8 Button Mini Remote configuration

[mcisar]

Have just added an 8-Button Mini Remotelinc to my system.  Have added Button-A to a scene and can activate and de-activate by pressing that button.    What I would really prefer is for Button-A to be "on" and Button-B to be "off"... can't quite figure out how to accomplish that?

Thanks!

[Michel Kohanim]

@mcisar,

Unfortunately you cannot do that with RemoteLincs since you cannot configure the buttons to be non-toggle. All buttons are toggled and thus send both on and off. 

With kind regards,
Michel

[mcisar]

Hi Michel,

I've just discovered that the proper name for the device is a RemoteLinc2 and it does seem to have the option to put the buttons into non-toggle mode.  Added button A to the scene and I have 'on'.   But how to configure button B as the off?

 

[larryllix]

5 hours ago, mcisar said:

Hi Michel,

I've just discovered that the proper name for the device is a RemoteLinc2 and it does seem to have the option to put the buttons into non-toggle mode.  Added button A to the scene and I have 'on'.   But how to configure button B as the off?

 

ButtonB ON ---->ISY program---->Scene Off

[Michel Kohanim]

@mcisar,

You can also put the off button in another scene. Since it only sends off, then those devices in the scene will turn off.

With kind regards,
Michel

[mcisar]

Thanks Larry and Michel, I'll give that a try.  

Apologies if this is obvious to someone familiar, but I'm still new-er-ish and trying to learn the ins and outs of both Insteon and ISY.   It seems to me on the surface that if a person could add both Button-A and Button-B as controllers to a scene and then tell the scene Button-A does this (on), Button-B does this (off) that would save a lot of steps and extra scenes and programs.   I'm sure there must be a reason functionality doesn't exist in this form... is it an insteon thing, an ISY thing?   Just trying to wrap my brain around the how and why of this stuff.

Mike

[lilyoyo1]

2 minutes ago, mcisar said:

Thanks Larry and Michel, I'll give that a try.  

Apologies if this is obvious to someone familiar, but I'm still new-er-ish and trying to learn the ins and outs of both Insteon and ISY.   It seems to me on the surface that if a person could add both Button-A and Button-B as controllers to a scene and then tell the scene Button-A does this (on), Button-B does this (off) that would save a lot of steps and extra scenes and programs.   I'm sure there must be a reason functionality doesn't exist in this form... is it an insteon thing, an ISY thing?   Just trying to wrap my brain around the how and why of this stuff.

Mike

Its neither one and both. Insteon was designed to be part of a system and to be used without a controller. While it can be configured in a multitude of ways, that means there will be limitations on what it can/can't do. Too many options are overwhelming especially without a controller.

The next thing would be the ISY. It's a great system. However it cannot force insteon to do what it isn't built to do.

The last stage is the programmer. The better you are the more you'll be able to get out of your system. The more you learn about insteon and the isy the more you'll be able to work around the shortfalls to accomplish what you want. When trying to help someone new, more advanced users will tend to look for the easiest way for them to accomplish their task vs overwhelming them with advanced stuff and having to explain all the pitfalls and reasons behind their choice. It's also why you'll get 20 different answers for the same issue. 

[larryllix]

21.

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[CoolToys]

 

On 12/18/2019 at 7:16 AM, Michel Kohanim said:

@mcisar,

You can also put the off button in another scene. Since it only sends off, then those devices in the scene will turn off.

With kind regards,
Michel

I agree with Michel, I don't like scenes turning on and off the same way so I do have a very specific method.  I am trying to mimic the "vacation recorder" I had with my old Lutron system in the last house.  The scene goes on one way and off another.

I do have a big question though - How did you get the mini remote to connect?  My old giant insteon table top finally died, so I ordered a mini remote 4 scene.  The ISY will not connect, it says "can not determine insteon engine".  The part number is 2342-2 on the back and it is V2.0 1917.

I used the table top to start a "shutdown" scene when I go to bed and start a "morning", "snack" or "alarm" scene.  This looks like it should work but I can't get the ISY to add it to the list.  It works fine if I manually add a device to it.

[CoolToys]

This is the screen when it finds it if I tell it that it is a RemoteLinc2.  I get nothing if I use "auto discover".  The v.00 is interesting to me.

 

[CoolToys]

I guess this would help.  I was on 5.0.11 so I updated to 5.0.16b and no changes.

[lilyoyo1]

Are you trying the address in properly and is the remote in linking mode during the process

[CoolToys]

Yes, it finds it right away and I get a slightly different answer each time.  I will wipe the manual links and reboot in the morning to try again.  If the others are working I am sure I did something bonehead.

 

 

[CoolToys]

13 hours ago, lilyoyo1 said:

Are you trying the address in properly and is the remote in linking mode during the process

Lilyoyo1 - You were on to something.  While I wasn't entering the address wrong, the ISY couldn't read the remote. I believe this is the reason for the v.00 in one of the attempts.  Each time the remote would beep as if connecting and then it would fail and some version of the insteon engine failure would appear.

One thing I did not mention is that I did a major remodel of my home and it has radiant barrier sheeting on the roof and walls separating the old and new sections.  It has been murder on my WiFi, necessitating a four point low power mesh for a home that should be covered by one decent hotspot.  Cell phones do not work at all if more than three feet from a window.

Looking back at my notes, someone from UDI had me install a powerline signal filter/extender when I first finished the remodel.   For the last three years my system has been relatively stable (with one exception).  That is until my desktop remote decided to send phantom signals and the buttons quit working.  Sadly that remote and my old X-10 alarm clock were my two #cooltoys for the system.  I don't work any kind of normal schedule, so scheduling the system is not helpful for me and having an alarm clock that could warm the house and start the hot water recirc pump twenty minutes before I needed to get up was great.  Hitting snooze and "morning" is tolerable.

Anyway all that said, 

The solution was to change rooms when I tried to program the remote.  I moved to the old section of the house that is still 1970's hollow construction and sat next to a wall that has two dual band switches and two dual band keypadlinc's.    I figure this is the strongest wireless point in the house.

The exception to my stable system is that the front door sensor and the media room sensor eat batteries.  Or at least that was my diagnosis until today.  They constantly show "open" after about a month of a new battery.  Both of these events for more than five minutes reset the temperature in the house to save energy.  Thanks to Lilyoyo1 I believe it is a communications issue with the two sensors locations.

The remote is working with each button simply activating a different scene.  It has no responders assigned, just simple programs. Not elegant or efficient, but effective.  MB Keypad is a kepypad linc on my wifes side of the bed in a wireline adapter which is preffered and no longer made.  Sometimes I wonder if they guys at smarthome actually live with their stuff..

Happy Holidays

Brain