First impressions of 994 to eisy

[bmarsh]

57 minutes ago, dbwarner5 said:

Open a ticket before you give up.

I'm over in near Alden...  Hope my expletives aren't shaking your windows......🙄

[bmarsh]

19 minutes ago, TSinclair said:

Having just set up my eisy, I experienced the "no device control" as well.  The only thing that worked for me was restoring a backup from before the device control "freeze".  It happened twice to me after several hours of investment.  It seems you are adding insteon devices, so not sure if the issue is the same, but my solution was to perform a backup after adding a few devices (I added about 50 Z-wave devices).  At least for me it was after the Z-Wave add process that the device control would freeze.  I could see the device I last added, but would not be able to control any of them.  Restoring the last backup and then readding devices worked for me.

I've reloaded from all the reasonable backups....  but nothing has changed for controlling devices.

[brians]

On 1/2/2023 at 12:12 PM, GJ Software Products said:

Michael said they had too many support calls for static addressing.  You can still build a VPN and get remote access.  The problem I see here is I know for a fact I could not deploy this on the network at my place of employment.  And I'm seeing a fair amount of stuff on here in reference to IP & WiFi connectivity that someone with experience & access should be able to fix.  Documentation may be a solution, one of my manufacturer's has a whole manual called Network Guide which explains basic TCP/IP and something like that may help for those without a CCNA or NET+ to understand static addressing.  And the button-press restore factory network settings would be a way out, but have it set a default address like 192.168.0.100 or the last octet the last 3 of the SN or something instead of DHCP.   

Seems that the support calls for DHCP and not finding the IoX may outweigh this soon LOL. I agree it should default to a default static IP, or this is probably not necessary because one of the features of EISY is able to connect and configure locally with a keyboard and monitor in case someone sets static IP incorrectly.

I would look for another job so you can properly play with EISY at work

 

[dbwarner5]

34 minutes ago, bmarsh said:

I'm over in near Alden...  Hope my expletives aren't shaking your windows......🙄

No but I will crack a window so I can hear them better!  we should meet at shorts sometime!

[GJ Software Products]

3 hours ago, brians said:

Seems that the support calls for DHCP and not finding the IoX may outweigh this soon LOL. I agree it should default to a default static IP, or this is probably not necessary because one of the features of EISY is able to connect and configure locally with a keyboard and monitor in case someone sets static IP incorrectly.

I would look for another job so you can properly play with EISY at work

 

<lol>  I got plenty of stuff to play with at work right now.  But then again my immediate supervisor has told me he doesn't know what I do so I could go hide in my VLAN and play with my eisy and he wouldn't know the difference. 

[bmarsh]

19 hours ago, dbwarner5 said:

No but I will crack a window so I can hear them better!  we should meet at shorts sometime!

I think you said I should leave a ticket before I give up on the eisy.  I might be blind but I've looked for a place to start a ticket and I don't see one.

[asbril]

4 minutes ago, bmarsh said:

I've looked for a place to start a ticket and I don't see one.

https://www.universal-devices.com/my-tickets/

[elvisimprsntr]

Agree.  I really need Ethernet config; addy, ports, mask, gateway, DNS, NTP, ...

Assign a static DHCP reservation in your router/firewall. If your router/firewall does not support it, buy or build one that does.

For DNS/NTP add a firewall rule to redirect all outbound port 83/123 traffic to your own DNS/NTP server.

Both are easily implemented in https://pfsense.org

[gviliunas]

@bmarshWhen your scrolling "Busy" pop-up box was active, Did the lower left corner of your Admin Console say "Initializing System?"

I struggled for ~1 month with IoX not starting; being stuck in "Initializing System" with the popup-box and ever-scrolling progress bar. As IoX starts, it queries the serial ports and finds PLM and Z-Wave interfaces. Chris discovered that, in my case, I had some Z-Wave devices that were reporting every second. As IoX was trying to query the Z-Wave port, the unrelenting traffic caused by these four devices  was overwriting the data that the the dongle was trying to send. As a result, the Z-Wave port was not recognized and IoX was hung. My only solution was to factory reset (via Simplicity Suite) and then rebuild the z-wave network once IoX boots. 

In my ~40 z-wave devices, I have 4 smart plugs. I had included the plugs without configuring their energy monitoring parameters. I never though that these were causing my problem. Unplugging them and rebooting allowed IoX to boot properly. Once up, these  devices could again be plugged-in. I went one step further and configured the parameters in these plugs to disable the unused energy monitor function. 

I don't know if you are having the same problem but this might be something to check. I think Chris said he is working on a permanent solution that would not require disconnecting "chatty" devices but don't know when this will be released.

 

[brians]

5 hours ago, gviliunas said:

@bmarshWhen your scrolling "Busy" pop-up box was active, Did the lower left corner of your Admin Console say "Initializing System?"

I struggled for ~1 month with IoX not starting; being stuck in "Initializing System" with the popup-box and ever-scrolling progress bar. As IoX starts, it queries the serial ports and finds PLM and Z-Wave interfaces. Chris discovered that, in my case, I had some Z-Wave devices that were reporting every second. As IoX was trying to query the Z-Wave port, the unrelenting traffic caused by these four devices  was overwriting the data that the the dongle was trying to send. As a result, the Z-Wave port was not recognized and IoX was hung. My only solution was to factory reset (via Simplicity Suite) and then rebuild the z-wave network once IoX boots. 

In my ~40 z-wave devices, I have 4 smart plugs. I had included the plugs without configuring their energy monitoring parameters. I never though that these were causing my problem. Unplugging them and rebooting allowed IoX to boot properly. Once up, these  devices could again be plugged-in. I went one step further and configured the parameters in these plugs to disable the unused energy monitor function. 

I don't know if you are having the same problem but this might be something to check. I think Chris said he is working on a permanent solution that would not require disconnecting "chatty" devices but don't know when this will be released.

 

What brand/model are these smart plugs?

[GJ Software Products]

7 hours ago, elvisimprsntr said:

Assign a static DHCP reservation in your router/firewall. If your router/firewall does not support it, buy or build one that does.

For DNS/NTP add a firewall rule to redirect all outbound port 83/123 traffic to your own DNS/NTP server.

Both are easily implemented in https://pfsense.org

@elvisimprsntrNot that it's difficult but is a PITA to have to do all this configuration as a work-around because UDI took away the ability to configure the network settings locally at the device.  

[firstone]

59 minutes ago, GJ Software Products said:

@elvisimprsntrNot that it's difficult but is a PITA to have to do all this configuration as a work-around because UDI took away the ability to configure the network settings locally at the device.  

If you go static DHCP route, it's pretty simple and consistent for all devices. Polisy or original ISY or linux server or Hue hub - all go same way. Find lease, add static IP - done. 

[gviliunas]

@brians Zooz Smart Plug Model ZEN06 / Intertek Model HKZW-SO03. (Identical plugs with slightly different labeling. Both of these have Intertek part number 5005292.

These switches Include easily and work well but, as I discovered, they can be very chatty by default. They do have parameters that can be set to reduce the frequency or altogether stop energy reporting.

[GJ Software Products]

So I goy my USB-Matter, no migration I want to start fresh, plugged 'er in, tried to initialize, it changed by username & pwd back to default, infinite System Busy loop, had to power-fail eisy and restore prior backup of the clean config I just started build on eisy, but no-bueno.  Thank God for my 994i!    At least I'm not in the dark!  I submitted a support ticket, we'll see what Michael sez.  At the current moment, (2) Insteon devices running on my eisy but can't get any Z-Wave with the USB-Matter dongle.  I really can't tell if it sees the USB-Matter.

[bmarsh]

15 hours ago, GJ Software Products said:

@elvisimprsntrNot that it's difficult but is a PITA to have to do all this configuration as a work-around because UDI took away the ability to configure the network settings locally at the device.  

Agreed...   I use linux as a router and provide my own DNS and time server.  I have never added in a hard MAC address to assign an IP  and really don't want to start now.  

I'm a grown-up.  I think I can handle the assignments in the AC  if it were possible.

[jhoulihan]

Not sure if this is the problem people are having or not. The IoX Finder USED to find my ISY automatically but for the life of me, I cannot get it to do that no matter what I try. I now have to Add the address, http://192.168.x.x:8080. It would not work unless up put the port number.  This is now for the Eisy.

[DennisC]

9 hours ago, jhoulihan said:

Not sure if this is the problem people are having or not. The IoX Finder USED to find my ISY automatically but for the life of me, I cannot get it to do that no matter what I try. I now have to Add the address, http://192.168.x.x:8080. It would not work unless up put the port number.  This is now for the Eisy.

You should take a look at these steps if you haven't already:

Can't Find eisy

First and foremost, all VPN software block discovery of eisy on your network. As such, if you have a VPN software running, please turn it off.

If you have a modern router, eisy advertises itself as eisy.local on your network. As such, and in most cases, you should be able to find eisy at https://eisy.local:8443/desc. What you need to do is:

1. In IoX Launcher, click on the Add button
2. Enter https://eisy.local:8443/desc into the dialog
3. Click on the OK button

If you are still having a hard time finding your eisy, it's best to check your router's DHCP client list and look for a device that has the same MAC address as the one the label at the bottom of your eisy. eisy's MAC address starts with 00:21:b9.

Once you find the IP address for eisy, in this example, 192.168.1.122, then

1. In IoX Launcher, click on the Add button
2. Enter https://192.168.1.122:8443/desc into the dialog. Note 192.168.1.122 is an example. You should use the IP address for your eisy.

Or this:

ISY Launcher cannot find ISY

Make certain that you are using ISY Launcher. This is a MUS

If you have VPN software running, Admin Console cannot search for ISY on your computer. Please disable the VPN, find ISY's IP address and then click the Add button and enter it manuall

Make certain that, after reboot, the pattern of lights is as described her

If you have recently changed your modem/router, please follow these instruction

If you have any firewall software, make sure it's configured properl

If all the above have been checked, it's almost a guarantee that that your ISY is not on the same network as your computer. Perhaps at some point you might have configured ISY with a static IP address. Or, that your WiFi network is not connected to the wired network.

Edited January 6, 2023 by DennisC
Correct format

[dbwarner5]

@jhoulihan one last step to the above advice (which you are probably aware of, but just in case) after you have “added” the different paths to the Finder, hit save. It will create a file that you can save somewhere convenient such that if the finder opens up empty, you can “Load” this file without having to retype all the addresses 

my finder (mac with polisy) often opens empty but with one click I am up and running 

good luck 

[jhoulihan]

Thanks for the tips. I don't have VPN and I'm on the same network. Typing in the IP manually always seems to work though.

I did have to get UD support to look into a strange issue with connectivity that turned out to be caused by me starting with eisy in Wifi mode and then switching to wired. It was still trying to connect both ways and causing a conflict.

[bmarsh]

Finally have the solution....   

Was told that SmartHome in their "lack of" wisdom, used an ethernet cable for their PLMs but it's not ethernet at all,  it is serial.   So UDevices jerry-rigged an ethernet port on their 994 so it would accept the serial data from what looks like an ethernet cable.

The solution is to buy the (total=$38) serial adapter from UD which I will do.  Not happy about it but I guess the only thing I can fault UD on is that this is not blatantly stated in the instructions.  Yes, they do mention that a serial PLM  needs the adapter but I never bothered to check the model number of my PLM since I was looking at an ethernet cable.

[dbwarner5]

12 minutes ago, bmarsh said:

Finally have the solution....   

Was told that SmartHome in their "lack of" wisdom, used an ethernet cable for their PLMs but it's not ethernet at all,  it is serial.   So UDevices jerry-rigged an ethernet port on their 994 so it would accept the serial data from what looks like an ethernet cable.

The solution is to buy the (total=$38) serial adapter from UD which I will do.  Not happy about it but I guess the only thing I can fault UD on is that this is not blatantly stated in the instructions.  Yes, they do mention that a serial PLM  needs the adapter but I never bothered to check the model number of my PLM since I was looking at an ethernet cable.

Hmm. interesting. I am using the serial to ethernet adapter that came with my PLM (or did it come with the ISY?) and a standard ethernet cord from there to my basement (from the second floor) to the PLM, plugged in a direct AC line to my breaker box 5' away.  Works fine. 

Is it the adapter you need? (for a beer at shorts pull barn I may have an extra one I can give you 😀.)

[lilyoyo1]

6 minutes ago, bmarsh said:

Finally have the solution....   

Was told that SmartHome in their "lack of" wisdom, used an ethernet cable for their PLMs but it's not ethernet at all,  it is serial.   So UDevices jerry-rigged an ethernet port on their 994 so it would accept the serial data from what looks like an ethernet cable.

The solution is to buy the (total=$38) serial adapter from UD which I will do.  Not happy about it but I guess the only thing I can fault UD on is that this is not blatantly stated in the instructions.  Yes, they do mention that a serial PLM  needs the adapter but I never bothered to check the model number of my PLM since I was looking at an ethernet cable.

I wouldn't say it's a lack of wisdom. Smarthome provided the necessary cable to be used with the product and allowed anyone to use it as they saw fit. They put it on the end-user to research and determine what their particular setup requires. 

The isy made use of the plm and it's Ethernet port by having a direct connection, Polisy used the DB9 directly, and EISY uses USB.The fact that the plm works with 3 different setups shows they made a wise choice. 

UDI isn't at fault either. On the eisy sales page, it explicitly states that the 2413s requires their adapter kit (with link to kit). They can't help if the end user doesn't bother to check what they have or click the link to the product to verify. 

 

[bmarsh]

20 hours ago, dbwarner5 said:

Is it the adapter you need? (for a beer at shorts pull barn I may have an extra one I can give you 😀.)

Would need a USB-DB9 adapter to go with that since the eisy doesn't have a DB9.