Are there any ISY system status variables

[TMoritz]

I'm running an ISY994i to control my vacation rental.  Back in October my PLM stopped working.  I did not find this out until I made a site visit in mid-November.  Is there anyway I can poll the PLM periodically and send a message if the ISY doesn't get a proper response?  Are there any ISY system status/state variables I can write logic around for this purpose?  Can I use any of the device variables and properties listed on the Wiki ISY-994i_Series:EMail_and_Networking_Substitution_Variables page for this purpose?

 

 

Thanks,

[stusviews]

That's similar to the problem of getting notified if power goes out. Without power, nothing can send a message (unless you have backup power). What you can do is have the ISY send a message periodically. If no message is sent in that time frame, then you'll know that there's a problem, but not what the problem is. Nothing extra is required at all.

 

You'll have to select how often you want to receive a message, hourly, daily or something else.

[rccoleman]

Couldn't a program try to set and query a hidden lamplinc or something similar? Loop to retry a few times to handle any comms issues.

[stusviews]

Couldn't a program try to set and query a hidden lamplinc or something similar? Loop to retry a few times to handle any comms issues.

 

That's like saying send me a message to let me know that messages can't be sent. There exists complex and somewhat costly solution. That depends entirely on how critical the ISY is and how soon the OP needs to be notified of a failure. A PLM can be failing and still be somewhat functional. Actually Z-Wave devices do not rely on the PLM at all.

 

More detail is needed from the OP.

Edited December 9, 2017 by stusviews

[rccoleman]

He's specifically asking about how he can detect a failing PLM, so it doesn't sound like Z-Wave is part of the equation here.  If he uses the ISY firmware that won't go into safe mode when it can't communicate with the PLM, it would be able to attempt to communicate with Insteon devices and send a notification if it was unable to do so.

[stusviews]

He's specifically asking about how he can detect a failing PLM, so it doesn't sound like Z-Wave is part of the equation here.  If he uses the ISY firmware that won't go into safe mode when it can't communicate with the PLM, it would be able to attempt to communicate with Insteon devices and send a notification if it was unable to do so.

 

It will send a notification if it was unable to do so??? Nope. The ISY can't communicate with any Insteon device if the PLM fails, but it can communicate with Z-Wave devices.

[rccoleman]

This is what he asked:

Is there anyway I can poll the PLM periodically and send a message if the ISY doesn't get a proper response?

The answer to that is "no", but he can poll a device (set status and query) and send an email or push notification from the ISY if it doesn't act as expected.  From your responses, it sounds like you're trying to solve the problem of the ISY dying.  As long as the ISY doesn't commit suicide and go into safe mode if the PLM fails, it'll continue to work just fine and be able to send notifications through the network about unexpected behavior that it sees with Insteon devices.  There's no mention of Z-Wave in the original message, so I don't see how that enters into this.

[stusviews]

Nope, I'm addressing failure of the PLM only. If the ISY fails, then no message is possible at all. I mentioned Z-Wave only because those devices continue to function even if the PLM fails

[rccoleman]

So you're saying that he can't do what I'm suggesting? I don't see why not. If the ISY can't communicate with an Insteon device because the PLM is flaky or has failed, the polling will fail to respond as expected. The ISY can then send an email or push notification.

 

This could be as simple as a heartbeat program that loops while turning a device on and off, a program that responds to the device turning on and off and changing a counter, and a watchdog program to detect an irregular count. It would be similar to the programs that monitor water sensors.

[stusviews]

Try it. All that's required to verify success is to unplug the PLM.

[rccoleman]

I'm still unclear as to whether you think it's a viable solution, but I'll leave it to the OP to evaluate.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi all,

 

You can use Not Responding condition and use And for all devices. But, you will either have to wait for the 3AM query or periodically query everything (bad idea).

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[LFMc]

Hi all,

 

You can use Not Responding condition and use And for all devices. But, you will either have to wait for the 3AM query or periodically query everything (bad idea).

 

With kind regards,

Michel

Shouldn't it also work if you only query one or two insteon devices per hour, i.e. not all of them? Something as critical as the plm should have a heart beat that can be monitored anyway, but I'm just dreaming.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

Edited December 11, 2017 by LFMc

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Leon,

 

Based on over 10 years of experience, above and beyond a non-communicating PLM, there's really no guarantee that choosing certain devices is going to give you definitive answer as to a PLM failure. It might give you a hint based on which you can investigate further.

 

With kind regards,

Michel