How to stop writing to Insteon device?

[DGG]

I have an Insteon KeypadLinc which had been acting strange; pressing a button would occasionally cause the keypad to go dark and make a strange buzzing sound (like the relay was failing maybe?) and then it would light up again and act normal. Anyway, from the isy admin, I tried restore the device but now all the buttons (A-H) are stuck in a write mode which restarts whenever I restart the isy admin. And it tries to write for like 10 minutes before failing. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Brian H]

Did you try a power cycle reset on the KeypadLinc or a factory reset and restore?

Your description of goes dark or relay buzzes. Sounds like the units power supply is failing. If the power cycle or factory reset doesn't correct a module.

[DGG]

1 hour ago, Brian H said:

Did you try a power cycle reset on the KeypadLinc or a factory reset and restore?

Your description of goes dark or relay buzzes. Sounds like the units power supply is failing. If the power cycle or factory reset doesn't correct a module.

Sorry, should have mentioned I tried a factory reset, no luck. Guessing I'll have to replace the keypad. Hopefully I can find one for sale, ugh.

[Brian H]

There is an EBay seller who rebuilds SwitchLinc modules and also has an option for the KeypadLinc. Both older power line only and the dual band later ones.

I don't have the link but I know a few have posted it.

[DGG]

13 hours ago, Brian H said:

There is an EBay seller who rebuilds SwitchLinc modules and also has an option for the KeypadLinc. Both older power line only and the dual band later ones.

I don't have the link but I know a few have posted it.

Thanks for the info. I actually had a replacement keypad I had purchased years ago.

[DGG]

One of our Insteon keypads started acting strange (all keys going dark and buzzing). Tried a hard-reset and then Restore Device from the ISY admin, both of which failed - no solid communication. So I replaced the keypad with a new one and used the admin Replace function. The admin did its thing and then closed. When I restarted the admin the new keypad did not rename any nodes and they all show (!) and it won't respond. Now I can't even manually recreate all the keypad configuration because the old one is gone.

I tried getting the keypad device links but get a "Failed reading device link [-200000/-5]" error?

Any suggestions short of doing a complete ISY restore from backup and starting over?

Edited September 20, 2022 by DGG

[Geddy]

@DGG I assume your new post was still relating to this issue. Rather than have a new post for an ongoing issue moved it into here to keep things together. 

The admin console is normal in this process. Was the device you tried to replace in a folder? The old device must be moved to the root to try the replace device function. 

What's your admin console Firmware and UI versions (Admin Console -> Help -> About)? Make sure they match exactly!

If it's completely gone have you attempted to re-link it? Remember if you type in the code that sometimes Bs look like 8s and Ds look like 0s. 

 

[DGG]

@Geddy Thanks for consolidating the thread (wasn't sure if I should start a new one or not).

• Yes, I moved the non-functional keypad out of the folder to the root before using the replace function.
• My firmware is v.5.0.16C and my UI is v5.0.16.
• The non-functional keypad has been removed and the new one is there but all the buttons show (!)

 

[Geddy]

4 minutes ago, DGG said:

My firmware is v.5.0.16C and my UI is v5.0.16.

Not that I think it's the root cause, but these should match...identically. All the day to the date/time stamp.

I don't recall if there was a non "C" version of 5.0.16, but if your UI isn't also C you need to use the ISY Launcher method to make sure UI = FW every time it launches. 

As for the red !. The ISY Cookbook (and the Wiki) shows the sub errors to -200000 that -5 is "Failed reading device link". You might need to right click the device and hit "restore device" on each of them.

It's possible that the cause of your first one "going bad" was line noise or other circuit issues. Just replacing it while not fixing the underlying issue might be causing the replacement to act in a similar way. 

There's a method to test switches by wiring them to a modified extension cable and plugging them in on different circuits and/or closer to the PLM to make sure they communicate correctly before putting them in the wall location you plan to use it. That might be a troubleshooting step to attempt to have a clean add to the admin console. Then, if you install it where you plan to use it and there are issues you know there's noise or something else impacting your location.

 

[DGG]

I did try the "restore device" but nothing actually happens (like there are no links). I'm wondering if because I tried to do a device restore on the defective keypad (which failed), and then tried the replace with the new keypad, somehow the new one copied over corrupted links or maybe there were no links to copy?

As for line noise, seems unlikely as I have dozens of Insteon devices in the house and they've been pretty solid for years, but I guess anything is possible.

[Geddy]

@DGG This could all be noise issue since your last device wouldn't stop writing. Perhaps the PLM couldn't cleanly communicate to the device. It's been mentioned here that something as simple as an old "wall wart" phone charger could introduce noise and you wouldn't suspect it since it has been fine "for years". Often times people always look for new stuff added to the house to cause noise, but old stuff going bad or having strange power cycles can also contribute to noise. 

 

You still need to get FW=UI. There was a plain 5.0.16 version and if you're using that and not 5.0.16C UI you could be causing the issues trying to repair a device that way. 

At this point I'd factory reset the newly installed device and add it as a new device. ONCE you have the proper UI. You'll need to reprogram it for any scenes and programs the old device used. You did probably corrupt some links in the processes you've gone through. 

Are you running Z-wave on your ISY994 and with a 300 series z-wave board? IS that why you're back at 5.0.16C for firmware? If you don't run z-wave or have a 500 series board you should upgrade the FW to 5.3.4. But focus on getting that device connected first. There were A LOT of fixes between 5.0.16C and 5.3.4 if you're not running a 300 series z-wave board. 

 

[DGG]

@Geddy Thanks again for all the help! I've restored my ISY to a prior backup (before I messed with the keypads) and now I'm manually adding the new keypad into all the scenes and programs. So far all seem to be good.

I am using a z-wave board but I'm not sure if it's a 300 series. The z-wave version (via the admin) is 6.81.00 and the product is listed as Z-Wave (21100). How can I determine if this is a 300 series board?

[Geddy]

58 minutes ago, DGG said:

How can I determine if this is a 300 series board?

How to tell:

300 series board will have a blue LED on the back of the ISY

500 series board does not have that. 

I don't use z-wave so not familiar with what the version means. Sorry. You can probably find that referenced elsewhere on the forums. 

 

Glad things seem to be working out. Have you at least confirmed FW=UI? If you're using the ISY Launcher method it will always match. If you downloaded admin.jnlp and just keep using that you more than likely are using an older UI version. You need to clear your Java Cache and delete any old copies of admin.jnlp you downloaded. Best thing is to download the start.jnlp from UDI and have it put the ISY Launcher icon on your desktop and run that each time you want to access the admin console. If you're on Windows it's super easy. If you're on macOS it's a little more complicated, but works about the same (with some security settings changes). 

This is the icon you're looking for on your desktop. 

[MrBill]

@DGG I didn't read everything carefully but the replace function must be able to write to both devices.

Also @Geddy there are 5.0.16 and .16a and 15b... although not many people ever had 16a.  It is possible to have a .16 admin console, but it definitely should be replaced so that both are .16c

[DGG]

1 hour ago, Geddy said:

How to tell:

300 series board will have a blue LED on the back of the ISY

500 series board does not have that. 

I don't use z-wave so not familiar with what the version means. Sorry. You can probably find that referenced elsewhere on the forums. 

 

Glad things seem to be working out. Have you at least confirmed FW=UI? If you're using the ISY Launcher method it will always match. If you downloaded admin.jnlp and just keep using that you more than likely are using an older UI version. You need to clear your Java Cache and delete any old copies of admin.jnlp you downloaded. Best thing is to download the start.jnlp from UDI and have it put the ISY Launcher icon on your desktop and run that each time you want to access the admin console. If you're on Windows it's super easy. If you're on macOS it's a little more complicated, but works about the same (with some security settings changes). 

This is the icon you're looking for on your desktop. 

Not that you mention this, I'm pretty sure I checked the back of the ISY in the past and confirmed I have the 500 series z-wave board (no blue LED). But my memory is not great so I'll check again before doing any firmware updates.

I do use the ISY Launcher and thanks for that info!

[DGG]

57 minutes ago, MrBill said:

@DGG I didn't read everything carefully but the replace function must be able to write to both devices.

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure I've replaced defective Insteon switches in the past using the Replace function. How would you replace a wired device without first removing the old one?

[Techman]

You first physically remove the old one, then wire in the new one. After you physically install the new device right click on the old device in your device tree and then click on replace with "xx.xx.xx" which is the address of the new device which will display in your device tree.

You can only replace like for like devices.

 

 

[DGG]

Just to follow up on this thread; after manually adding and configuring the new keypad, all is good. I also upgraded the ISY firmware to 5.3.4. Thanks everyone for the help!