Fix Reliability With Insteon Device

[jessepaiva]

Currently I am at a large house completely done with insteon devices. There is an ISY to program scenes. The configuration consists of the switches and dimmers located in closets/attics and keypads at general locations. I have a problem with all the lights coming on sometimes. Well i should say the customer does, it seems to work fine for me. Wondering if there is any setting in the isy or way i should go about making the lights more reliable. I understand that I am using 1 button to turn on 10 different light switches and there is a great probability of all the lights not coming on. Just wondering if anyone has a solution he/she has found for such a problem.

 

Thanks.

[LeeG]

jessepaiva

 

Powerline communications problems are not a one answer fixes all. Various devices such as cell phone chargers, flat screen TVs, CFIs, fluorescent ballasts, are some commons sources of noise. PC/UPS equipment are common sources of powerline signal attenuation. The sources of interference have to be identified. Often a Smarthome FilterLinc can be used to isolate problem devices from the powerline.

 

Also verify the devices being used for phase coupling (Access Points for example) are correctly positioned on opposite phases.

 

Depending on how many suspect appliances/devices, either by unplugging the appliance/device (turning Off is not enough) or by turning Off circuit breakers to remove all devices on a particular circuit. Once the problems are identified they can be addressed.

 

Could be as simple as a single appliance. More often multiple appliances are involved.

 

Lee

[fitzpatri8]

Currently I am at a large house completely done with insteon devices. There is an ISY to program scenes. The configuration consists of the switches and dimmers located in closets/attics and keypads at general locations. I have a problem with all the lights coming on sometimes.

 

Just to verify, are you saying lights are turning on by themselves, or lights are not turning on when they are commanded to turn on?

 

Well i should say the customer does, it seems to work fine for me. Wondering if there is any setting in the isy or way i should go about making the lights more reliable. I understand that I am using 1 button to turn on 10 different light switches and there is a great probability of all the lights not coming on. Just wondering if anyone has a solution he/she has found for such a problem.

 

Thanks.

 

It doesn't matter how many lights are in the scene--with Insteon, the controller sends out a single group message that all the responder devices react to simultaneously, whether there are just a couple responders or 100. Ten devices isn't a big scene at all.

 

Some things to check: Is the ISY's PLM plugged into a noise or surge protector strip or UPS? (They can treat an Insteon signal as noise and attempt to absorb it--plug the PLM directly into the wall or into a non-filtered power strip for best results.) Which controller device and button is inconsistent, or is it an ISY program triggered by time of day? Which responder device(s)? Are they actually controller and responder of the same ISY scene, or are ISY programs and direct commands being used to turn this set of lights on and off?

 

If problems occur only when a particular controller is used or with the same responder, look for a noise generator of some sort on that same circuit.

 

If they all are part of a regular ISY scene, then you can use the ISY Scene Test feature to see how well the ISY 's PLM is communicating with member devices. If the issue is intermittent and only becomes a problem when you aren't there, check to see if problems correlate with intermittent appliance use--does it only happen when a laptop computer or cell phone charger is plugged into the wall? (If unplugging that device fixes the problem, you can permanently isolate that device from the rest of the powerline using a FilterLinc or similar x10-style signal filter. ) You can log into the ISY remotely to run another scene test when they are experiencing trouble, identify which units are having trouble hearing the commands, then look for noisy appliances plugged into the same circuit.

[oberkc]

If they all are part of a regular ISY scene, then you can use the ISY Scene Test feature to see how well the ISY 's PLM is communicating with member devices.

If you choose to take this route (and you should), be sure to disable any programs that could be triggered by changes in state of any device within the scene.