Run Query program every hour to check switch status

[Guest w1cked]

Is running a query on all switch's once an hour to much??

[oberkc]

I don't know if it is too much, but the fact that you feel there is a need would concern me. If you are getting a lot of devices out of sync, I would be trying to find out why.

[Guest w1cked]

All I am trying is to make it fool proof

And if running a query every hour might

Catch a switch that the isy does not know

The correct status than no harm done

[apostolakisl]

You should not need to do that. If you have switches getting out of sync then you should try to figure out how to make the communication failure go away.

 

Querries do put traffic out on the network. If you are just doing one switch, that is minimal. If you are doing all switches in a large installation, that will definitely clog your system up for as long as the querry takes. If you have 50 or 60 switches that could be 30 seconds or so.

[Guest w1cked]

From what i have read it leads me to believe that the ISY only assumes the status of a switch unless queried. Is this true or false.

If it only assumes then why wouldn't you query it. I know that for a large install maybe doing a query every couple of hours instead

of every hour would probably be better due to the traffic that the query creates.

[apostolakisl]

From what i have read it leads me to believe that the ISY only assumes the status of a switch unless queried. Is this true or false.

If it only assumes then why wouldn't you query it. I know that for a large install maybe doing a query every couple of hours instead

of every hour would probably be better due to the traffic that the query creates.

 

ISY does not assume the status. Every switch is linked to the PLM, similar to how switches are linked together in a scene. The PLM thus is informed of every action taken on every device and relays that info to ISY. ISY could get out of sync if there was a failure of communication between the device and the PLM.

 

If your ISY is not reporting the correct status of a switch, it may not have been properly linked to the PLM. You should be able to walk around your house with a laptop and watch the status of every switch change as you turn it on and off, instantly.

 

If you replaced your PLM at some point and didn't do a "restore" on the new one, then none of your switches will be linked.

[Guest w1cked]

I have checked the status of all switches

And when I check them it has been the right

Status but every once in a while there can

Be a switch at the wrong status so to avoid

This I thought running a query every hour

Would take care of it.

I can tell you that since I started running

The query program I have not seen a switch

In the wrong state

[apostolakisl]

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

 

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

But, just like you can initiate a scene by pushing a button and one or more of the devices may fail to get the message, the plm may fail to get the message. The better your mesh and the less noise you have in the system the less likely this is to happen.

 

But I would not recommend a system wide query every hour. You will find that the traffic at that time will create troubles with executing scenes and programs. I have a system wide query run at 3am so as to avoid issues with my usage during the query.

[Guest w1cked]

How do you check for noise?

[apostolakisl]

How do you check for noise?

 

If only it were that easy.

 

Unless you have a $1000 oscilliscope and the knowledge to use it, it is all a guessing game. Some stuff is obvious, like you turn a cfl on and all hell breaks loose. Other stuff is just random and hard to pinpoint. Just about any wall wart can make noise as well as computers and other electronics. For me, I had a low voltage transformer for low voltage lights that reaked havoc. But that was obvious.

 

I wish I could tell you more.

[oberkc]

ISY does not assume the status.

apostolakisl understanding is consistent with mine, but I think there can be times when the ISY DOES assume status. I understand that if the ISY does not recieve an acknowlegement, it WILL assume that a device responded properly. Also, I understand that scene commands are not acknowledged, by design. Regardless, a system being out of sync tends to point to communication problems, in my mind.

 

it is all a guessing game.

 

I think it is a little bit more (barely) than a guessing game, but apostolakisl point is well made. It is often not easy to identify electrical devices that cause problems with insteon communication.

 

The ISY does provide a tool that I can be useful in this task: the scene test. While it does not identify sources of noise, it is a baseline against which one can judge the presence of interference (noise or other types) and changes to communication integrity as one attempts to troubleshoot problems.

 

Otherwise, yes, identifying sources of problems is often little more than observing cause-and-effect relationships as one isolates and removes potential sources of "interference". Often times, it is the summation of multiple devices that can cause problems.