ISY untouched for 5 years, working great but…

[Bernman]

My ISY 99…something, don’t remember the exact model, has been working great with the (pretty simple porch light, and if/then combination lights) sequences that I wrote back in the 2014/2015 time frame. The only issue I’ve had over the whole time was one failure of the Insteon bridge (or whatever that thing is called). Outstanding product
 

I want to make a couple, what should be minor, changes, but it’s been so long since I messed with the sequences, I am pretty much starting from scratch from a knowledge point of view. I suspect that firmware/console updates might be in order, but I don’t want to break anything that will require significant time to recover. A few questions…

Should I update the firmware/console, or just leave it as is? I mean, the thing has been stone reliable for more than 5 years. Why mess with a good thing…

Is there a particular firmware version that I should, or shouldn’t, update to?

I’m pretty sure there is a way to backup the system before I do anything. Can someone point me to where I can find instructions on backing up?

Thanks! :-)

[Geddy]

Welcome back to the forums. Good luck with what you want to attempt. Just to be sure...make sure you do have an ISY994 and not a very old ISY99i. 

When was the last time you attempted to access the ISY994? Were you able to get admin console to load?

If you can open admin console please go to "Help" -> "About" and post your screen shot of the firmware and user interface you are using. 

If you cannot (or have not) access admin console recently note:

ISY Launcher - a new process for accessing the ISY Admin Console; released in 2018 in this post: https://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/24381-isy-launcher/#comments

This method does not require a web browser to remain open as the old (now, very old) process used to. Since most browsers don't directly allow that java process to run.

Firmware - If you are on Firmware 4.x then you can use the auto update process to get up to 4.9. This is the last version in the 4.x branch and the auto update to this level does not require much involvement. Release notes about changes in 4.9 are found here: https://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/31907-release-49-isy994-last-release-on-4x-branch/

 

 

Update - If you're feeling more adventuresome and wanted to venture into the 5.x world then get ready for some work. It's quite a process and requires that you follow the steps very closely. Make sure you read all the update process steps before attempting so you know what to expect! Since you say you have "simple" programs that are mostly just timers you might not have much to adjust, but if you use scenes and "adjust scenes" in programs then you will have more to adjust. 

Current release for 5.x branch is 5.3.4 and can be found here - https://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/33287-534-update-for-isy994-july-30-2021/

 

 

Ultimately, it's up to you to determine if you're good with how it's running just to make your minor adjustments and let it keep rocking & rolling. Otherwise, you can update to the version you're most comfortable with. I might suggest just going to 4.9 if you're already at 4.x just for some slight bug fixes and modifications through the years. Since you don't have a current need for node servers and aren't running a new Polisy then 5.x isn't really necessary. 

 

Finally, for review and tips and other help please review the ISY Wiki - https://wiki.universal-devices.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

 

Let us know what firmware you're currently running and be sure you confirm you've got an ISY994

 

[Bernman]

Perfect. Exactly the guidance I was looking for. Thanks Geddy

Oh, and I'm pretty sure I have the ISY994, but I'll verify everything before starting to mess with it.

Edited July 13, 2022 by Bernman
add a bit more text

[Bernman]

So I was able to get the launcher working, and can see that I have an ISY994i, version 4.4.6. Unfortunately, it seems that I have to find the user credentials and password before I can access the admin console. I'll have to do some searching to find this info.

One of the downsides to having such an ultra reliable device, I suppose

 

[Geddy]

@Bernman Glad you've got the launcher working and see the device. Try the default (admin/admin) first just to be sure that's not it. Then good luck hunting for that information!

 

[MrBill]

@Bernman

If you end up resetting the credentials on the 994, follow these instructions exactly.

Please note, the Factory Reset instructions are very similar, further if you are not careful when following the Password reset instructions you will instead factory reset the entire device.