app) -> isy -> insteon plm -> switches

 

Any error that could cause your switch to need a reset could only be between the plm and switch.  And as you see, the plm->swtich part is the same regarless of the beginning.

 

I guess you would need to submit a ticket.

[ScottAvery]

I have installed 3 insteon switches in my hallway and bottom of steps. How do I create a link so they all work as one?

 

I did the link where I pushed the set button on one switch, went to the next, etc. That worked last night, but now that I have added it to the ISY, only 1 switch works now.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

My guess is the original issue was due to leaving the default setting of "erase all links" when one or more of the devices were added to the ISY after being manually linked.  Hopefully that is water under the bridge now that you have rebuilt the links using ISY. Hopefully correctly.

 

As to the second issue of Alexa scene call, while I suspect you need to wipe all your devices and start over to have a consistent state, it is worth pointing out that every physical controller (marked as red controller in ISY) has it's own on-level settings in a scene, but that system calls to a scene, like from Portal to ISY, will use the default scene settings.  When you create scenes within the ISY admin console you can see all the levels for each controller by clicking on them.  When you manually set up them up, it stores the current state as the on level, and you may very well have had one of the other devices off.

 

Is everything wired correctly, for sure?  Only one switch has the load connected?

[apostolakisl]

My guess is the original issue was due to leaving the default setting of "erase all links" when one or more of the devices were added to the ISY after being manually linked.  Hopefully that is water under the bridge now that you have rebuilt the links using ISY. Hopefully correctly.

 

As to the second issue of Alexa scene call, while I suspect you need to wipe all your devices and start over to have a consistent state, it is worth pointing out that every physical controller (marked as red controller in ISY) has it's own on-level settings in a scene, but that system calls to a scene, like from Portal to ISY, will use the default scene settings.  When you create scenes within the ISY admin console you can see all the levels for each controller by clicking on them.  When you manually set up them up, it stores the current state as the on level, and you may very well have had one of the other devices off.

 

Is everything wired correctly, for sure?  Only one switch has the load connected?

He states that the scene turns on/off as expected when controlled from the Java admin console.  So I don't understand how using the portal to turn on/off the same scene doesn't work.

[stusviews]

He states that the scene turns on/off as expected when controlled from the Java admin console.  So I don't understand how using the portal to turn on/off the same scene doesn't work.

 

The portal does not allow turning anything on or off unless ISY Web Access is selected, but then again, that's not the portal.

[apostolakisl]

The portal does not allow turning anything on or off unless ISY Web Access is selected, but then again, that's not the portal.

He isn't saying that nothing happens when he uses Alexa/Portal, he is saying the scene gets messed up.

 

"ok, a follow-up.  The switches work fine,  UNTIL I use Alexa to turn the scene off.  Once I do that, they all get out of sync.  I have to go to the main switch (the one that is hooked up to load), pull the tab, wait 5 seconds, then push it back in.  Once I do that, they work fine again as a 3-way, until I turn them off using Alexa.

 

Any ideas?

 

Dismania"

[stusviews]

And the individual switches are never controlled by the Alexa app, only the scene?

[apostolakisl]

And the individual switches are never controlled by the Alexa app, only the scene?

It's all in the thread.  Yes, that is what he said.

[ScottAvery]

He isn't saying that nothing happens when he uses Alexa/Portal, he is saying the scene gets messed up.

 

"ok, a follow-up.  The switches work fine,  UNTIL I use Alexa to turn the scene off.  Once I do that, they all get out of sync.  I have to go to the main switch (the one that is hooked up to load), pull the tab, wait 5 seconds, then push it back in.  Once I do that, they work fine again as a 3-way, until I turn them off using Alexa.

 

Any ideas?

 

Dismania"

 

But there is nothing scene related that pulling the power from one device is going to fix.  Either a device is damaged or his devices and/or scenes are not set up correctly.  Given the multiple attempts made and potentially wrong instructions for factory reset, he could have orphaned links in the devices.

 

Perhaps some screenshots of the scene configuration and link table comparisons would help us rule that out.

[ScottAvery]

I agree it doesn't make sense for scene behavior to vary based on what executes it.  We need a better definition of "they all get out of sync."