gadgetfreak Posted October 9, 2023 Posted October 9, 2023 A few days ago my power went out for around 2 minutes. Unfortunately I didn't have my ISY on a battery backup then (I do now). When the power was restored, all the switches went back to their previous state. But then, the ISY finished rebooting and everything turned off. Does anyone know why that happened? I found an option "Catch up schedules at restart" which was not checked. But I am not sure that is it. Because the ISY simply turned off everything after it rebooted. Does anyone have any other ideas? Thx.
Jimini Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 I’m sorry that I can’t propose a fix for this problem but only to say that this hasn’t yet happened to me. My house power is now backed up with solar and Tesla batteries. We get a lot of power grid failures because our northern California public utility has spent decades pocketing cash instead of keeping their grid reliable. Most of the time, the Tesla system kicks in fast enough that ISY isn’t disturbed, but twice the switchover took enough time that ISY saw enough of a power cycle and rebooted. After the reboot, all was running as before. I didn’t know about this “Catch up schedules at restart” option. If you can tell me where you found this box to check or not check, I will look to see if I have mine checked. I have my house computer and router running off their own UPS, which existed before I added solar, and it switches much faster than the Tesla system saving those systems from rebooting. I haven’t yet connected ISY to that UPS because of power routing complications to where ISY is located and because I’m sure that the PLM that drives the Insteon signals can’t be filtered by a UPS. But I am going to separate out the power to ISY from the PLM power so that I can put ISY on the UPS. I added some circuitry to an Insteon IO Linc module to warn me when the grid is off, and the programing for that warning got overly complicated to handle grid loss with and without possible reboots. The program will be simpler and more rational if I can eliminate ISY reboots happening with grid power loss.
gadgetfreak Posted October 10, 2023 Author Posted October 10, 2023 I figured plugging the ISY into a battery backup (with the PLM directly in the wall) may solve the issue as it can keep the ISY on until the generator kicks in. But, as I am seeing, having all the lights turn off on ISY reboot should not be happening. In the forums, it asks to check if any of my programs are set to run at startup. They are NOT. Below are my settings but I am not sure any of those make a difference.
Jimini Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 I have “Wait while busy reading” and “Query at Restart” both checked. I don’t have “Catch up schedules at restart” checked. But also, I have all my programs that I want to be free running set to auto start at startup. That is crucial, I believe.
elvisimprsntr Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 During a momentary power outage, the ISY loses communication with the PLM and frequently locks up. I’ve always found that it is better to not put the ISY on UPS power and just let it reboot.
gadgetfreak Posted October 10, 2023 Author Posted October 10, 2023 Oh no. Then I am back to my original question - why are all my devices turning OFF once the ISY finishes a reboot?
elvisimprsntr Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 (edited) I don't have a single program set to run at startup and have all the other checkboxes enabled. Upon reboot, any time of day event driven lights will momentarily turn off, then turn back on. Edited October 10, 2023 by elvisimprsntr
gadgetfreak Posted October 10, 2023 Author Posted October 10, 2023 So, since I also have programs based on time of day, and the only THEN statement in those programs is to turn ON a scene (even though some of the device commands in that scene are to go off), I guess the only other thing to do is to check all the boxes that you have checked and see what happens. Thanks.
Jimini Posted October 11, 2023 Posted October 11, 2023 Thanks elvisimprsntr for the warning about running ISY on a UPS with the PLM necessarily off. I will avoid trying that out and deal with the complications of my power-loss program when an ISY reboot accompanies a temporary loss of power.
Craigb Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 (edited) On 10/10/2023 at 10:14 AM, elvisimprsntr said: During a momentary power outage, the ISY loses communication with the PLM and frequently locks up. I’ve always found that it is better to not put the ISY on UPS power and just let it reboot. I don't think this is a universal occurrence. I've run my ISY 99, ISY 994, and Polisy boxes on UPS power since 2010 while the PLM is always plugged into the house wiring with no power backup. In the more than a decade of use, and many short or long power outages, I've never had the communications between the ISY/Polisy and PLM become locked up due to a power failure. I'm not sure what's different about our respective installations, but serial comms lockup is not an expected result of a power failure to the PLM while the ISY stays powered. Edited October 18, 2023 by Craigb spelling
gadgetfreak Posted October 18, 2023 Author Posted October 18, 2023 Thanks for the reply. Does anyone else have experience with all of their lights turning OFF after the ISY boots back up? If I can avoid that, then the battery backup point becomes moot.
elvisimprsntr Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Craigb said: I'm not sure what's different about our respective installations, but serial comms lockup is not an expected result of a power failure to the PLM while the ISY stays powered. In South Florida, momentary (<2 seconds) power interruptions are a common occurrence (weekly), even on clear sunny days. Since FPL installed smart meters, brown outs are extremely rare. When I had the ISY-99(4)i on UPS power, 90% of the time it would lock up. In fact, I actually prefer to see the lights flash off, then back on when the ISY reboots. Let's me know all systems are go. Choose what works best for you. Edited October 18, 2023 by elvisimprsntr
gadgetfreak Posted October 18, 2023 Author Posted October 18, 2023 My issue is that the lights don't come back on. I would be OK if they did. That is what I am trying to figure out.
Brian H Posted October 18, 2023 Posted October 18, 2023 If this was some older 2456S Appliance Linc units. There was actually a firmware version. Where someone at the old Smarthome. Thought it was safer to always start Off even if it was On at power loss.
gadgetfreak Posted October 19, 2023 Author Posted October 19, 2023 My issue is the entire system through the ISY - not just an individual device.
lilyoyo1 Posted October 19, 2023 Posted October 19, 2023 21 minutes ago, gadgetfreak said: My issue is the entire system through the ISY - not just an individual device. That's not normal behavior. What's your firmware and UI? What's the first program that runs when you reboot?
gadgetfreak Posted October 20, 2023 Author Posted October 20, 2023 And I don't have any programs set to run at Startup per my Program -> Summary screen/table.
DennisC Posted October 20, 2023 Posted October 20, 2023 Try setting up a test. Start the log at level 3 and have someone operate the breaker off - on. See what appears in the log.
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