Responding

[LeeG]

In Insteon when a Controller other than the PLM turns a device On/Off as a Responder the ISY has no direct information that the Responder actually reacted. The ISY normally assumes it did based on the Scene definition and marks the Responder accordingly but once the Responder has been marked as not Responding the ISY needs a positive indication the device is working.

[apostolakisl]

In Insteon when a Controller other than the PLM turns a device On/Off as a Responder the ISY has no direct information that the Responder actually reacted. The ISY normally assumes it did based on the Scene definition and marks the Responder accordingly but once the Responder has been marked as not Responding the ISY needs a positive indication the device is working.

 

 

So I can assume the converse is also the case.

 

In other words, if a switch that ISY had previously recognized as responding (no red exclamation point next to it) fails to respond to a scene command generated by another switch, ISY will assume it did respond.

[LeeG]

"if a switch that ISY had previously recognized as responding (no red exclamation point next to it) fails to respond to a scene command generated by another switch, ISY will assume it did respond."

 

Yes. The Responder normally sends an ACK but only back to the Controller device (different when PLM is Controller of Scene). The Controller device would know that all the retries were unsuccessful (some devices blink when a responder fails to ACK) but none of that information is passed on to the PLM. The Insteon protocol makes no allowance for notifying other Responders (the PLM is a Responder to the Scene) that one of the Scene Responders failed to ACK. The ISY sees the Controller turn On/Off, that it is a Controller of Scene xxxx so the ISY marks the Scene xxxx Responders as though the Scene was successful.

[apostolakisl]

Well, this somewhat limits the value of the responding/not responding programming clause. What it comes down to is either a direct action taken on the device, or an action taken by the PLM/ISY on the device are the only events that would pass real response info back to ISY.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Guys, apologies for being late to the party.

 

Responding/Not Responding acts as a Control not status.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[arw01]

And reading through this, it's a control from the ISY itself making the change not the device actually sending data AGAIN after the last time the ISY marked it as responding or not responding.

 

I would expect this to work that ANYTIME the device put's a result or causes a control event, that it would be marked as responding on the ISY, and when it gets a timeout and no ack (tosses the device not commincating error) then it marks it as non-responding.

 

I would envision using this in a program to watch a flaky device, and be able to get a notification or retry anytime it timed out on an event it was requested to do.

 

Alan

[apostolakisl]

And reading through this, it's a control from the ISY itself making the change not the device actually sending data AGAIN after the last time the ISY marked it as responding or not responding.

 

I would expect this to work that ANYTIME the device put's a result or causes a control event, that it would be marked as responding on the ISY, and when it gets a timeout and no ack (tosses the device not commincating error) then it marks it as non-responding.

 

I would envision using this in a program to watch a flaky device, and be able to get a notification or retry anytime it timed out on an event it was requested to do.

 

Alan

 

It would have to be an ACK that the PLM is looking for. I don't think a failed ACK from a device when the PLM wasn't the controller will trigger ISY to update the responder/non-responder status.

[johnnyt]

Interesting to read about this, although I still don't quite understand its use/purpose. I think it might help me understand - and maybe get two birds with one stone - if someone could comment on whether or not it would help troubleshoot intermittent comm error messages from ISY about motion sensors? viewtopic.php?f=27&t=11266.

[oberkc]

I would be very surprised if any of this would be useful with motion sensors. Motion sensors cannot be responders. Motion sensors do not acknowledge anything. Based on what I have read here, it does not appear the ISY/PLM has any way of detecting a motion sensor being non-responsive.