ISY-99i Changed Password and Port on its Own – No Device Com

[jsu1995]

TROUBLE SUMMARY:

- New 2413S (one month old).

- Yesterday it changed to default username/password on its own

- Also, it changed http port from 99 to default (80) on its own

- All devices seem to be still in device list, but none communicating

- PLM shows “connected†status

- Tried restoring from back-up (fixed password and port issue, but still no communication to devices)

- Tried resetting PLM – still no communication to devices

 

Now here is the detailed explanation of the issues I am now experiencing:

 

SYSTEM:

- ISY-99i Pro

- 2413S PLM (one month old – recently replaced a bad 2412S)

- Approximately 20 Insteon devices

 

My wife and I recently moved and I decided this was a good time to replace my 2412S that was previously acting up and finally failed a few months ago. I bought a new 2413S and installed it about a month ago. Since we are in a new house, I decided to reset the ISY-99i to factory settings so that I could start from scratch and do a fresh install. I am in the process of gradually adding each device and am currently up to about 20 total Insteon devices which include SwitchLincs, KeypadLincs, IOLincs, LampLincs, and Thermostat (v2)... along with a couple of access points.

 

Everything seemed to be working fine until sometime yesterday while I was at work. When I got home, I tried to connect with my iPhone and it gave me an error (something about the port being incorrect). When I pulled up the ISY-99i on my computer, my password didn’t work – it had somehow resorted to the default admin/admin username and password. When I figured that out and got logged in, it seems that all my devices were there, but each came up as not being able to be communicated with. I checked my network settings and everything was correct (IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS) except for the port which had changed from port 99 (assigned by me) back to the default port 80. Luckily, I had just done a back-up the night before, so I restored the ISY and it corrected my port and changed back my password.

 

I was hoping that it would also correct whatever was causing my devices not communicating issue; however, it did not. When I log in, there is still a red exclamation point next to all of my devices and nothing works from the ISY. I checked the status of the PLM and it shows it as being “connectedâ€. I tried resetting the PLM to factory and even followed the exact steps in the UDI Wiki instructions for replacing the modem, but still there is no communications to the devices.

 

I’m really not sure what I should try next to get my device communication back. It sounds like a PLM issue to me, but that wouldn’t explain the log-in and port changes. Does anyone have a suggestion?

 

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Specifically, the log-in and port change.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello jsu1995,

 

Sincerer apologies for tardy reply and all the trouble you have been having. My first questions is ISY's firmware version without which it would be very difficult to pinpoint the issue. Unless there's a bug, userid/password/ports are all stored in one configuration file and should never be reset unless:

1. Upon boot up, ISY was not able to read the file ... this could happen if you have a bad SD Card

2. Some one reset those values ... this seems unlikely based on your explanation

 

All this said, none of this would have any impact on communications with INSTEON devices. If you have a plugin module such as LampLinc or ApplianceLinc, then the first thing I recommend is to plug one in the same outlet as the PLM and see if ISY cannot communicate with it. If so, then the problem is perhaps an Access Point that might have been removed or displaced. If not, then I will have to suspect the PLM.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[oceanman93]

I recently had a somewhat similar occurance. I experienced a very long brownout (low voltage condition where some things worked like lights and others didn't). After this experience, I noticed that I could no longer access ISY through any means (browser, iPod app, etc). I tried to get an understanding of what was and was not working which was VERY confusing. Some programs and links seemed to work while others did not.

 

After going through basic troubleshooting (I could ping the ISY device), I tried accessing it through the default port instead of my assigned port number. Behold, ISY was alive. My password no longer worked so I tried the default and behold, ISY was available. I reset my port & password and noticed that some of other system parameters had also changed (time, timezone). This was very weird as the defined IP address and Gateway/DNS had all retained their original info.

 

Once ISY was better, I then tackled my other issues. I got it narrowed down to all devices on one power leg. I had a RemoteLinc controller that would turn a light on but not off and ISY complained about communicating with it. I searched to see what else was possibly on that power leg and behold, an iPod docking station with a fast switching power supply once it was unplugged from the wall outlet fixed ALL of my problems. I went back and tried using this power supply with an Insteon filter and that now works fine. All in all, I was very happy just to get things back to the way they were. Now I strutinize anything that is plugged into ANY outlet and am trying to document which outlets are associated with which breaker/power leg for future reference. Even though things sometimes get confusing, starting out with basics is always the best bet.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello oceanman93,

 

Thanks so very much for the detailed explanation. It's possible that brown outs may cause a corrupted file system. In all cases, though, if:

1. You are certain of your ISY's IP address and Port

2. You are certain of your credentials

3. You are certain that you have a good backup

 

Then, you can simply factory reset ISY (which tries to fix the bad sectors as well) and then restore your last good backup.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[jsu1995]

Hello jsu1995,

 

Sincerer apologies for tardy reply and all the trouble you have been having. My first questions is ISY's firmware version without which it would be very difficult to pinpoint the issue. Unless there's a bug, userid/password/ports are all stored in one configuration file and should never be reset unless:

1. Upon boot up, ISY was not able to read the file ... this could happen if you have a bad SD Card

2. Some one reset those values ... this seems unlikely based on your explanation

 

All this said, none of this would have any impact on communications with INSTEON devices. If you have a plugin module such as LampLinc or ApplianceLinc, then the first thing I recommend is to plug one in the same outlet as the PLM and see if ISY cannot communicate with it. If so, then the problem is perhaps an Access Point that might have been removed or displaced. If not, then I will have to suspect the PLM.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

Thanks for the reply.

 

I think the previous version was 3.1.2... I would have to check my previous downloads to verify (I'm not at home right now).

 

I went ahead and moved the PLM and ISY (plugging it directly into a LampLinc), but I still had the issue for a little while -- I couldn't even control that particular LampLinc. I then reset everything and restored from my back-up again. It wasn't an instantaneous fix, but all the devices seemed to slowly begin communicating. When it seemed that it was all working properly, I moved the PLM and ISY back to my original location (which is actually on the other side of the room on the exact same cisrcuit) and it all continued to work correctly.

 

It has been going well for almost a week now, with very little issue. (Only one being a RemoteLinc that's acting funny, but I'm pretty sure that's an unrealated issue.)

[jsu1995]

I recently had a somewhat similar occurance. I experienced a very long brownout (low voltage condition where some things worked like lights and others didn't). After this experience, I noticed that I could no longer access ISY through any means (browser, iPod app, etc). I tried to get an understanding of what was and was not working which was VERY confusing. Some programs and links seemed to work while others did not.

 

After going through basic troubleshooting (I could ping the ISY device), I tried accessing it through the default port instead of my assigned port number. Behold, ISY was alive. My password no longer worked so I tried the default and behold, ISY was available. I reset my port & password and noticed that some of other system parameters had also changed (time, timezone). This was very weird as the defined IP address and Gateway/DNS had all retained their original info.

 

Once ISY was better, I then tackled my other issues. I got it narrowed down to all devices on one power leg. I had a RemoteLinc controller that would turn a light on but not off and ISY complained about communicating with it. I searched to see what else was possibly on that power leg and behold, an iPod docking station with a fast switching power supply once it was unplugged from the wall outlet fixed ALL of my problems. I went back and tried using this power supply with an Insteon filter and that now works fine. All in all, I was very happy just to get things back to the way they were. Now I strutinize anything that is plugged into ANY outlet and am trying to document which outlets are associated with which breaker/power leg for future reference. Even though things sometimes get confusing, starting out with basics is always the best bet.

Very interesting information -- thanks for the reply.

 

The night before, I had rewired our Master bedroom wall switch (added a neutral) and installed a brand new KeypadLinc there. I was able to link it up and set up the buttons with no issue. Even the next morning everything worked fine. Although I don't think that woulkd've caused any problems, I will sure look into other plugged in devices the next time things start going wacko.