sanders2222 Posted February 25, 2012 Posted February 25, 2012 I am just getting my ELK online but have some set up questions. What should I see in the Admin Console? I entered the configuration information and it was connected for a few minutes. But then it's "Not connected". After a minute of so, it reconnects for a bit, then disconnects for a bit. This does not seem like normal behavior. BTW; What is the Export list used for? When I click on the ELK tab it takes about 35 seconds and locks up the Console before the screen opens. When it finally opens, it's pretty much blank under the heading tabs (see image). When it does reconnect to the ELK, the pull down to the left of the Arm Away button is also blank. What should I see on these screens?
apostolakisl Posted February 25, 2012 Posted February 25, 2012 I suspect you were never connected. Your list of zones, areas, etc. should have populated and even if you lose connection they should have still been listed there. Check all of your port setting, IP settings, etc. "export" is to send all of your Insteon device names and addresses to a file which you can the go to Elk RP and import into the Elk itself. This is necessary if you want to use Elk rules to control Insteon devices directly. With the Elk module there really isn't any need for that. But, I would still do it anyway. After you export, go to ElkRP and right click on the lighting tab and import.
gatchel Posted February 25, 2012 Posted February 25, 2012 Did you enter a user code in the ISY config that is also in the ELk users setup? Does the user in Elk RP have the "Access" check under user authorizations? If so uncheck it...
sanders2222 Posted February 25, 2012 Author Posted February 25, 2012 Thanks for the feedback apostolakisl & gatche. But now I am really stuck! Things were going smoothly with the RP and changing all kinds of settings. Then I tried to connect to the ELK with the ISY. I mistakenly used the ELKRP access code (the 6 digit number just above the M1XEP Setup button). Later I read (in the WIKI) I needed to use a user access code, so after that, I change the access code. (I wished I read the instructions before, not after). I no longer get the "disconnected" message but none of the zones have filled in the Elk module tab. So it appears the ISY is only partly communicating with the ELK. My biggest problem is that I can no longer connect with the RP software. I looked through what I had sent and saved, the "Access" box is not checked on any of my users. But I had not checked the "Enable Non-secure port" box under the "TCP/IP Settings" tab nor the Serial port 0 "Event Log" check box under the Global/G29-G42(Special) tab. I don't know, but these 2 things may be causing my connection issues. I've followed the steps under trouble shooting. Most the time, the search can't find the M1XEP. When it does, after several clicks on the "Search" button, it shows the same IP address & port. However, I get the "cannot find a secure connection" error message when I try to connect. Can I have a do over? Does the M1EXP have a reset button on it? I've unplugged it & plugged it back in (re-booted), but that changed nothing. Do I have to unplug the router, hub and M1EXP to re-initialize the IP and other settings for a reset? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated!
apostolakisl Posted February 26, 2012 Posted February 26, 2012 If there is a way to factory reset the entire xep, I do not know it. You can jumper jp2 and boot it up and that will toggle it between dhcp and static. The static address will be Elk's default 192.168.0.251. You would need to set your pc to the same subnet for that to work. You could use a crossover cable from your pc to the xep, force it to static mode, and give your pc the ip 192.168.0.1 and that should bypass any network issues that may be cuasing your connection trouble. RP access code is the code elk looks for to allow you to program the elk. It is not what ISY needs. ISY does not program elk, it only monitors its activity and controls its functions. ISY needs your xep on a static address in the same subnet as the isy. You use a user code for ISY to get access. That same user needs to have that access box unchecked but all of the others should be checked. In other words, if you are user 1 on Elk, then put in your 4 or 6 digit code that you use to arm/disarm from a keypad on isy's setup screen. Make sure user1 has everything checked except "access" in elkrp. Have you tried using a different computer? Perhaps antivirus or firewall issues are the source of your problem.
sanders2222 Posted February 26, 2012 Author Posted February 26, 2012 Thanks for the suggestion. I was able to connect briefly using another computer, the warning came up that the system & database (PC) were different, but then the connection shut down. During the "Connected: verifying system identity" message, the connection is terminated. This is baffling. It must be an issue between my router & XEP that seems to cancel the handshaking. Yet the connection was fine before I tried to connect from the ISY console. I do not have a cross over serial cable. I only have a USB to Serial connector. So I assume that will not work. So my only option may be the jp2 jumper approach. I'll need help on this as I haven't a clue what I'm doing. Then do I put the ELK's default address 192.168.0.251 in the IP Address box as well as the Primary DNS Server address as well? Before I do that, I might try unplugging everything, then start things up again to see if the picture and IP addresses change at all.
apostolakisl Posted February 26, 2012 Posted February 26, 2012 If you are connecting long enough for it to tell you are using a different computer, then you don't need to reset the ip address. You are successfully connecting. A crossover cable is not a serial cable, it is an ethernet cable. You can make one in about 5 minutes if you have an rj45 crimper. Instructions can be found on the internet. You can also buy them premade at most any store that sells computer supplies. My system also periodically dumps the connection. I have no idea why. It might dump the connection and then I immediately reconnect and all is fine. ??? But if you use a crossover wire you can take your router and network out of the picture. It is a direct ethernet from your computer to the xep.
sanders2222 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 OK, I spent a few hours today trying to follow the steps on page 25. NADA. I used the JP2 jumper to set a static IP. I made up a crossover cable and tried that. Nothing. Once at static mode, the RP could not find the 192.168.0.251 address over the network. When I tried to use the Direct connection and crossover cable, I got a message the Serial port was in use and could not be set (or words to that effect). After all this, I put things back to the DHCP mode. The RP could find the XEP, but when I try to connect, a message usually pops up the connection was terminated (retry/Cancel). When I cancel, the RP console says I'm connected. However, if I try to send or receive, I get the message the connection has been terminated. The XEP reboots every few minutes and I have no idea why. Sounds defective to me. It worked just fine the first time I powered up out of the box. But somehow it's fallen into a reboot loop I cannot stop.
apostolakisl Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Try emailing Elk support. They aren't the greatest about DIY support but sometimes you can get their attention. If the XEP just keeps rebooting all on its own every minute or so, then I don't know what you could possible do. Just to be sure, however, when you used the crossover cable and had the unit in static address mode. Did you first set your PC to a fixed ip address in the 192.168.0.x range? You can not use dhcp mode with a crossover cable becuase your pc would not be setup as a dhcp server.
sanders2222 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 I'll try SH tomorrow before I write to ELK. However, I am running out of time as I leave for AZ in two days! When I used the crossover cable, I set the RP address to the recommended 192.168.0.251. But when I tried to change the setup from Network to Direct line I got this serial port conflict message. Not sure what that was about. At any rate, my time & patience is at an end trying to sort this out!
sanders2222 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 Here's a brief update. After a short conversation from the folks at SmartHome, my connection problem with the ELKRP software is resolved! The fix was to go into the ISY console and remove the ELK Configuration values, then save the changes. That did it! My XEP stopped re-booting and I was able to reconnect through the RP software. Apparently, the ISY kept trying to communicate to the M1XEP and because they were not being nice to each other, the XEP kept re-booting. We then tried to reconnect with the ISY, only SH suggested I use port 2101 in the configuration. I was able to save those settings but I don't think they are talking to each other. I'm starting a new post with that issue.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.