funkfinger Posted November 8, 2011 Posted November 8, 2011 I had a (small) working system and then upgraded to 2.8.16 - after doing so, I would get many socket timeout errors, and things started to stop working. Now I'm playing with beta 3.1.10 and things are slightly better, but I'm still having issues. They vary in nature, but most notably, I can usually turn on and off individual devices, but can not turn on or off scenes. When I try and alter a scene, I get a communication error - "Cannot Communicate With XXXX. Please Check Connections" - at which I have to restore the ISY from a backup I created before I upgraded. My ISY is also connected to an ELK m1g which is also not working, though I assume it's because it too cannot run the scenes. What should I do to debug these issues? Thanks! Jay.
LeeG Posted November 8, 2011 Posted November 8, 2011 Unkfinger Some of the symptoms described indicate powerline communications problems. If I turn the statement around “I can usually turn on and off individual devices†indicates that some times devices cannot be turned On and Off. When this basic capability does not work it means Insteon has retried multiple times and failed to reach the device. When this level of communication is problematic Scenes normally have worse success because there is less automatic retry activity. Note that a "Cannot Communicate With XXXX. Please Check Connections" message will often result in a Red ! displayed to the left of the node in the My Lighting tree. Should only be necessary to right click on the node and select Query rather than restoring a backup which clears all device status. There are some basic things to check. Are the Dual Band devices that are coupling the 120V phases still functional. Run the 4 tap Set button test to verify that the devices can hear the RF signal and they are in fact on opposite 120V legs. If the ISY PLM is on a circuit with a UPS and/or computer equipment they are often sources of either noise or signal attenuation that interfere with PLM to device communication. Other common sources of problems are cell phone chargers, some flat screen TVs, CFLs that are ageing and producing noise over time, etc. One technique for determining the source of interference is to unplug the item. Simply turning it off is usually not enough because most devices today remain powered even when turned off. Lee
funkfinger Posted November 9, 2011 Author Posted November 9, 2011 Lee, thanks so much for the response. I will start there first. The issues started after I upgraded - all was cool prior, so I assumed that something in that process caused the problems. I'll update once I debug the communications.
funkfinger Posted November 9, 2011 Author Posted November 9, 2011 Here's my test, please let me know if this is a valid test: * PLM plugged into outlet * LampLinc plugged into PLM * Access point plugged into LampLinc Clicking the on button in the admin interface requirse multiple clicks (4 I believe this time). Here is an output from the event viewer: Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:39 PM : [uNKNOWN ] 02 AC Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:42 PM : [uNKNOWN ] 02 AC Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:47 PM : [uNKNOWN ] 02 AC Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:49 PM : [iNST-ACK ] 02 62 11.34.EE 0F 11 CE 06 LTONRR (CE) Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:50 PM : [iNST-SRX ] 02 50 11.34.EE 0D.FD.CA 2B 11 CE LTONRR (CE) Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:50 PM : [standard-Direct Ack][11.34.EE-->ISY/PLM Group=0] Max Hops=3, Hops Left=2 Tue 11/08/2011 10:07:50 PM : [ 11 34 EE 1] ST 206 Not sure what the "UNKNOWN" values are, but they are the ones that don't seem to be registering.
LeeG Posted November 9, 2011 Posted November 9, 2011 Do not triple stack the devices for long. The heat buildup in the middle device can cook it beyond recovery. Even double stacking can be an issue for devices that generate heat. The 02 AC is an undefined serial command the PLM is echoing back (assumption about echo as it does not conform to any PLM message I've ever seen). The ISY does not trace commands sent to the PLM so this is something the PLM passed out to the application (ISY in this case). That looks like the PLM is not working correctly. It is definitely NOT the powerline communications problem I thought initially. I suggest downloading and installing a new copy of 2.8.16 just in case something happened during the download process. Also check the cable connections between the ISY Port A and the PLM. This is not an issue with 2.8.16. It has been around far too long and used by far too many folks for this to be an ISY image defect.
Brian H Posted November 9, 2011 Posted November 9, 2011 I have had a few hw 1.3 ApplianceLincs fail. All where double stacked and very warm to the touch.
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