Mark Sanctuary Posted May 29, 2007 Posted May 29, 2007 --- The Forum FAQ is No Longer Maintained --- [*:2zpdmneo] Wiki - FAQ[*:2zpdmneo]Wiki - How-To GuideThese two pages listed here are now the official supported pages. It's better to have this info in the Wiki where it can more easily be maintained. Thanks, _________________ Mark Sanctuary UDI Wiki Volunteer www.universal-devices.com/mwiki/ --- ISY Operational Questions --- On an existing Insteon setup do I need to start over when I first get my ISY? Is there a way to find all my Insteon devices? There is an option to add existing links from each device you add. The "Add devices found in links" option does crawl (spider) the network. It adds all the devices it finds in those links, but does not add the actual links and scenes in ISY. Therefore if you link a light that is linked to a keypad, which is linked to another light etc., then all those devices will be added to ISY. So if you start with one of your devices that has lots of links like a KeypadLinc you will get most of your devices just with that one device add, especially if you have an "all lights" scene. As of release 2.4, the user has the option of keeping the existing links in their devices. Scenes are automatically reused or created as needed to incorporate these links into ISY. --- Question --- If I choose to not keep my existing links do I need to reset all my devices first to clear everything?" You do not need to reset your devices first, in fact if you do, you won't be able to crawl (spider) the network because there will be no links to find devices with. Having said that, if you don't reset your devices, they will operate (or partially operate) until the links get overwritten by linking devices in ISY. Therefore, when you first get your ISY, I would suggest the following: [*:2zpdmneo]Start Linking, with "Add Devices in links" [*:2zpdmneo]When all of your devices have been added to ISY, run "Restore Devices". - As you know, this reprograms the devices to match the settings in ISY. If you have no groups in ISY, basically all but the PLM links will be deleted in the devices, essentially resetting them. [*:2zpdmneo]Do a "Backup ISY" so you have the option of starting fresh again at some point in the future without having to re-link all your devices. [*:2zpdmneo]You can now start reprogramming your network using ISY You can run "Restore Devices" at anytime, but it is faster to run it right after you have initially linked your devices because it only has to delete links, which is much faster than writing out whole links. --- Question --- I wish I had thought of the saving my clean slate before I got all mine reprogrammed. What steps should I take if I want to redo everything? It's not really necessary, there is some time/risk involved to do this, and is an alternative to deleting all of your scenes (especially if you have a lot of scenes), but if you're one of those guys that just has to have it all here are the steps to go thru it all over again. [*:2zpdmneo]First create a fresh backup_orignal of your latest ISY data, with "Backup ISY"[*:2zpdmneo]Do a "Factory Reset" from the ISY command shell. See Advanced Configuration Guide for details and risks[*:2zpdmneo]Start Linking, with "Add Devices in links" [*:2zpdmneo]When all of your devices have been added to ISY, run "Restore Devices". - As you know, this reprograms the devices to match the settings in ISY. If you have no groups in ISY, basically all but the PLM links will be deleted in the devices, essentially resetting them. [*:2zpdmneo]Do a "Backup ISY" so you have the backup_clean option of starting fresh again at some point in the future without having to re-link all your devices. [*:2zpdmneo]Bring back the backup_orignal with all your ISY programming, with "Restore ISY"[*:2zpdmneo]Finally to relink all your devices, do a "Restore Devices"--- Question --- I already have the ISY programmed but some of my devices have lost their way; how can I fix them? You will need to crawl (spider) your Insteon network with the all the ISY data which can take some time. Launching the "Restore Devices" within the ISY will casue it go thru all your devices and update all the scene links. This is useful to make sure all the links are correct. Here is where you will find it: File (pull-down) --> Restore Devices (menu selection) --- Question --- What do I do if the ISY locks up? All though it does not happen often but when it does, unplug the ISY and let it sit for a few minutes then plug it back in. On a typical startup the lights do a bunch of different blinking and then the Insteon Power Line Modem will flash a bunch as the ISY updates the status of all the linked devices. See Note Below --- Question --- Should any of the 4 LED indicators be illuminated solid? No. LEDs are only illuminated if; Transmitting to PLM (TX), Receiving from PLM (RX), Writing to Memory (MEM), System error (Error)! If all 4 LEDs are illuminated solid then the ISY is most likely locked up and will need to be power cycled according to the directions in the previous question. --- Question --- How do I mount my ISY in my structured media panel? I found that two 3 inch long strips double sided Velcro work just fine. I usually stick the soft fuzzy side to the device, and the rough hook side to the mounting spot that way if you remove the device to work with it the fuzzy Velcro does not scratch anything. --- Question --- What is a ISY scene? Scenes are simply a group of devices. A scene is equal to a group in Insteon vernacular. Also a scene is as small as two devices linked together and the more links you add the bigger the scene gets. I think there is a desire to think that just linking two devices is just a link and this is correct but it is still a scene. So if you want to create a link between two devices you will have to create a scene to do it. --- Question --- What is the best way to create a scene? Start with adding all your responding devices first. Then add your controlling devices last. This consolidates the longest busy times to just the last few devices you add to the scene. --- Question --- What can I do when not all my devices are responding correctly? The Insteon Power Line Modem is the main connection between your ISY and Insteon network. If you’re having issues that not all devices responding you may need to try connecting PLM to another location or try relocating your SignaLincs. Also it may help not to connect the Wall-wart (power transformer) to the PLM pass-thru plug. The ISY has very little to do with the quality of communication on the Insteon network. --- Question --- Is there an offset for sunrise or sunset timers; how do I use it? There is support for offset time (in minutes) for Sunrise and Sunset. If you want a schedule for 1.5 hours before Sunrise, make the offset -90. For any positive offset, leave out the sign. In the Schedule Configuration there is a Spin Box that if you click the little up and down arrows you will see the numbers change to positive and negative numbers. --- Question --- Is there a way I can control the lights on a KeypadLinc with Insteon commands? If the KeypadLinc button is part of a scene, the lights will turn on/off either from the GUI (when issuing a scene/group command) or by other controllers linked to it. ISY does not work as a pass through for Insteon commands; you can either use our GUI to perform what you need or our [soon to be release] SDKs. In short, no longer do you have to care about the details of Insteon commands; we take care of all of it in ISY. And, finally, you can even group KeypadLinc buttons (mutual exclusivity) using our GUI. --- Question --- Is the ISY compatible with J2ME; what do I need to access my ISY? As a matter of fact, our UDMobile client is based on J2ME (IBM Websphere Micro Environment Runtime = WEME). The only reason that we do not actively advertise our UDMobile client is that we have had a hard time figuring out where our clients can buy the license for WEME. The price for the license is $5.99 and we were told that users can buy it directly from Handango but it is not listed. If you, or anyone else for that matter, is willing to take the responsibility for acquiring a license for WEME, you can download our UDMobile client: UDMobile-SD.zip. Installation is pretty straight forward: [*:2zpdmneo]Copy the contents of the zip file into an SD card[*:2zpdmneo]Insert the SD card into your Pocket PC[*:2zpdmneo]Use File Explorer and go to your /SD Card/UDClient or /Storage Card/UDClient directory[*:2zpdmneo]If your SD directory is called SD Card, then click on UDMSD[*:2zpdmneo]If your SD directory is called Storage Card, then click on UDMStorage --- Question --- My PDA Phone runs Windows Mobile 2003 SE; what do I need to access my ISY? You can use UDMobile-Full.zip; download into a directory, and run setup.bat; this will install the app using ActiveSynch. Make sure you install to the device and not the SD Card. --- Question --- I registered my ISY on you website but did not get a confirmation email; what shall I do? Registration is immediate and you should receive your userid/pwd for AutoUpdate immediately. If you do not receive an email with-in lets say 15 minutes just send us an email to tech@universal-devices.com and we can check in our "dead letter" queue. We'll email you the AutoUpdate credentials ASAP so you can get the update downloaded. --- Question --- I do have a question regarding the EZRain unit. After linking, I see groups 1-8, representing the valves 1-8, but do not see any groups for the four EZRain Zone groups (1-4). I had to set up 6 schedules to turn on each of the valves, with each start time following 30 min later and the a final schedule to turn off the last valve 30 min later. It works, but it would be a lot better if you were able to just set up a start schedule for one of the EZRain Zone programs. Did I mess up the linking or is there a way to do this? As far as EZRain, you have not messed anything up. We are still a bit ambivalent as to what should be done with "not purely" insteon features such as Sprinkler Zones, number of zones, programming zones, etc. On the one hand, that would make ISY a great companion for EZRain but on the other it would make ISY manufacturer dependent. So, please do bear with us till we figure out what's the best way to go. And, thanks so very much for the feedback since it's only the feedbacks which prod us to one direction vs. the other. --- Question --- Approximately how many links will the PLM need for my setup? Here is the little java "ISY PLM Link Calculator" for this question for all to try to answer this question. It is a close approximation tool because you can't fully know the average nodes in a scene but this will get everyone a close enough number to understand their setup. --- ISY Networking Questions --- Can I use my ISY behind a NAT firewall; how do I connect remotely? Yes you can by enabling the internet access for the ISY and using the correct external URL. The URL to be used for accessing ISY remotely is slightly different. You should use: http://external.ip.address:16142/0/x (note the last character is x - for external - rather than p) See This Thread --- Question --- I understand some routers can be auto configured by the ISY; which ones are they? DLink DI-604, DI-614, DI-624, DIR-625, DIR-655 NetGear WPN824v2 (with thanks to Mr. Hutchins for testing it] Linksys WRT-54GS, BEFSR81 Buffalo Buffalo AirStation --- Question --- Can the ISY setup to be on my wireless network? As far as wireless-ness, ISY is Ethernet based and, thus, if you connect it to a wireless hub/router/switch then all the computers on the "same" network as your hub/router/switch can communicate with it regardless of the medium (wired vs. wireless). --- Question --- Do you have to enable the UPnP in the router? As far as making your router UPnP enabled: If you have a DLink Router of model DI-6xx, they are automatically UPnP enabled out of the box. You only need to UPnP enable your router if you want ISY to automatically configure it. Unfortunately, at the moment, we have tested and support only DLink routers for automatic configuration. We are working on enabling Linksys as well but, to date, we have gotten a little support. --- Question --- Any plans in the works to let the ISY act as a server to HA software on the PC? (This might be a good option so you can leave the PC on for ease if use/graphical interface/additional features, but if you shut off, it syncs and most if not all of the functionality is saved on the ISY.) Yes, you can use our MCE client (on the CD or download from our website under Resources) with is much easier to use (but does not allow you to configure ISY) and does exactly as you suggest. With respect to other HA software, we do offer JSDK (Java SDK) which can be used to build HA software for ISY. We are also in the middle of publishing our Web Services SDK (which has been put on hold to address functionality improvements such as crawling an Insteon network) --- Question --- What does it mean on your website, "access from anywhere in the world." How is this done? You can access ISY from anywhere in the world if: a. You have a DLink router of model DI-6xx ... ISY can automatically configure it so that you can access ISY using the IP as assigned by your ISP b. If don't have a DLink router, unfortunately, you have to configure your router manually I am almost certain that, rightly so, we'll be criticized for not supporting other routers or making it easier to access ISY remotely. Though not a 100% good reason, we had to make a decision in the early stages of design: to use a dedicated proxy server with a secure tunnel (or VPN) to ISY in which case we would have to charge for the service (third party) anywhere between $5 to $20 per month (depending on the license fees or hosting costs) or to try and reuse existing UPnP IGD functionality and slowly add support for other routers and not charge anything. We chose the latter since we do not believe you should not have to pay for remote access. --- ISY Product Comparison Questions --- What is the difference between ISY and HouseLinc? The only points of commonality between ISY and HouseLinc are the fact that they both allow you to link with devices using your computer and from there things diverge: With ISY, everything you do takes effect immediately (the links are written real-time). Links are created by dragging and dropping devices into scenes. We do not yet support crawling the network. This means that if you setup your system using HouseLinc or manually, you would have to restart (fresh). This said, however, we are working on a solution to import HouseLinc projects (no ETA). --- Question --- What is the difference between ISY and EZBridge IP? The difference between ISY and EZBridge IP is the statement you will find at the bottom of Details & Specifications for EZBridge IP under "Software": While the free configuration utility (Windows-only) can be used to set-up and operate the device, the EZBridge realizes its full potential working in "conjunction" with home automation programs. Planned support for the EZBridge include "HouseLinc" from Smarthome, "mControl" from Embedded Automation or "Indigo" from Perceptive Automation. In short, with EZBridge IP, you still need to either install their free "utility" or buy another home automation software (HouseLinc, mControl, or Indigo) to be installed on your computer (stationary). ISY is fully self-contained: you do not need to install any software on any computer. If you have Java (jre 1.5+ but not 1.6) installed, you can access the system, the GUI, and all the functionalities from any computer on the network or from the internet using the ISP's IP address. --- Question --- What is the difference between ISY and the ADI Ocelot? There is a discussion on this topic in another thread. --- ISY Development Questions --- What is the latest firmware version? You can find the firmware version history in these locations in the forum. From the Version topic forum find the version announcement thread Here is the older version history thread --- Question --- What device does the ISY use to communicate with the Insteon network? The ISY does not use the Insteon Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), it uses Insteon Programmable Logic Modem (PLC). The PLC has APIs that are not necessary for ISY network communication. The ISY has been designed to work with the Insteon protocol directly. --- Question --- So am I going to have to pay for the SDK? Our goal and motto is to make home automation affordable for everyone. Initial release of the SDKs will be free for development use (you would still need to buy one of the ISY units) with email/forum support. --- Question --- With the ISY what will the SDK and API provide? With ISY, 3rd party software developers can use our SDK to communicate with ISY and perform all the functions that can be performed from our GUI. In short, our Web Services and APIs mask the user from having to know "any" Insteon oriented protocol specs. So, if you were implying that 3rd parties could use ISY to issue Insteon commands (such as PEEK , POKE, etc.) then the answer is NO. ISY is not a pass through bridge. --- Question --- What OS does this device run on; can I get the source code? The operating system is a derivate of uCOS. We are not releasing our source code for the ISY but we have two SDKs: A Java Library which enables you to communicate with ISY with any Java Client on the network. All the functionality of our GUI is exposed as APIs in this library. A Web Services Development Kit which enables you to communicate with ISY using Web Services (in a language of your choice) --- Question --- What connection protocol does the ISY use to connect to the PLC? Serial. It doesn’t really matter to whether or not ISY's communication with the PLM is USB, Serial, XYZ, or WKM. Client communications with ISY is over the Network/Ethernet (HTTP) --- Question --- What is the number of events? Currently, we have configured the system for the average install (80%) --- Question --- What is the total number of triggers? It's configurable. Unlike other software, ISY triggers are conditionals with up to 6 conditions (using conjunctive, disjunctive) and 6 responses per trigger. 20 has been chosen as a baseline and nothing prevents us from increasing it except Insteon limitations especially when the responses are issued sequentially to more than 10 devices/groups at a time. Same goes for schedules. --- Question --- Can I get more triggers? It would be rather impractical, but not impossible, to support 1000s of triggers; could you please let me know the scenario where one with 100s of devices would need 1000s of triggers? --- Question --- Can the ISY display other languages? ISY has been designed with following the National Language Support (NLS) specs, which means that a translation to any other language is a matter of translating 3 files. --- Question --- Have you thought about an open source project around the ISY? We actually thought about doing precisely that but the OS is licensed and, as such, can never truly become free. Thus, we decided to go for the next best alternative: provide free SDKs to whomever wants to write network applications for ISY. We might start working on a Linux based solution (when we get some free time) which would give us more flexibility for making ISY a little more open source. --- Question --- Can the second serial port be used for control/status of Insteon devices via the ISY, from an outboard device such as a PC or a micro-controller based device? The second serial port is used to Administer ISY for functions which we do not allow from the GUI to be performed (for security reasons) such as reset userid/pwd, factory reset, etc. And, thus, you cannot use it to write programs which communicate to INSTEON network through ISY. This said, however, we do have a Java SDK which allows you to write "network" programs which enable you to do exactly what you want to do (through the serial port) using TCP/IP and a network connection. --- Question --- I just "love" having my computer on all the time; is there any way ISY could be a standalone product? ISY is completely standalone: you use your computer to set it up the first time and you never need a computer after that unless you want to control it remotely or configure triggers/schedules make scenes etc. And, most importantly, you do not have to write programs nor do you have to install anything on your computer (except JRE). --- Question --- Is the ISY a multitasking based device? Yes. The ISY is running in a continuous loop(s) (multitask) doing a variety of things such as sensing user input, a button press somewhere, a web service request, and also sensing all the "state" changes on the network. Triggers are notified when there are changes in the state of the devices on the network and, based on the defined conditions, they perform tasks such as sending an sms/text/page, turning on/off a device/scene etc. --- ISY Compatibility Questions --- Is the ISY compatible with SimpleHomeNet products? ISY works with most SimpleHomeNet products. As a matter of fact, with ISY, you can link an EZRain Sprinkler valve to a button on a controller (KeypadLinc, ControLinc, etc.). We are currently working on supporting EZIO such that you could either link the dry contacts (inputs) to another (linkable) Insteon device or use Triggers to do a series of actions (up to 6) based on EZIOs inputs. In any case, since the firmware is upgradable over the network, you should rest assured that all ehancements will be notified to registered users and thus you can upgrade your product for every new supported product/feature. --- Question --- Is this unit compatible for Europe? Even if its is not CE certified, will it work? ISY's processor board is CE certified. The ISY is a 5/6 volt, 300 milliamps, DC device so you could use a power transformer that would match the needed voltage and current requirements. On the other hand the Insteon products would need voltage/phase/frequency converters. So yes it could work but would require some serious workarounds. See Note Below --- Question --- Are X-10 single phase 110V/120V or two phase 220V/230V devices compatible? The ISY does not support X-10 at this time. There is a X-10 Support Poll that you can participate in if you like to help us better understand the need to support it in the future. --- ISY Specifications --- Can I get some detailed specifications of the ISY? Here is the specifications thread for the ISY-26. --- End of Line --- Quote
Michel Kohanim Posted May 29, 2007 Posted May 29, 2007 Mark, firstly thanks for starting this thread. I really do appreciate it. --- Question 1 --- What do I do when the ISY locks up? This is an excellent question the answer to which must be "ISY should never lock up" and we would like to strive to achieve this. Version 2.0 solves as many lock up situations as we could find. This said, however, we would sincerely appreciate it if any one experiencing lock up situations to notify us with some details of the situation when it happens. Apart from that - and if ISY locks up - what you outlined is (at the moment) the only viable solution. Thank you, Quote
Chris Jahn Posted May 30, 2007 Posted May 30, 2007 marksanctuary, Thanks for starting this FAQ, it should prove quite useful. Here's a few comments ... >Is there a way to find all my Insteon devices? >On an existing Insteon setup do I need to start over when I first get my ISY? The "Add devices found in links" option does crawl (spider) the network. We add all the devices we find in those links, but do not add the actual links and groups in ISY. Therefore if you link a light that is linked to a keypad, that is linked to another light etc. then all those devices will be added to ISY. > I already have the ISY programmed but some of my devices have lost their way; how can I fix them? "Restore Devices" loops through all the devices that are in ISY and reprograms them with the settings in ISY. This can take a long time, but does ensure ISY and the Insteon devices on the network match. If you select a device in ISY and right click, you can "Restore Device". This will reprogram that individual device instead of reprogramming all of the devices on the network. "Restore Devices"/"Restore Device" comes in handy if you are: 1) Restoring the devices on the network after Restoring an ISY Backup 2) Recovering from curious friends who have accidently manually reset or changed settings/links to some of the devices on your network. Quote
AeroWeb Posted May 30, 2007 Posted May 30, 2007 A few Questions: - Is this unit 230V compatible for Europe? Even if its is not CE certified, will it work? - Are X10 switched for 230V such as these (http://x10-hk.com/store/index.php?cPath=21_30) compatible? Quote
Michel Kohanim Posted May 30, 2007 Posted May 30, 2007 A few Questions: - Is this unit 230V compatible for Europe? Even if its is not CE certified, will it work? - Are X10 switched for 230V such as these (http://x10-hk.com/store/index.php?cPath=21_30) compatible? AeroWeb, ISY is compatible for Europe; INSTEON is NOT and, as such, it would not make sense to use ISY in Europe until such time that INSTEON becomes 220/230 friendly. We do not support X10 at all. With regards, Quote
sloop Posted June 1, 2007 Posted June 1, 2007 when i set the ramp rate and preset dim level in the isy gui, is that the same as setting the rate/dim by pressing the set button on the device - as in - if i set the rate to 6 seconds and the dim level to 30%, will the light come on to 30% and use the 6 second rate if i press the on button on the device? does it apply to keypadlincs, dimmers, lamplincs and icon lamplincs? Quote
Mark Sanctuary Posted June 1, 2007 Author Posted June 1, 2007 Yes. Everything that you setup in the ISY scene is going to set in each device. All you have to do is the initial "tap linking" to the ISY then you can set all the rest of the functionality from the ISY; on level, ramp rate, lighting scenes. Do remember if you have any of the Icon dimmers they don't have the ability to change the ramp rate. Quote
Michel Kohanim Posted June 1, 2007 Posted June 1, 2007 sloop and Mark, Partly correct! If you set the ramprate and on level on a device and outside a scene, you would have to do a device reset (pull out the set button and then push it back in) before the settings take effect. That's an Insteon thing which is totally out of our control. This said, however, if you apply ramprates and onlevels to devices within a scene (either by clicking on the scene icon or by clicking on a controller within that scene and adjusting the on levels and ramprates for each device therein) then you do not need reset the Insteon devices. I hope in makes sense and, if it doesn't, please let me know and I can call and walk you through it. With regards, Quote
sloop Posted June 1, 2007 Posted June 1, 2007 cool - i plan to adjust all my preset dim levels tonight and adjust them before i finalize them - seems i need to add 10% for every 5 years i age Quote
Mark Sanctuary Posted June 1, 2007 Author Posted June 1, 2007 Now wait a minute...the age option needs to be in the feature request thread this is the FAQ thread. Hee hee. I am only in my mid 30s but I agree with you my wife and I always liked the lights dimmed low but now we are noticing that we like the lights dimmed to more of a medium. Quote
dougos2 Posted July 5, 2007 Posted July 5, 2007 Is the ISY compatible with the EZSnsRF wireless sensor Receiver. I cannot get it to link to my ISY-26. I keep getting request failed Quote
Michel Kohanim Posted July 5, 2007 Posted July 5, 2007 dougos2, Unfortunately, we haven't had time to add support for EZSnsRF. As of now, we have no plans to support it but I added your request to our queue which we review every week. Thanks so very much for the feedback, With regards, Michel Is the ISY compatible with the EZSnsRF wireless sensor Receiver. I cannot get it to link to my ISY-26. I keep getting request failed Quote
Mark Sanctuary Posted January 19, 2008 Author Posted January 19, 2008 Guys, I added a note in the top post of this thread to redirect newcomers to the Wiki FAQ and How-To Guides. Thanks, Quote
Michel Kohanim Posted January 20, 2008 Posted January 20, 2008 Mark, Thanks so very much. With kind regards, Michel Guys,I added a note in the top post of this thread to redirect newcomers to the Wiki FAQ and How-To Guides. Thanks, Quote
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