Question about "Link Management>Advanced Options"

[TJF1960]

I believe I have read in these forums that the recommended setting of “Link Management>Advanced Options†was “Automatic: ISY tries to find the most suitable messaging option†which I have had mine set for, forever. In the past when I have had the Event Viewer open and was either restoring or adding new devices I have always seen “using engine version i1. I don’t ever remember seeing version i2 on any of my SL, KPL’s etc (all are 2 years old or newer and purchased from SH).

 

I was in a play full mood this evening and thought I would switch to “Device Reported: ISY uses the device reported messaging option†which I did and the busy hour glass came up immediately and the event viewer showed “writing 0 bytes to all devices.†Afterwards I restored a 8 button kpl which only took 30 seconds and the event viewer showed using i2. I switched back to automatic mode and restored the same kpl which took 1.5 minutes and the viewer showed i1. I couldn’t believe it, using i2 shaved 1 minute off of the restore. I remember waiting 5-10 minutes for some kpl’s to restore, it would have been so much quicker if i2 were used.

All of my devices have been added with this selection in Automatic. And the devices have been added using “Link Management>New Insteon Device†using the address and auto discover.

 

So my questions are:

Am I doing something wrong?

What is the preferred setting for linking/restoring normal Insteon products like SL, KPL’s etc.?

Does it matter which setting it was in when the devices were first linked to the ISY? In other words did the devices add correctly even though i2 was not used when they were linked?

 

I am on v3.1.6

 

Thanks,

Tim

[LeeG]

TJF1960

 

You are definitely NOT doing anything wrong using Automatic. That is the option of choice for link management.

 

I2 link management is MUCH faster as you have seen firsthand. Using a single command to read/write eight bytes at a time is much faster than the 17 I1 commands necessary to write one 8 byte record. The issue is that I2 linking has been an evolving implementation. Devices that said they had an I2 engine often did not actually have the Extended ALDB 2F command implemented which is the basis for I2 link management. Even devices that had a form of Extended ALDB command implemented did not always implement it the same as other devices.

 

It is much better today. At some point it will be possible to move to I2 link management completely but I'm not sure we are there today. I have some older devices that indicate I2 engine but do not have functional Extended ALDB commands. Devices such as the Motion Sensor and TriggerLinc can only use I2 link management. The commands to support I1 linking were not implemented in those devices. In fact the I1 commands that support linking have been labeled "Deprecated (do not use in the future)" for several years. However, there is so much software in the field dependent on those commands that they continue to be available in all but a few select devices.

 

Some products have implemented methods for identifying individual devices that should use I2 linking. It requires the user to be familiar with all the devices, what firmware level implemented I2 linking for that specific device type and be prepared to set device specific configuration information. This goes against all the ISY is trying to avoid, users having to manage that level of device specific information.

 

For the brave and with relatively new device inventory the device specified option may work well. There are no guarantees however.

 

Lee

[TJF1960]

Lee, thanks very much for the excellent explanation. I think at this point I will side with caution as I would much rather be safe than sorry. I will stick with automatic.

 

Thanks again,

Tim

[johnnyt]

Would 1 yr old devices be considered "relatively new"?

 

Wouldn't "automatic" use i2 when it can? Why would a device that can work with i2 not restore quickly in automatic mode?

[LeeG]

Sorry if this post is way late. Just got power and DSL back after more than 24 hours in the dark. Irene made her presence known.

 

The ISY does not use I2 linking in Automatic mode except for those devices that only support I2. Some day it will, hopefully when all devices that report I2 actually support I2. I suspect that if the ISY moved to I2 linking for all devices that report support for I2 there would be a group of devices that no longer link correctly.

 

Lee

 

EDIT: sorry, I missed part of the question. Yes, I would consider devices purchased in the last year to be new devices. I do not have an inventory of every SmartLab device but the devices I have gotten lately have functional I2 linking (and I1 linking except for Motion Sensor and TriggerLinc).