Switch Turns Off, But Not On via ISY

[elite-rob]

Hello Everyone,

I have a 6 button Insteon switch that has worked perfectly (via the ISY and Alexa) for ages.

Suddenly, the ISY (directly via the ISY portal and via Alexa), it can turn "off" the switch, but not turn it "on".

Is it possible to fix this?

I can turn it on and off at the physical switch.

But if it's off, the ISY seems to do nothing when "on" is clicked. 

If however, I turn it on manually (at the switch), then it fails to turn off in the ISY portal.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Techman]

Right click on the Keypad in your device tree then click on restore device

If that doesn't resolve the issue then you can try doing a factory reset on the Keypad followed by a restore device.

If the these two options don't work then it's possible you have poor communications between the ISY and the Keypad, possibly due to noise on your powerline.

Edited yesterday at 09:07 PM by Techman

[elite-rob]

Thanks, I’ll try that now.

Do I have to put the switch into linking mode (by holding the set button) when doing the restore?

I’m hoping it’s not noise on the line… the ISY seems to be able to turn everything else on/off in the room… and can even turn this switch off (just not on).

Edited yesterday at 09:21 PM by elite-rob

[Techman]

You don't have to put it into the linking mode for a restore device

If you've recently added new electricial devices to your home they could be the source of the noise.

If after you've tried all of the above and you're still having issues let me know and I'll send you more troubleshooting suggestions

[Brian H]

Is it dual band or the power line only keypad?

[elite-rob]

The device that is acting funky is a 2486D Keypad Link Dimmer. (It could be very old....)

So far I have tried to do a "Restore Device".

At first glance this worked, and I was able to turn the light on/off.

But then it only worked every few attempts and would fail with a high frequency.

In the admin panel, I started seeing "Cannot communicate with Bedside Switch. Please check connection."

Also, in the admin console, there is a green icon with "1011" directly to the left of the device name. I'm not sure what that means.

Should I replace the switch to something new (as this is a high usage switch)?

I can still try to factory reset it, as I haven't done that yet.

Thanks to all for their help! It's greatly appreciated. 

[paulbates]

@Techman's factory reset is the next logical step, then a restore device. Possible it will fix it, if not replace it

[Techman]

 

Attached is the manual for the 2486D. Factory reset instructions are on page 16 and 17

The 1011 means that the PLM is not communicating with the device and that there are pending links to be written to the device.

2486D 8 button dimmer manual.pdf

[Guy Lavoie]

The 2486D isn't dual band, so will be more prone to signal issues, esp if there is noise on the powerline.

[elite-rob]

First and foremost, my thanks to everyone for their support! It's greatly appreciated

I have done a full factory reset on the switch.

I then did a "restore" via the ISY admin panel.

It seemed to run successfully (no errors), however the green icon of "1011" is still beside the device in the admin panel.

I assume that means we've got a communication issue

Since this is an older switch....and a very high usage one... does it make more sense to replace it? I believe I have a new one I can swap in.

Is there an easy way to "replace" a switch in the ISY admin panel so all the programs/scenes copy to the new switch? Same thing with getting Alexa to recognize the new switch. Wondering if there's any tricks as opposed to deleting and re-adding to all scenes/programs.

Thanks again!

P.S. There's a guy in town who can repair Insteon switches. Does it make sense to even get this repaired, or it's so old that I really should use Dual Band for everything.

[paulbates]

• It's a communication issue or a dying switch. Since it's single band, it's more vulnerable to line noise... new plugin transformers, tvs, fans.. could all be contributing to this new problem
• A new dual-band switch will help, but not necessarily fix the problem without eliminating line noise as the problem; this is more involved to exactly isolate
• A new switch is $55 +shipping, I'm trying to imagine how much less a repair would be compared to just replacing a high use, older device... repair usually means replace capacitors, but not the physical plastic parts that wear down with use
• There is a replace function, but it's highly sensitive to replacing with the exact device. It would probably work but there's a chance you'll have to visit scenes and programs if it doesn't. Usually its not that bad to do.

If it were me, I'd replace an old, single band highly used device. If comm issues persist, post back and we'll step through it.

[Brian H]

The replace function would work if the replacement is a similar model.

To do it you add the replacement with a new name. Then high lite the old one and pick the replace with function. Using the name you gave the new module.

If it is a new power line only. It could take eight messages and acknowledgement to add one link to the replacement. So it would take awhile and if you have a power line noise issue. It may fail. If the new one is dual band replace may or my not be an option. As it may not be close enough for a swap.

 

[elite-rob]

Thanks everyone!
I'll get a new dual-band switch installed this week, and see if that does the trick.

If it's still acting funky, I'll report back.

Appreciate everyone's help and guidance.

[Guy Lavoie]

If it's that device that's going bad, then this will be a good solution. But if it's a noise issue, then it might just be a band aid on a bigger problem. Just be aware.

[larryllix]

6 hours ago, elite-rob said:

First and foremost, my thanks to everyone for their support! It's greatly appreciated

I have done a full factory reset on the switch.

I then did a "restore" via the ISY admin panel.

It seemed to run successfully (no errors), however the green icon of "1011" is still beside the device in the admin panel.

I assume that means we've got a communication issue

Since this is an older switch....and a very high usage one... does it make more sense to replace it? I believe I have a new one I can swap in.

Is there an easy way to "replace" a switch in the ISY admin panel so all the programs/scenes copy to the new switch? Same thing with getting Alexa to recognize the new switch. Wondering if there's any tricks as opposed to deleting and re-adding to all scenes/programs.

Thanks again!

P.S. There's a guy in town who can repair Insteon switches. Does it make sense to even get this repaired, or it's so old that I really should use Dual Band for everything.

Most of my Insteon devices do that now. For the last few updates, I have had to right click on the device and select Write Updates or the 1011 stays there forever. I feel this is an old update logical bug that never got straightened out, especially on battery operated devices.

This may also depend on what your battery writes options are set to but I have always just Write Updates for the last year or so.

Edited 4 hours ago by larryllix

[elite-rob]

Thanks!

is there a way for me to troubleshoot noise on the line to also explore that avenue?

[larryllix]

Just now, elite-rob said:

Thanks!

is there a way for me to troubleshoot noise on the line to also explore that avenue?

Having a few spare FilterLincs can really help. My big problem was Chamberlain garage door openers. My first GDO gave me slight comm problems for about ten years. Once I got a second GDO with battery backup, my Insteon went to about 20% success. Unplugging both of them resolved the problem so I bought two FilterLincs and my system worked much better.

The long delay was I though it was my whole home Outback Inverter system doing it and due to being minor, I just ignored it.