Linking Mode Change for Remote Linc

[justin.cool]

This has probably been answered before, but if so, I haven't found it in the forum.

 

I noticed here a short while back after going up to s/w 2.7.15 that I no longer have to put my remote linc devices into "linking mode" (by depressing two buttons simultaneously) in order to make a change effecting one of them.

 

Is this a new feature? Or am I missing something?

[Brian H]

You actually got a RemoteLinc to respond and you didn't use the Bright Dim button sequence to turn it on?

 

I am using 2.8.4 and in Link Management when I choose add a RemoteLinc it does give the put the Remotelinc in the linking mode using the Bright and Dim Buttons message box.

[justin.cool]

Yes, I have programmed at least 2 buttons on my Rlinc without pressing the dim / bright buttons. And the scenes work just fine.

 

However, in another string, I am having multiple communication issues trying to get Scene Test to pass. Through this forum I have finally gotten about an 85% pass rate through the following:

 

1. Turn off all programs while running Scene Test.

2. Disconnect / disable any devices that need updates during Scene Test. This turned out to be the Rlinc that I programmed without pressing the buttons. I had to remove the batteries AND disable it in the network listing in the admin console.

3. Replace two SWL's with V.35 firmware.

4. Fix the humidity reporting problem with the Venstar 1700 thermostat that was sending out bogus humidity updates every few seconds. (Separate thread in the forum on how to short two pins on the PCB on the Thermostat).

 

Bottom Line: The RLinc was at the center of the problem because the system wanted to perform an update, and that hoses up the Scene Test. It is NOT totally clear why it needed an update.....but not pressing the dim/bright buttons may very well be related.

 

Sorry for the long winded, round about answer.......but this was a classic multi-layered onion peeling problem, and I am still not totally done.

[Illusion]

Justin,

 

You did not program your Rlinc without pressing the dim bright buttons. You did program the responders to the scene, and they are still reacting to the button press on the Rlinc, but the Rlinc is still waiting to be programmed. This is why you have to disable it to get the scene test to work.

 

First order of business is to put that Rlinc into programming mode and let the ISY do the desired updates!!!!

[justin.cool]

Illusion,

 

Will do that this evening. But not sure I understand how the button press is executing the desired command to the responder? Is the ISY doing it until it can be updated? Please enlighten me!

 

Thanks!

 

As always....learn something new every day!

[Illusion]

A quote from a random Insteon Manual, a Switchlinc in this case:

 

NOTE: Unless they have been Unlinked, INSTEON devices that have been previously Linked to SwitchLinc will still respond to paddle presses, even after a factory reset. The reason is that the INSTEON devices themselves have not been Unlinked from SwitchLinc. See Unlinking a Controlled INSTEON Device from SwitchLinc.

 

This, or very similar text, can be found in almost ever Insteon controller's manual. You can see this dynamic for yourself in a very controlled way outside the ISY. Get a controller, tap link a responder to it. Factory reset the controller. Hit the button on the controller and the test responder will still turn on...

 

I believe this is referred to as a half-link or a broken-link. Not a desired situation as the controller cannot send clean-up commands to the responder since it does not know about it.

 

This is what I believe is happening in your Rlinc case: The responder links are there in the responding devices (the ISY put them there when you created or added the devices to the scenes) and they see the group command coming from your Rlinc and respond, but the Rlinc does not know it is trying to talk to those specific devices because the lincs to those devices have not yet been programmed into the Rlinc since you have not put it in programming mode.

 

I also believe this is a major cause of your scene testing problems which I have been following closely. Specifically, the poor ISY has forever been trying to program your Rlinc, and apparently tries to every time you change the state of something, but never succeeds because the Rlinc is never in programming mode. This could explain all kinds of slow communication issues if the ISY is always trying to contact the Rlinc without success every time it tries to do anything.

[LeeG]

When the RemoteLinc button is pressed it sends a Group Broadcast message in the blind. That is, the Insteon message is sent not addressed to any specific device. All devices that have a Responder link record that matches the RemoteLinc Insteon address and Group number of the specific RemoteLinc button will react to that Group Broadcast message. Because the new responder was updated it is reacting to the Group Broadcast message. The issue with what I have said so far is that there is no guarantee that all the responders received that Group Broadcast message.

 

To insure reliability Insteon controller devices (RemoteLinc in this case) follow up with a Group Cleanup Direct message sent to every responder device the Controller button is aware of. If the powerline is clean this Group Cleanup Direct is redundant and ignored by each Responder device. However, because the Group Cleanup Direct is sent to a specific responder that responder must ACK the Group Cleanup Direct regardless of whether it was redundant. If the Controller does not see the ACK it will repeat the Group Cleanup Direct up to three times which insures the responder does react unless the powerline is really trash (or the device is turned Off, unplugged, etc).

 

The new responder device is reacting to the initial Group Broadcast from the RemoteLinc because the new responder device link database was updated. When the RemoteLinc is updated it will start sending a Group Cleanup Direct to that new responder to insure it is responding to the RemoteLinc button press.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Lee