MrBill Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 typically the red ! will hang around. when I see one I right click on the device and pick query. The ISY then asks the device for its status. if the ! goes away at that point communication was successful.
aguden Posted January 20, 2021 Author Posted January 20, 2021 (edited) I just tried to query both switches. They had the green icon. They both changed to red !. I then queried both red ! and both remained red !. There is something different that I don't understand between the ISY interface and the Alexa (ISY Skill). Edited January 20, 2021 by aguden
Screw Loose Dan Posted January 20, 2021 Posted January 20, 2021 (edited) Are you able to turn the device on/off via the admin console? Just because the red exclamation is there doesn't mean it won't turn on/off. As I understand, it means there is a communication error (that might mean Isy isn't getting the acknowledgement that the device was turned on/off). Does the Isy show the correct status when changed via Alexa? Edited January 20, 2021 by Screw Loose Dan 1
aguden Posted January 21, 2021 Author Posted January 21, 2021 I hadn't tried that. Yes, I can turn the 2 switches on and off from the admin console. When I open the admin console the 2 switches have the green horizontal icon. I can turn the lights on and off and that's they way it remains unless I do a query or try to write to the device. Then I get a red !. But it all now works but there is just something not quite right with the communications. And now I see that actually the Alexa and ISY are both doing the same. Alexa just doesn't have a red !. Than you all for your help in getting to the bottom of this. I am going to now review all scenes and programs and get this barn working the way it used too. Thanks again.
MrBill Posted January 21, 2021 Posted January 21, 2021 @agudenit sounds like communication is working in one direction but not both ways. The ISY's signal is reaching the switches and they hear it, but when they answer or acknowledge the transmission in the other direction the ISY can't hear that. I'm not certain what to suggest to resolve it tho.
aguden Posted January 21, 2021 Author Posted January 21, 2021 I also notice that if I manually activate one of the switches I get a red blinking 8 times but it shows correctly on the isthmus admin console. I searched Google fir red flashing Insteon and I came across a thread that suggested that a possible problem could be that when I changed to the isy from the prior hub, that I may have the switches that still have the old hub stored and it is trying to get a response from the hub that’s not there. the suggestion was to take the device out of the scene then delete the device then factory reset and then add it back. Then test to see if the manual still has the red blinking. When the person in the forum tried it his problem went away. So I think I’ll try one switch.
Brian H Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 7 hours ago, aguden said: I also notice that if I manually activate one of the switches I get a red blinking 8 times but it shows correctly on the isthmus admin console. I searched Google fir red flashing Insteon and I came across a thread that suggested that a possible problem could be that when I changed to the isy from the prior hub, that I may have the switches that still have the old hub stored and it is trying to get a response from the hub that’s not there. the suggestion was to take the device out of the scene then delete the device then factory reset and then add it back. Then test to see if the manual still has the red blinking. When the person in the forum tried it his problem went away. So I think I’ll try one switch. It does sound like you may still have some old links from when it was used in a HUB. The Red flashing indicates a no response from a module it was supposed to be controlling. Many here found a Factory Reset on a module used in a different controller like a HUB. Was the best way to prevent left over links no longer valid. When added to an ISY994i
aguden Posted January 22, 2021 Author Posted January 22, 2021 I've heard 2 different approaches to getting rid of the red blinking light when you manually activate a switch: 1. Do a Factory Reset. 2. Remove the device from all scenes. Delete the device, do a factory reset then add the device back. Looks like #1 is preferable and easier but then would need to either restore or write updates to the device? Not sure I understand the difference.
MrBill Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 18 minutes ago, aguden said: I've heard 2 different approaches to getting rid of the red blinking light when you manually activate a switch: 1. Do a Factory Reset. 2. Remove the device from all scenes. Delete the device, do a factory reset then add the device back. Looks like #1 is preferable and easier but then would need to either restore or write updates to the device? Not sure I understand the difference. 1 is faster. It resets the device and clears all the links in the device. The ISY still knows the correct version of what needs to be there. Select the device and then right click it and choose restore device, the ISY sends all the links to the device. under #2 your doing the same basic thing in the end, but with alot more steps. removing the links and deleting from ISY, then factory reset the device which is the actual end game, then putting it all back in. 1
aguden Posted January 22, 2021 Author Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) Thank you. Makes sense. I will try it and see how it works out. If this doesn't clear the problem, I will probably need a few XFP filters. I do remember having issues in the barn and tried to use a separate Insteon Hub back there. Not a good solution and that might be what I'm seeing with the communications problem. I'll check through all of the switches in the barn to see if I can clear it. Again thank you for your patience and help. Edited January 22, 2021 by aguden 1
aguden Posted January 22, 2021 Author Posted January 22, 2021 Ok. I tested 2 of the barn switches. One is good and the other isn’t but I’m getting closer to the end of this mystery. The one that’s ok is on breaker 20 which hasn’t been a problem most of the time. The other switch is on breaker 14. There are 3 switches on that breaker and all are problematic. So there is still something on that circuit that is messing up the communications. The phases are coupled using the range extenders. Also the factory reset seems to have cleared the red flashing problem. I do have the room to add an XPF filter to each switch if I need to. Everything on the breaker is wired in and I can still do some additional testing - maybe disconnecting the red(load) wire on each to see if I can figure out where the problem is. That circuit has had so much added that maybe the filters are the only sure way to isolate them. I’ve just never used the wired in filters. I have everything that’s plugged into breaker 14 circuit on the plug in Insteon filters. with all of my amateur testing my best judgement is that phase a in the barn is fine. Phase b is fine on breaker 20 but there seems to be interference on breaker 14 (where I have 3 switches).
palayman Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 1 hour ago, aguden said: I do have the room to add an XPF filter to each switch if I need to You probably don't want to add the filter to the Insteon switches. You need to place the filters as close to the offending load as possible, on the line side of the load. They will attenuate any noise in the frequency band used by the Insteon switches generated by the offending loads. So if the offending load is for example a LED floodlight controlled by the Insteon switch, put it in the electrical box used by the LED floodlight.
Brian H Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) Putting the filter on the AC Line input to the module. Will kill the Insteon power line commands. If the module is Dual Band. It would have to use Insteon RF for communications. The offending noise maker is what should be on the filter. Edited January 22, 2021 by Brian H
mwester Posted January 23, 2021 Posted January 23, 2021 The idea that the electrical "noise" or signal sucker is restricted or blocked by a circuit breaker is largely fiction. In other words, noise on one circuit will happily pass through one breaker into the panel, out the other breakers, and to Insteon devices on that other circuit. In general, it's distance (on the wire) that reduces noise, not breakers. My point is that the two breakers you cite are both even-numbered, which usually indicates they are connected to the same buss bar inside the panel -- so you cannot rule out that the noise is passing from one of those circuits to the other. It's also possible that the noise is originating on one of the other circuits, passing through the breakers, and affecting your Insteon devices. As an example, right now only one of my three Insteon switches for the lights in the back half of the pole shed actually work -- the two that don't are on the same buss bar in the panel as the outlets in the back of that pole shed, into which I've plugged four small lead-acid battery maintainers. Apparently those very small battery maintainers generate enough electrical racket to deafen the switches on the lighting circuit. The fix is simple, but expensive -- I'd have to purchase MORE filterlincs, and plug the battery maintainers into those. Since each filterlinc costs more than the battery maintainers themselves, that's silly - so I'll live with this until springtime. Insteon's power-line technology is just not compatible with common low-cost energy-efficient devices, but that part of the pole shed is out of reach of my z-wave, so for right now, I'm kinda stuck with it. Oh well. 1
aguden Posted January 25, 2021 Author Posted January 25, 2021 I understand. I had tested the switches on that breaker by 1st turning off all other breakers on the barn panel. No improvement so I figured that my problem is on breaker 14. Nothing else was on. So I turned everything back on and one by one disconnected the red (load) wire on the insteon switches. No change. The only 2 other devices on the circuit are a power rollup hurricane door and 2 large ceiling fans (DC motors) that are on a switch and generally controlled by remote controls. I have switched both devices off and no change. Do I need to actually physically disconnect the fans and the roll up door to see if one of them is the problem? I expect there must be something going on with one of them. If not, I am about at the end of any ideas. Unless I can actually identify the source of the interference, I can't filter it.
MustangChris04 Posted March 15, 2021 Posted March 15, 2021 On 1/25/2021 at 11:16 AM, aguden said: I understand. I had tested the switches on that breaker by 1st turning off all other breakers on the barn panel. No improvement so I figured that my problem is on breaker 14. Nothing else was on. So I turned everything back on and one by one disconnected the red (load) wire on the insteon switches. No change. The only 2 other devices on the circuit are a power rollup hurricane door and 2 large ceiling fans (DC motors) that are on a switch and generally controlled by remote controls. I have switched both devices off and no change. Do I need to actually physically disconnect the fans and the roll up door to see if one of them is the problem? I expect there must be something going on with one of them. If not, I am about at the end of any ideas. Unless I can actually identify the source of the interference, I can't filter it. Still having issues? I'm 20 minutes from Wellington and have 15 filterlincs you can borrow to see if that helps. 1
aguden Posted March 24, 2021 Author Posted March 24, 2021 Thank you fo the offer. I’m good now. I do have a number of filters.
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