ISY 994i Communications

[flsenior]

Using ISY 994i, MobiLinc Connect for years.  All Insteon system.

My devices no longer update their status on MobiLinc Connect.  All devices are working properly and will respond when using MobiLinc or the wall switches. 

I have unplugged the ISY and did not resolve the problem.

Next steps?

Thanks for all suggestions. 

[lilyoyo1]

Firmware and UI of your isy

[flsenior]

Firmware Insteon_UD994v.4.8.0

UI Insteon_UD994 v.4.8.0

[flsenior]

I also have lost all status indication on leak sensors (wet/dry/heartbeat) and all wireless devices such as open/close sensors.  24 hrs has past since I unplugged the ISY so I would expect heartbeats to renew.  My open/close sensors are on garage doors that have been operated several times since I unplugged the ISY.

[lilyoyo1]

I'd try to upgrade to 4.9 since that's the latest release. There could be updates that caused things to stop

[flsenior]

Update completed.  The status on the switches still does not update to reflect current on/off status.  I also have no connection to the wireless switches such as on/off switches and leak detectors.  The leak detectors are dead on all indicators on/off/heartbeat.  The leak sensors and switches do not register when I manually activate the button on the devices. 

[MrBill]

36 minutes ago, flsenior said:

Update completed.  The status on the switches still does not update to reflect current on/off status.  I also have no connection to the wireless switches such as on/off switches and leak detectors.  The leak detectors are dead on all indicators on/off/heartbeat.  The leak sensors and switches do not register when I manually activate the button on the devices. 

heartbeats are unknown until the first heartbeat after a restart.   Wireless devices will be unknown until they report once.  (some people have success with a program that does a query on when heartbeat received, but it still requires waiting for the heartbeat). 

As for wired switches, you need to have "Query at restart" checked on the Configuration tab for their status to be known.

(this screenshot is from V5 firmware, yours may look slightly different. )

 

If mobilinc connect is not connecting you might want to check with @InsteonNut by opening a ticket with support@mobilinc.com perhaps there is a problem with mobilinc's cloud services.

[flsenior]

The Query at Restart was checked.

 

In the past my on/off switches would reconnect once I open/closed the door or pushed the button on the switch.  Now neither situation will ping the ISY.

[MrBill]

11 minutes ago, flsenior said:

In the past my on/off switches would reconnect once I open/closed the door or pushed the button on the switch.  Now neither situation will ping the ISY.

It's unclear if your speaking of the status in the admin console or via mobilinc connect. 

If the admin console (connected on your local network) is not updating the status when you open a close the door. then we need to troubleshoot a set of possibilities that include bad PLM or Noise preventing communication.

If on the otherhand the problem is the devices are not updating via mobilinc connect then you need to open a support ticket with mobilinc.

[flsenior]

I have a mixed situation. 

Some switches properly display the status on both the Admin console and MobiLinc.

Other devices are MobiLinc only. 

Some devices are neither MobiLinc or admin console.

I just ran a test on a wall switch.  It was off, turned on and the status showed correctly on MobiLinc and admin console.  Turned off and both MobiLinc and admin console show the switch still on. 

I have not added any electronic devices in the house.  All of my typical "noise" devices are connected to Insteon filters. 

 

[MrBill]

this sounds like the typical case of noise.  I assume when it was turned on/off you meant at the switch itself?   can it be controlled via the admin console?  both on and off? 

Typically when a switch works for "on" and doesn't work for "off" consistently the problem is with the load that that switch itself is controlling.  i.e. no noise the switch turns on, but turning on the switch turns on the electronic noise source.. therefor "off" won't work. 

Sounds like you've been down the noise path before because you know to say you haven't added anything, and have noise filters... however keep in mind something that was not a noise producer in the past may have become one.  I had an electronic transformer for an accent light that had been around for many years... one day after a lighting storm it became a noise producer that prevented Insteon from working when it was powered.

 

[flsenior]

Thanks for  your help.

I was turning the on/off and off/on at the switch.  However, I can also turn on/off and off/on via MobiLinc and the admin console.  The status indication will not necessarily change on MobiLinc or the admin console despite the switch actually changing from on/off or off/on.

I will power down all devices that have noise filters as a start to test noise. 

Any idea why I can't get the wireless on/off switches such as the garage door to activate on the admin console or MobiLinc?

[flsenior]

How do you troubleshoot the PLM?

[Techman]

The garage door opener motor can create noise on the powerline which can interfere with the Insteon signal. I had to use a powerline filter between the opener and the powerline.  Sometimes an additional dual band device close by will help, preferably a plug-in device which has an external antenna.

To check your PLM, make sure the green led is on. Run a diagnostic PLM link count. If the count is unusually low then you could have a failing PLM. Best to do the count when the PLM is inactive as you'll get a more accurate link count.

What's the hardware version and date code on your PLM.  Older PLMs have had issues.

 

[MrBill]

1 hour ago, Techman said:

Best to do the count when the PLM is inactive as you'll get a more accurate link count.

To add to that it's imperative to do the link count when there is NO traffic if you want a valid link count.   Any traffic while the link count is running will throw the results off.  

This can be a problem for those of us with wireless devices that generate heartbeats, because a single heartbeat will through the link count off... (and not by 1, depending on the address of the device it can be alot).

When i want an accurate link count it usually takes 4-5 tries to confirm I've got a good count.  I also only do it when I'm the only one home..  basically run multiple link counts until you get the same answer two or three times.  It's much easier in small systems where the link count runs quickly.