tony5isy Posted April 24, 2023 Posted April 24, 2023 Hey everyone, I have read every forum possibly I could find in relation to my ongoing problem with my PLM that I just recently replaced with Insteon in 2023-Q1, and I am still having issues with config files opening and I am still down hard. From what I read on these threads going back to 2011, seems like noone ever overcame an issue or spotted a fix for this...? - Specifically, my PLM keeps starting in Safe Mode and unable to open config files. Also, no tables even populate in ISY when looking in the troubleshooting tab. Honestly, any help would be awesome. At this point, and after my many conversations on phone and email with Insteon, I am started to think Insteon products are no bueno. And for that matter ISY products as well. Unless someone can please prove my theories wrong, but as a software developer myself, it seems all these products built are oversees and all my issues exists around the hardware itself. Please do give me a fix for turning the device on and off to follow the user guide steps - as I have tried any steps on previous forums and all troubleshooting steps in the User Guide. Thanks, Tony
MrBill Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 First off. This isn’t a frequent issue. Safe Mode means the ISY couldn’t find a PLM. The opening suggestions are make certain to power the PLM up first. Plug it is and wait 30 seconds before plugging in the ISY. Third which ISY product are you using 994, Polisy or eisy? fourth, did you try a support ticket with UDI? 2
Geddy Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 @tony5isy welcome to the forums. Hopefully somebody can get you up and running again. Do you mean that the ISY994 is in safe mode? If so then it means the PLM is not communicating with the ISY994. Make sure the PLM is connected to “Port A”. First real question is what is your ISY994 firmware and admin console UI. When you log into admin console go to the Help menu then About and post a screenshot of the FW and UI lines, they will be next to each other. These need to match exactly before you proceed. Make sure the PLM is plugged in for a few seconds before powering on the ISY994. Observe the lights on the ISY994 as it boots up. Refer to the wiki for the light pattern during boot. 3
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) @MrBill, thank you for the help. The product of 994 I have is eisy. And negative, I have not open a ticket with UDI, have they been effective with troubleshooting in the past? My lack of confidence from Insteon led me to think that wouldn't get anywhere and worst of all - could be a waste of productive troubleshooting time...@Geddythank you as well for the response, yes the ISY994 is in safe mode. I can confirm they are identical and attached is a snippet of it. And I have ensured the PLM is plugged in beforehand - as mentioned, I have thoroughly followed each step in every forum I could find for troubleshooting and in the user guides on Wiki going back to 2011. Still no luck, my PLM just got replaced and even my previous PLM was tested at Insteon - where they said it was faulty and then sent to a warehouse for extra testing, and then they said it was not faulty, and then tested again back at Insteon and said it was faulty but never reimbursed my cost let alone time wasted. And so I waited until I could order a new PLM in 2023-Q1, hoping that would solve this nightmare but still same issue are persisting. I have started buying HomeSeer products (their home controller and plugins needed) to replace this current setup I have with ISY, but I am REALLY hoping that wont need to do that... Edited April 25, 2023 by tony5isy
MrBill Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 4 minutes ago, tony5isy said: have they been effective with troubleshooting in the past? Generally UD's support dept is very responsive. They are fast and efficient. You pretty much get lifetime support, they only thing they ever charge for is custom programming, or extended 1 on 1 time where the average user should be able to handle it on their own. In this case tho they are going to tell you the same thing I did. Safe mode means that the last time the ISY was booted the ISY could not find the PLM. That typically means Port A isn't connected to the PLM, that could be because the cables aren't plugged into the correct jacks or the PLM wasn't booted up FIRST. However it could also mean, bad Cable, Bad PLM, or even bad ISY port. (The cable is an Ethernet cable with Ethernet ports, however it's deceiving.. it's NOT an Ethernet connection, it's serial). To summarize: It could be plugged in wrong it could be the PLM wasn't plugged in first, and then wait 30 seconds it could be a bad cable it could be a bad PLM (but it sounds like you've already replaced.) it could be a bad port on the ISY
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 I still think there might be some confusion over exactly which UD product you are using. You indicated above that: "The product of 994 I have is eisy" ISY994 is just that, ISY994. This was replaced by Polisy, which was replaced by eisy. There is no ISY994 eisy. The reason I am asking for clarification is because ISY994 used a serial PLM and eisy uses a USB PLM. To use the serial PLM with eisy, you need the converter cabling kit UD offers, or you need to make a cable along with some 3rd party equipment. To activate Insteon on eisy, there is a check box on the Configuration tab that needs to be enabled. To help us, help you, please clarify what you have, exactly what you have done and what is happening. 1
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 @DennisCthank you DennisC, my apologies for the confusion, you are correct it seems I do I have the Polisy and I do have the Serial Modem Interface (PLM). Which has just been replaced and my issues are the same issues - that are called out on my initial thread post above^.
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 5 minutes ago, tony5isy said: @DennisCthank you DennisC, my apologies for the confusion, you are correct it seems I do I have the Polisy and I do have the Serial Modem Interface (PLM). Which has just been replaced and my issues are the same issues - that are called out on my initial thread post above^. Ok, are you using the correct port on the back of Polisy: Connect one end of the included Cat5e cable to Polisy’s Network Port and the other to your network. You must use the port that’s closest to the right most edge of Polisy when the front of Polisy is facing you (closest to the db-9 serial port). Note: the network must initially be DHCP auto enabled If so, what are the lights on Polisy and is the green light on on the PLM?
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) @DennisC the lights on the ISY is just the power light is steady blue. The rest go away after booting up. Yes, the green light is on the PLM. As for the serial modem cable (with one end a Ethernet plug and the other a serial), should I be using this instead of a Cat5e cable? And if so, how would this connect since there are no ports for serial connection.. Edited April 25, 2023 by tony5isy
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 Also keeps starting in Safe Mode and cant open my config files when navigating to my Programs tab.
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) 16 minutes ago, tony5isy said: As for the serial modem cable (with one end a Ethernet plug and the other a serial), should I be using this instead of a Cat5e cable? And if so, how would this connect since there are now ports for serial connection.. If you just received a new PLM, you should have the correct cable in the PLM box. What firmware and UI are you running? Go to admin console and click on Help - About, to supply the information. If you have greater than 5.3.4, then go to Configuration tab and make sure Insteon Support is checked. Edited April 25, 2023 by DennisC Correction
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) @DennisCI have v4.9.0. And yes I did receive a different cable then my previous setup (which was a Ethernet cable handling Port A to PLM). Also my current ISY doesn't have a connection port to intake a male end from serial cable, as there is only two Ethernet ports on the back of my ISY (one for network and one for Port A), and one power source. Nothing else... Edited April 25, 2023 by tony5isy
Techman Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) @tony5isy If you are connecting the serial PLM (2413S) to the Polisy, then the cable you need to use is the one that shipped with the PLM. It has a, ethernet connector on one end that plugs into the PLM, the other end of the cable has a DB9 connector that plugs into the DB9 connector on the back of the Polisy. You'll also need to update your Polisy firmware to the latest version, 5.6.0. If your current firmware is 4.9.0 then you have an ISY994, not the EISY or the POLISY, and the cable you need to use to connect the PLM to the ISY994 was included with the ISY994. There are three hardware versions of the controller: ISY994 (discontinued) Polisy (discontinued, but still supported) Eisy (the current version of the controller) Edited April 25, 2023 by Techman
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 19 minutes ago, tony5isy said: @DennisC the lights on the ISY is just the power light is steady blue. A steady blue light? Are you sure? Polisy should have a steady green light. What color is the case of your unit that you have indicated is a Polisy? This is a picture of Polisy, does it match what you have? 1
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 4 minutes ago, tony5isy said: @DennisCI have v4.9.0. And yes I did receive a different cable then my previous setup (which was a Ethernet cable handling Port A to PLM). Also my current ISY doesn't have a connection port to intake a male end from serial cable, as there is only two Ethernet ports on the back of my ISY (one for network and one for Port A), and one power source. Nothing else... How about posting a photo of what you have. It doesn't sound like you have a Polisy. 1
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) If you have labels that indicate Port A, then you do have an ISY994, which is at end of life and support is slated to end around the end of the year. You need to use a Cat5 cable to connect the PLM to your ISY994. Edited April 25, 2023 by DennisC
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 @DennisCokay okay I am clearly dropping the ball here since it seems it is the eisy not Polisy. How do you recommend I do to handle this end of life situation with my hardware? Since it clearly doesnt work with my PLM
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 (edited) Here are instructions from the WIKI Installation The serial connection is required to configure ISY's network parameters if using a non-DHCP-enabled router, or a direct connection to a non-DHCP-server computer; otherwise it is optional: Serial Connection Connect the DB9M end of the null-modem serial cable (included with PRO version) to ISY's Port B, and connect the DB9F end of the cable to the serial connector (or USB-to-serial adapter) on the computer. Network Connection If using a router, connect one end of an included Ethernet cable to ISY's Network jack, and connect the other end to an available port on the router. Alternately, ISY may be connected to a network switch or hub which is connected to the router. If using a direct connection to computer, connect one end of an Ethernet cross-over cable (not included) to ISY's Network jack, and connect the other end to the RJ-45 network connector on the computer. PLM Connection Connect one end of an included Ethernet cable to ISY's Port A, and connect the other end to the PLM. Note: If longer cables are required in order to reach the router or the PLM, any standard cat5/cat5e/cat6 Ethernet cable may be substituted. Do not use the cable that is included with the PLM. Apply Power Plug the PLM into a regular power outlet. Do not plug it into a UPS or into a protected power bar (a non-protected power bar is fine). An external power supply may be used with a 2412S PLM. An external power supply must be used with a 2413S PLM. 5-30 VDC 300 mA minimum Center positive 2mm male barrel jack A Radio Shack 273-028 set to 6V will work. ISY boots. The Rx, Tx, and Mem LEDs may flash briefly, and the PWR LED should be on steady. The two small green LEDs on the RJ-45 Network connector should be on, and may flash. Edited April 25, 2023 by DennisC 1
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 Sorry the pictures I took were too large to upload 🙁
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 Here's the crazy thing I dont even have a port b..
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 1 minute ago, tony5isy said: @DennisCokay okay I am clearly dropping the ball here since it seems it is the eisy not Polisy. How do you recommend I do to handle this end of life situation with my hardware? Since it clearly doesnt work with my PLM No, you have an old ISY994. I posted instructions above, try another Cat5 cable. Let;s see if we can get you up and afterwards you should seriously think about upgrading to a new eisy.
DennisC Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 1 minute ago, tony5isy said: Here's the crazy thing I dont even have a port b.. You need to use a Cat5 cable from the PLM to Port A. I bolded the instructions in my post above.
tony5isy Posted April 25, 2023 Author Posted April 25, 2023 I have tried various Cat5 cables all brand new, so can't be that. My luck its going to be the most expensive solution, which will require replacing the outdated EISY device. But if that is the case, I have already purchased HomeSeer products and their plugins for Insteon devices so I am thinking since this product is outdated that going to need to be happen afterall...😑
lilyoyo1 Posted April 25, 2023 Posted April 25, 2023 2 hours ago, tony5isy said: I have tried various Cat5 cables all brand new, so can't be that. My luck its going to be the most expensive solution, which will require replacing the outdated EISY device. But if that is the case, I have already purchased HomeSeer products and their plugins for Insteon devices so I am thinking since this product is outdated that going to need to be happen afterall...😑 Do you mean isy? Eisy is brand new 1
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