ISY 994z with Insteon & Zwave - Communication Issues

[bkpky]

I have used ISY and Insteon for over 8 years.   Only recently have I started using some Z-wave products.   My old insteon motion sensors went bad and I tried the new version but it not working with ISY caused me to make the Z-wave leap.    I have continued to have bugs ever since.

1.  I have 4 AeoTec Multi Sensor 5, 2 AeoTec repeaters, and the ISY z-wave module.   My repeaters will be online one day and the next will not be.   I have to continue to move them closer to the ISY to get good ping health.   All have been added in secure mode.    I have been "healing" the network every few days to get them to show back up.   Their is a virtual wall of my house that seems if I put the repeaters beyond this area they cannot ping the gateway that is literally 10 feet away.    The electrical panels are on the opposite side of the house from this area.   

2.  I have one insteon switch that I have set to be responder to z-wave motion.   It never works!   It is programed just like others scenarios that do work.  

3.  I have another insteon switch as a responder to z-wave motion and it worked 99% of the time, until I moved my ISY from my garage to the center of my home.

 

My home is approx 3300 square feet with 900 square of unfinished upstairs bonus that is pre-wired for electricity.  I have 400 Amps of service and 2 panels.   I have been searching forums for answers and cannot get clarity.   

Is my problem power line related?   Phase Bridge?  I have tried turning the oven on but my results continue to be varied.   

I am also upgraded to version 5.13 of ISY but did not change issues.   

 

Any guidance?   

[lilyoyo1]

3300 SQ feet with 2 repeaters! Needing to move them closer to Isy!  Most likely the lack of repeating devices is your issue

[mwester]

Consider the layout of your home -- is the wall that forms that "virtual barrier" for the z-wave devices centrally-located?  And, if you can check from the basement or crawlspace, do you see ductwork entering/leaving that wall all along its length (you can also infer the ductwork by locating the vents and cold-air returns on that wall or the floor and walls above it)?   Another thing to consider is the material and even the furnishings along that wall -- a tiled wall will often interfere with the RF signal, as will a line of metal kitchen appliances (for example).  The point is that it's not uncommon to have a wall or a section of a wall in any home that casts an "RF shadow" -- and you'll have to place Z-Wave repeaters in such a fashion as to get around (or over, or under) that barrier.

Note that repeaters are a waste of money in general -- I avoided them by simply arranging to ensure that the Z-wave motion sensors (multi-sensors) in the sun porch and garage are powered (instead of batteries), which makes them also serve as repeaters.  So -- if your multi-sensors are battery-powered, they're not helping your z-wave coverage, so don't count them.  And note that the signal coverage of the ISY is pretty poor, relative to something like the Aeotec Siren (and probably the Aeotec repeater).  So, it's probably best to not consider the ISY as part of the mesh either.  That would meant that you're trying to cover a huge house, with two z-wave devices...

As for how many and where you would need them -- it depends.  Even with a detailed floor plan (with furnishings marked on it), there'd be no guarantee that you could get it right without some experimentation.  But I'd suggest a minimum of one always-on z-wave device in every room, on each floor, to create a reliable and redundant mesh.  Cutting that in half is probably very doable, but you'd have to experiment to find out where to place the devices (especially since it already sounds like you need to get around, or punch a signal through, something that has a considerable RF shadow.

[bkpky]

Thanks for the dialogue!   Is it correct that the Aeotec Repeaters are not repeating over the power line and only over the radio waves?   

 

[mwester]

That is correct -- in fact, NO z-wave signals are repeated over the powerline by any devices that I know of, not just the Aeotec repeaters.  So, with z-wave you are reliant entirely on the RF mesh.

[lilyoyo1]

Zwave is rf only. There is no Powerline communication with it

[MWareman]

I started with Aeotec repeaters. They didn’t help. At all...

 

I switched to using Aeotec Sirens as repeaters - and they made my network reliable.

 

I believe the Aeotec Gen 5 repeaters are better though - but you didn’t specify which version you have.

 

[bkpky]

I have both the Gen 5 in the repeaters and the motions.