Easier way? Individual outside groups with master KPL

[edentel]

Started having ICON paddle failures and as a result I'm working on refreshing my entire 50 switch network. Perfect chance for a clean slate, right!??!?

 

Amazing the troubles this digs up! Realized I have one switch on a 3rd phase all by itself that was never used and probably never worked correctly.

 

Ok so I start programming the ISY, which may I say is the easiest way so far. Yes, I've had to hard reset a few switches when even the erase all links didn't work. After setting this stuff up manually, via Homeseer, via Powerhome, and just about every other Insteon package known to man, this definitely seems easiest and best.

 

So the question... is there a EASIER way to do this?

 

Scenario: I have outside lights. Porch, Outlet, Deck are all one switch controlling a light or an outlet. I also have Patio which is a 3-way. Previously I had the Patio cross linked as controlling each other. I then also had ALL (Porch, Outlet, Deck, and Patio-Master, Patio-Slave) cross-linked with a button on each of 3 KPLs labeled OUTSIDE.

 

What this gave was each switch indoors controlled its respective light or outlet. Turning ANY one of the indoor switches on would also illuminate the OUTSIDE LED on each KPL. This was at the end of a night or party we could look at the KPL and see... oh yeah... left a light on. Simply toggle that KPL button to turn off all outside lights. Also worked as a panic button for my wife to illuminate the world outside.

 

Problem:

ISY won't let me do what I want, ie: one device as master in two scenes. Same scenario as before. I have a scene called outside that I add everything to... KPL OUTSIDE button, Porch, Outlet, Deck... but wait the Patio is a 3-Way and already in it's own scene. XXXXXX no go.

 

What I'm thinking now is I need to have a scene for EACH light, even those not a 3-way, with the KPLs as responders. Then I need to make a OUTSIDE scene with KPLs as controller, and Porch, Outlet, Deck, and Patio (3-way scene) as responders.

 

In my head it used the be a hierarchical tree sort of setup of "scenes" and now I've got a parallel set of scenes with cross-reporting.

 

Does that make sense or have I just WAY overcomplicated something???

 

Thanks for any suggestions or insight!

 

-Ed

[Sub-Routine]

Started having ICON paddle failures and as a result I'm working on refreshing my entire 50 switch network. Perfect chance for a clean slate, right!??!?

 

Amazing the troubles this digs up! Realized I have one switch on a 3rd phase all by itself that was never used and probably never worked correctly.

 

I have done that

I guess it wasn't very important.

 

Ok so I start programming the ISY, which may I say is the easiest way so far. Yes, I've had to hard reset a few switches when even the erase all links didn't work. After setting this stuff up manually, via Homeseer, via Powerhome, and just about every other Insteon package known to man, this definitely seems easiest and best.

 

So the question... is there a EASIER way to do this?

 

Scenario: I have outside lights. Porch, Outlet, Deck are all one switch controlling a light or an outlet. I also have Patio which is a 3-way. Previously I had the Patio cross linked as controlling each other. I then also had ALL (Porch, Outlet, Deck, and Patio-Master, Patio-Slave) cross-linked with a button on each of 3 KPLs labeled OUTSIDE.

 

What this gave was each switch indoors controlled its respective light or outlet. Turning ANY one of the indoor switches on would also illuminate the OUTSIDE LED on each KPL. This was at the end of a night or party we could look at the KPL and see... oh yeah... left a light on. Simply toggle that KPL button to turn off all outside lights. Also worked as a panic button for my wife to illuminate the world outside.

 

Problem:

ISY won't let me do what I want, ie: one device as master in two scenes. Same scenario as before. I have a scene called outside that I add everything to... KPL OUTSIDE button, Porch, Outlet, Deck... but wait the Patio is a 3-Way and already in it's own scene. XXXXXX no go.

 

What you are thinking is correct. Parallel scenes, I like that! Watching Science Fiction weekend on Max StarGate!

 

Yes, you should have a scene for each controller. And only one scene is allowed for each controller. Each controller is one address and one group. Responders react to the address and the group.

 

What I'm thinking now is I need to have a scene for EACH light, even those not a 3-way, with the KPLs as responders. Then I need to make a OUTSIDE scene with KPLs as controller, and Porch, Outlet, Deck, and Patio (3-way scene) as responders.

 

In my head it used the be a hierarchical tree sort of setup of "scenes" and now I've got a parallel set of scenes with cross-reporting.

 

Does that make sense or have I just WAY overcomplicated something???

 

Thanks for any suggestions or insight!

 

-Ed

 

The trouble this will cause (putting the KPL buttons in each scene) is that when any of your outside light switches is switched Off the KPL buttons will switch off. You will want to create a program that checks if all the other lights are off before turning off the KPL buttons when the ISY notices a button press.

 

 

Rand

[Sub-Routine]

 

What this gave was each switch indoors controlled its respective light or outlet. Turning ANY one of the indoor switches on would also illuminate the OUTSIDE LED on each KPL. This was at the end of a night or party we could look at the KPL and see... oh yeah... left a light on. Simply toggle that KPL button to turn off all outside lights. Also worked as a panic button for my wife to illuminate the world outside.

 

If there is only one light on and the KPL button is illuminated one press will turn all the lights off. It will take a second press to turn all the lights on. An ISY program can be used to notice the button press, compare it to the light statuses or time, and turn all the outside lights on or off.

[edentel]

Thanks for the input... That'll get me better off than I had been before.

 

It'll have to hold for now until I get the linking sorted out. I've had these darn Icon switches in place for years. I've swapped in the v.35 Switchlincs they exchanged them for and it's wreaked havoc. Several zones that worked before are now having signal issues

 

Fuuuuun!