Program control of scenes

[dleduc]

I have just converted from X10 to Insteon so I still do not have all of the Insteon controllers that I might like to have, I do have the ISY-99i and I wrote a little program to listen for an X10 command and then do something. What I have done is put all of my lighting devices into a scene. I can turn them all off or all on from the ISY interface with a single click. What I also want to be able to do is use my old X10 controllers (All lights on, All lights off) buttons to turn all the lights on or off. I like to do this when I go to bed or leave the house and have done it for years with the X10. My on program looks like this:

If

X10 'A/All Lights On (5)' is Received

Then

Set Scene 'All lights' On

Else

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

The log file shows the X10 command being received, but the program doesn't do anything. I have alternatively written the program with the then action being a list of devices to turn off and that works when it gets the X10 command (not always), but shouldn't the scene version work?

[LeeG]

Two things to look at. Under Programs | Summary there is a column for "Last Run Time". Does this show any activity?

 

Be sure the Program is Enabled.

 

Run Tools | Diagnostics | Event Viewer with Device communications events selected (important step). Press the X10 button that should be triggering the Program and post the Event Viewer trace file.

[dleduc]

Of course after all that it worked just like it is supposed to! The only problem that I have is the the ISY-99i doesn't always see the X10 device, but that is something I can work on.

[LeeG]

With it working now it does sound like an X10 powerline situation. The more Insteon devices that are installed the more reliable Insteon gets because each Insteon device is a repeater of Insteon messages. The other side of that is X10 tends to get less reliable. Each Insteon device absorbs some of the X10 signal and Insteon devices do not repeat X10 messages. They do not block X10, just no amplification because X10 is not repeated.

[dleduc]

The absorption of the X10 signals is interesting. I've decided that I just need to not rely on X10 now that my house is mostly Insteon.