Status Set to 255

[Dinboise]

I have a hidden door sensor that has been going along just fine.  I have used the state variables to identify when the unit needs attention like a battery change and other than that, it has been humming without issue.  Last night however at 3:00 AM the program whose IF statements are 1) if between midnight and 5:00 AM.  AND 2) Status of Front Door Sensor is 100%.  Then do the then thing.  

So At 3:00 AM I am told the 'Front Door Hidden Sensor' Status set to 255.

This has never happened before and I am curious if the 255 tells anyone anything?  I think the message would have said something like the "Sensor is ON or OFF".  

Any thoughts? BTW, I am thinking of separating out this IF statement into an enabled program that asks for the "Control" of the sensor and if it is Control ON then go to a disabled program whose IF statement asks what time it is in oder to run the notifications.

David

 

[paulbates]

Any chance the battery is older and down on charge, but not to the sensor's battery warning level? My experience with other insteon wireless devices is that they do unexpected things when battery is close to low, and before the low battery sensor tripped. Also, considering what time of year it is, any chance that this sensor is close to the outside and maybe exposed to cold? Cold can effect battery charge.

I agree with your split program approach if program runs longer and the sensor sends back an off before its done.

Paul

[kclenden]

1 hour ago, Dinboise said:

This has never happened before and I am curious if the 255 tells anyone anything?

I would think that 255 was just another way of representing 100% since the value for one byte would range from 0 to 255.  Now why the ISY reported it as 255 instead of 100% is a question for @Michel Kohanim.  Did the hidden door sensor send its status back to the ISY in a different way than normal?  Or did something else cause the ISY to interpret 255 differently than normal?

[Dinboise]

Kclenden: Yes.  It looks like in a normal situation the message is just what I got at 3:00 AM when nothing triggered the sensor.  I simulated the door opening and got the notification just like I did at 3:00 AM.  So now the mystery deepens as the clue 255 means nothing special.  Weird. End of life crisis?  

Paul: The sensor is more exposed to cold weather.  That would be too bad if the battery gets finicky before the sensor identifies the low battery status.  But I have not had problems before.

 

I will change batteries.  Thanks - David