Repeating Scene On/Off with repeat loops

[vbPhil]

Most of my Insteon Scenes don't have a controller other than the ISY and the Scenes are turned on/off by ISY programs. Sometime ago I found that Scenes with devices that would sometimes not go on/off when the Scene was activated could be remedied by putting the command inside a repeat loop. I'll see this in action when a scene goes on and one light comes on a little after the others.

 

Today I'm asking those of you that have expertise with the Insteon framework if this is a good idea? For the most part it works except I still get an occasional device that misses the command. Also, not sure if it's okay to lower the wait time so it executes faster. Is anybody else out there doing this?

thanks,   -phil

[lilyoyo1]

I troubleshoot and fix the issue rather than looking for bandaid solutions. Anytime you send repeat commands, you're putting unnecessary traffic on your lines which can affect system performance

Edited December 2, 2021 by lilyoyo1

[vbPhil]

2 minutes ago, lilyoyo1 said:

I troubleshoot and fix the issue rather than looking for bandaid solutions. Anytime you setlnd repeat commands, your putting unnecessary traffic on your lines which can affect system performance

I knew that answer would come.   

 

 

[larryllix]

Most of my Insteon Scenes don't have a controller other than the ISY and the Scenes are turned on/off by ISY programs. Sometime ago I found that Scenes with devices that would sometimes not go on/off when the Scene was activated could be remedied by putting the command inside a repeat loop. I'll see this in action when a scene goes on and one light comes on a little after the others.

 
Today I'm asking those of you that have expertise with the Insteon framework if this is a good idea? For the most part it works except I still get an occasional device that misses the command. Also, not sure if it's okay to lower the wait time so it executes faster. Is anybody else out there doing this?
thanks,   -phil

I always found a wait necessary to keep insteon traffic down.

However there is another factor to using a repeat or wait in any ISY repeating loop. When you use a Wait or Repeat it becomes a time slice surrender to the ISY real time operating system. During those times ISY can process i/o tasks as well as evaluate other program and system logic, like event triggers etc..

Without any time slice surrenders inside a long program i/o operations would likely just stack up into it's cache until it overflows and either discards new request or throws away old requests. Just a fact of life with multi-tasking systems.

I am using less ISY looping with WiFi lamp bulbs that support internal flashing codes built-in, off loading some of the cpu load and the Insteon comm traffic.

Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

[lilyoyo1]

1 hour ago, vbphil said:

I knew that answer would come.   

 

 

I know it sucks to hear but programming to fix an issue only causes more issues than it solves. Especially if your trying to create an experience vs simply trying to control something

Repeats and waits have their place in programming but both can cause delays with either device communication or other programs being put in a que and being delayed themselves.

For example, if you hit your good night button and then walk in your bathroom (where another program should run), the normal split second delay can become a 2 to 3 second delay instead. While it technically works, is that really the experience you're going for?

[MrBill]

16 hours ago, vbphil said:

I knew that answer would come. 

I almost typed it yesterday but was tired of posting the Insteon communication troubleshooting links from the wiki.  That's where you need to go tho.

[vbPhil]

2 minutes ago, MrBill said:

I almost typed it yesterday but was tired of posting the Insteon communication troubleshooting links from the wiki.  That's where you need to go tho.

Yes, been there done all that thru the years. My system is probably 99.5% reliable and with new home devices constantly being added and removed it's pretty much a moving target. For instance, I just added 4 power recliners and Philips Hue Bridge and bulbs.

I just was curious with the idea of repeating a scene command for extra reliability. What would be an acceptable wait time before repeating it if one was inclined to do so?

[lilyoyo1]

1 hour ago, vbphil said:

Yes, been there done all that thru the years. My system is probably 99.5% reliable and with new home devices constantly being added and removed it's pretty much a moving target. For instance, I just added 4 power recliners and Philips Hue Bridge and bulbs.

I just was curious with the idea of repeating a scene command for extra reliability. What would be an acceptable wait time before repeating it if one was inclined to do so?

Every home will be unique in regards to what a person feels is acceptable as delays can potentially impact other things as well (see my example above). The answer may vary depending on who answers. For those like myself and @MrBill who values the experience as much as the automation, any delay is too much. Others may be ok with delays due to various reasons.

A second or 2 should be sufficient enough for any insteon signals to clear. However, depending on other things that could be happening, more may be needed. You'll have to play around with it. 

[MrBill]

7 minutes ago, lilyoyo1 said:

Every home will be unique in regards to what a person feels is acceptable as delays can potentially impact other things as well (see my example above). The answer may vary depending on who answers. For those like myself and @MrBill who values the experience as much as the automation, any delay is too much. Others may be ok with delays due to various reasons.

A second or 2 should be sufficient enough for any insteon signals to clear. However, depending on other things that could be happening, more may be needed. You'll have to play around with it. 

before my system was built out... I confess I did turn the Outdoor Christmas Lights scene off 4 times 1 minute apart to make sure it all went off.... the lights themselves were the noise generator.  After every switch in the house became a dual band device tho I no longer needed it.

[Techman]

A while back I had issues with some items in a program not executing, a 1 second wait between program calls fixed it.