PLM needing its own Access Point?

[yardman 49]

Hello Steve:

 

I said that I'd report back on my experience with the new PLM Firm58, so here it is: it actually worked worse for me than the Firm52 version. Almost continuous Comm Failure errors during queries and level changes. Michel said that this new revision has really helped in other situations, so I'm not certain what's going on here.

 

I'm going to continue working on this to try to understand what is happening. But I did want to report something that did give me some success:

- I again tried the "Piggy-backed AccessPoint" trick, which I had previously tried with no discernable success. The difference was that this time I didn't just plug the AP into the PLM while it was running, but instead I shut down the PLM and ISY, plugged in the AP onto the PLM, and then turned everything back on. This seemed to work. I can now usually turn devices on and off, query, and even change levels & rates, without too many failures. I still can fail occassionally, however.

 

 

My Questions & Comments:

 

1) Why should we have to even use this "trick" (the AccessPoint plugged into the PLM)? I've heard this mentioned as a "fix" for certain communication problems. But why should a happily functioning Insteon network, that communicates very well through a PLC, have these kinds of problems with the PLM?? Doesn't it seem very weird that the PLM should need this "boost" from the "AP piggy-back", while a PLC in the same network does not??

 

2) I never have an Insteon command failure on my network when turning things on and off from a wall switch. So again, why should the PLM fail on my network, when all my other devices and switches play together nicely?? Doesn't this point to continuing issues with the PLM design??

 

I apologize for continuing to bring this up. But I would really like to understand what is happening.

 

Best wishes,

[SteveL]

yardman 49,

 

This is how I would approach the issue. Since the PLM only has to get to the first device closest to it's self in the network and then that device repeats the signal, I would plug a controlinc into the same outlet the PLM is in and linc it to all your switches in the house. Check and see if all of your switches go on and off, also when you are linking are there any switches that you have to link twice to get them to take. After everything is linked

hit the on button and look at the controlinc and see if it does some multiple flashes.

If it does these are retries and would help to support the communication problems you are seeing, also if some of your switches had to be pushed twice to take the linc that would tell me there might be a little communication issue from that outlet.

If the controlinc works perfectly from the same outlet the PLM was in then I might look harder at the PLM. Remember the PLM does not need to be strong enough to talk to each switch independently, only get the the closest switch or switches and the repeat the signal at the full level. If your PLM was plugged into the same outlet as your computer I would filter the computer. Have you tried running an extention cord from a outlet somewhere else in the house and running your PLM from there?

 

SteveL

[yardman 49]

Hello Steve:

 

That's a really good tip on using the Controlinc. I'm assuming that when you say to link a Controlinc to every switch in the house that you mean via the ISY? Houselinc? Manual? Or does it not matter?

 

I can't say that I've ever seen an Insteon button press "fail". The only time that I've seen multiple flashes on a KPL button is when I press a button that controls a mixed Insteon/X10 scene, and then maybe within a second or two again (not a "fast on" double press, just two presses close together). I think that this is because the X10 controlled device was always the last one in the scene to respond, sometimes 2 or 3 seconds after the Insteon devices had already responded. I just took this to be because of the known issue of X10 signals degrading in a network where multiple Insteon devices were installed. In this particular case, I was using a two way x-10 device (actually, a V2.7 Lamplinc linked in X10 mode), so maybe the X10 ACK was getting hung up getting back to the KPL button. But even in this case, the control was always executed, even if it was delayed. And even if the button blinked.

 

 

Thanks. I may try your idea when I can free up one of my Controlincs. Much appreciated!

 

Best wishes,

[SteveL]

yardman 49,

 

I would linc it manually.

 

SteveL