IRLinc, ISY-99ir and Harmony 1100 Remote Control

[jdheltne]

I just got a IRLinc for use behind my main media systems in the living room, and i am ready to setup the remote control commands. When I do the programming so that the ISY-99ir and IRLinc work with my remotes, I am assuming i would use the Harmony Remote as the remote to use to learn the codes from? Also, im assuming i want to learn them via the ISY-99ir rather than the IRLinc, is that correct? I have about 6 devices the Harmony currently controls, so I would assume I would do the following process (please tell me if I am missing anything:

 

1) I am assuming it is ok to use my Harmony remote for the IR commands for the ISY to learn from, and that I dont need to use the origional remote that came with the device

 

2) Is there a way to download the commands into the ISY directly rather than manually having to go through the process for each device button?

 

Process

- Put the ISY in Linking mode

- double click the set button on the IRLinc

- from the Harmony remote, go to the 1st device i want to setup, and press the 1st button i want to learn while pointed at the IRLinc

- Press and hold the set button on the IRLinc for about 3 seconds and wait for the beep

- Wait for the 2nd beep to show it was done linking with the ISY

- Repeat the same steps above for every button i want it to learn

- Once done with all buttons and devices, click finish on the ISY

- ISY should start showing nodes

 

Any and all help/suggestions is appreciated

 

Jason

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello Jason,

 

It's an either/or situation: which one do you want to use IRLinc (uses NEC codes) or the IR sensor in 99i (uses RC5 codes)?

 

In case of the former, then your instructions are correct.

 

If you want to use the IR on 99i, then you should follow instructions here:

http://www.universal-devices.com/mwiki/ ... FIR_Series

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[jdheltne]

I want to use the ISY to control everything I can. What I am trying to do is simply have the Harmony be able to run a scene I have already created on the ISY, which will basically setup my lights how I want them. Currently I have a Harmony 1100 that I use for my living room AV stuff already setup, as well as several Switchlinc switches setup tied to the ISY. I have a scene created to do what I want with the lights as well as the associated program. I purchased a IRLinc Reciever and was going to use that to send the IR command from the Harmony remote to the ISY. I have gone into the ISY admin console and did the Import Default IR codes, and see the 40 codes on the ISY on the IR tab. I have gone into the Harmony software and added the device from the list for the ISY based on Light Controller --> Universal Devices --> ISY99/IR. Where I am at now is, wanting to add the button from the remote to the ISY via the IRLinc. I pressed set on the IRLinc, Went to Add button to IRLinc Reciever, pressed the button on the remote and then pressed ok on the ISY to add the button. Will I see anything on the ISY, or do I need to next setup the program to use the IR condition before I can tell if the ISY took the button?

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello jdheltne,

 

IRLinc buttons can be used as controllers in scenes (just like regular switches) so, in essence, you do not need to use the IRLinc to send information to ISY but, rather, you are going to use each button as controllers in scenes.

 

What you have to do is to use Link Management | Add Button to IRLinc Receiver and then follow the instructions on the screen to add the buttons on your harmony remote. For each button learned by IRLinc you will see one node in the device tree in the Admin Console.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[jdheltne]

I did a factory reset on the IRLinc reciever just to make sure. I have setup on the harmony remote a device for the ISY and I have also imported the default 40 IR codes into the ISY. What I did was I held the set button on the IRLinc, pointed the harmony at the IR reciever and pressed the button I wanted to control (in this case IR001) once and then waited for the blue button to blink but it never starts blinking so I cant go to the next step What am I doing wrong?

[jdheltne]

I have an update, I tried pointing my harmony remote directly to the ISY-99IR and it executed my program (scene) as expected. It appears the issue is somewhere between the IRLinc reciever and it sending the IR command to the ISY.

[LeeG]

jdheltne

 

What are you looking for/expecting from the IRLinc. It sends an Insteon command to the ISY, not an IR command.

 

Lee

[jdheltne]

I guess that is where my confusion lies. What SHOULD I see in the ISY that would let me connect it to a program when I point my remote control at my IRLinc?

[LeeG]

All Insteon devices communicate with the ISY/PLM using Insteon messages. IR messages are not sent over the powerline. For each IRLinc button defined there is a node in the My Lighting tree. That node will receive Insteon On/Off commands when the IR remote button is pressed.

 

To trigger a Program the

 

If Control “IRLinc button node†is switched On/Off

 

statement can be used.

 

The If IR Program variant is used for IR messages received directly by the IR feature of the ISY.

[LeeG]

jdheltne

 

I noticed the forum post on the Smarthome forum. Makes me think we have to go back further. First the IR definitions established for the ISY IR feature itself have nothing to do with the IRLinc. For each Harmony button used with the IRLinc, use Link Management | Add Button to IRLinc Receiver. This process will define an ISY node in the My Lighting tree for each Harmony button used with the IRLinc. Once that step is done the node can then be used in the Program If statement I described in my previous post.

 

The ISY IR feature that allows the ISY to "see" IR commands with the IR sensor on the ISY itself is totally independent and unrelated to the IRLinc. To use the IRLinc, IR buttons must be defined which define ISY nodes. These IRLinc nodes are then used in Programs or as Controllers of ISY Scenes.

 

Again, the IRLinc definitions work independent of the ISY IR feature. The ISY IR feature is not required and is not used in supporting the IRLinc.

 

Lee

[jdheltne]

I think my issue is that my IRLinc isnt doing what the steps state. I did exactly the steps outlined:

1) On the Harmony remote, define the ISY99/IR

2) Open ISY admin console

3) Import the default IR codes

4) Went to Link management - Define new IRLinc Reciever button

5) Went to the IRLinc and pressed the set button for 5 seconds

6) From the Harmony remote pressed the 1st button (IR001)

7) Then nothing happens, it should blink and them I press ok in the ISY console, but that blink never happens

[LeeG]

jdheltne

 

The IRLinc does not support the ISY codes. The IRLinc supports the NEC IR code format. The ISY supports the RC5 IR code format. Sending an ISY RC5 IR format code would not be recognized by the IRLinc. You need to define a device on the Harmony remote that uses NEC codes. Then select that device to send IR codes to the IRLinc.

 

The ISY default codes which are based on RC5 IR format play no role and cannot be used on the IRLinc which requires NEC codes.

 

Lee

[jdheltne]

So the net of it is this: Harmony has now defined an IRLinc 2411R in their database. I added the IRLinc 2411R as a lighting controller on my Harmony 1100, which then created the buttons that match the small credit card remote that came with the IRLinc reciever. Once I do this, I should then go into the ISY and do "Add button from IRLinc Reciever" and that would then define the node that I can associate with a program. Am giving this a try...

[LeeG]

That will work. Did not realize Harmony had a specific automation entry for the IRLinc credit card buttons. If you want more buttons you can define a device to Harmony that is known to use NEC codes which is what the IRLinc is looking for. That would provide many more buttons to use on the Harmony remote than the credit card buttons provide.

 

Whichever you chose then perform the Add Button to IRLinc Receiver. According to the IRLinc user guide the LEDs on the IRLinc will indicate when it recognizes an IR code.

[jdheltne]

When I defined the Smarthome 2411R as the device, as I mentioned, it created every button that is on the credit card remote as buttons on the Harmony 1100. This should be plenty for me. I then went to the IRLinc, pressed the button for 5 seconds, pressed the 1st button on the Harmony and then "Add button" and it found the 1st button as added it as a device on the ISY. Now I have have another problem, when I try to do this for the 2nd button, the IRLinc does everything as it should, I press it for 5 seconds, press button on harmony, the IRLinc starts blinking, and when I try to add button, this time the ISY did nothing. It didnt find the 2nd "device".

[LeeG]

"the IRLinc starts blinking, and when I try to add button, "

 

Do you mean when you click OK on the Add Button to IRLinc Receiver popup? The sequence is to click on the Add Button to IRLinc Receiver first, then press the IRLinc Set button for 5 seconds, and so on. When the IRLinc LED is blinking click the OK button.

[jdheltne]

Open the admin console on ISY, click on add new button (ie the screen pops up with the steps at that point) Press and hold the set button on the IRLinc reciever for 5 seconds, press the button on the harmony to learn the new button and wait for it to blink blue, then press OK in the ISY console. When I did that with the 1st button, it went through the normal screen where you see it discovering a new device and then it showed up as a device. When I do the exact same thing for the 2nd button, it does everything else but that last step where it goes through the screen that flashes up with the bar that shows it is discovering a new device.

[jdheltne]

I believe I may have found my issue, i *believe* when I have 2 buttons on the Harmony, 1 set to SceneAOff and the 2nd set to SceneAOn via the Harmony, it actually configured the On and Off automatically when I configure any of the 2 since they are the same Scene. Does that sound right? I say this because when I setup another group of 2 buttons, for SceneB it found it, but only 1 time.

[LeeG]

I think you are correct but cannot verify that from direct experience with the credit card. I think pressing A Up arrow likely sends an On command for that Scene and A Down arrow likely sends an Off command for the same Scene. This can be verified by running Tools | Diagnostics | Event Viewer and selecting Device Communications Events (important step).

 

Press the A Up arrow and look at the Insteon command sent. I think it will be an On command. Then press the A Down arrow and look at the Insteon command sent. I think it will be an Off command.

[jdheltne]

Thats what it was, I had to use a seperate Scene for each on/off control for a given program. A given on/off pair of commands actually took 2 buttons and 2 scenes on the Harmony which amounts to Scene A and B on the credit card remote for just turning 1 set of lights on and off.

[LeeG]

Not sure if you noted during the button add process but each button can be defined to toggle On/Off, non-toggle On only and non-toggle Off only.

 

Click on Add Button to IRLinc Receiver to bring up the pop-up. There is a Cancel button on the pop-up so nothing has to happen. There are instructions on how to set the button modes on the pop-up.

[jdheltne]

Its not exactly working as designed. For some reason once I press the On, then press the off, i cant use the On again. Would that have to do with the toggle?

[LeeG]

jdheltne

 

I suggest using the Event Viewer to positively determine what happens when a Harmony button is pressed. That should show whether there is an IRLinc question or perhaps how Programs are coded and reacting.

 

Lee