ISY and ELK issue

[iowaj]

We purchased our home with both the ISY and ELK already installed and have worked to understand how these work. Upon moving in we loved the programming that had been done so that when an upstairs motion detector sensed a path of lights to the master bedroom came on. Somehow that seems to not be working now and am guessing the two systems are not communicating with each other. I can see in the ISY Admin Console configuration tab that there is a spot to enter the IP address, Port, and security code. However, once I enter the correct info and save, the ISY program begins to jump on the screen. Can anyone give me some advice to get these the ISY and ELK communicating again?

 

Thanks!

[apostolakisl]

I don't understand what you mean by "the isy program begins to jump on the screen"

 

What makes you suspect that ISY/Elk are not communicating aside from this one light not turning on? Do you have the Elk module for ISY? (look under help/about and it will say "Elk Security System" in the "product" section. Does the ISY admin console show the correct status of your alarm at the top of the screen?

 

Did you change some of your Elk settings to think that ISY would have wrong settings?

[iowaj]

I am positive we have that module though it does not appear in the product section under help as you described. The communication between the hallway motion detector and lighting system was working when we moved in. That's why I suspect the two are not communicating as they were before.

 

Here's what happens that better describes the "screen jumping: The ISY configuration screen is fine when I first open it with M1XEP info left blank or incorrect. When I type in the ElK IP address and port on that page and hit save another line appears below sunrise/sunset times with a spot for the security code, button for arm away, arm stay, disarm, and go to ELK console. This line though appears and disappears very rapidiy causing the screen to move up and down about a line thus "jumping." It only stops when I remove the M1EXP info.

 

I know that there was ISY info in the M1EXP space before, but the M1EXP address changed at some point either when we replaced our router or during a couple of major power outages.

 

Sorry if I am not communicating this information with the proper lingo. We still consider ourselves newbies with all of this, but are learning. We had a huge number of defective light switches we had to replace about a year ago and were thrilled to figure out all the programming to get those up and running in the ISY system. Now we are just hoping to get back some of the features we loved that don't work as they did when we moved in.

 

Thanks for any advice you can give!

[iowaj]

I forgot to add that when we access the ELK account through the computer there are rules that were set up by the original owner that among many other rules relate the motion sensor to the lighting. These rules are still active so nothing was changed there. We are able to see this programming and connect to the ELK system.

[apostolakisl]

It sounds like you don't have the Elk module. ISY still has communication ability with Elk without the module, though it is very minimal, but it would include the ability to have an Elk motion detector turn a light on.

 

If you don't have the Elk module, then this means your Elk is calling all the shots. In other words, you must have a "rule" on your Elk that says something like

"whenever zone x becomes not secure then turn y light on for z minutes" rather than a program on ISY.

 

The Elk is linked to the ISY which receives the lighting commands via IP and then passes that through to the PLM which broadcasts it over your home power lines.

 

Why your screen is doing this bounce around thing when you try to input info I am not sure. But here is where I would start.

 

1) Remove power from both the XEP and the ISY.

2) Power up your XEP.

3) Run your ElkRP software.

4) Click on XEP setup then "find" button and confirm xep responds with the IP and port number you expected. (xep is slow to boot, this may not respond for a minute or two after power up)

5) Do not login to your alarm panel with Elk RP. Logging into the panel with Elk RP software will close all other connections including ISY. (only ElkRP does this, the m1togo, the Elk java panel, and any smartphone apps that login will not do this)

6) Power up your ISY

7) Enter your Elk settings under the configuration tab.

 

See if it connects. You should get a status bar just below the top menu telling you if the system is armed/disarmed and it should have a box allowing you to input the code to arm/disarm.

 

Let me know what happens.

[iowaj]

Thanks for the suggestions. It may be a few days before I have the chance to mess much with this but will certainly try and let you know what happens. I must say I am always fearful of disconnecting things as I have a great fear of losing all programming and having none of the lights in my house working. Should I not be worried about this by Remove power from both the XEP and the ISY?

 

Thanks!

[apostolakisl]

No. ISY only runs programs, it is not needed for you to manually control the lights. ISY is a tool to program the switches, but once programmed, the switches don't need it. Professional installers who do Insteon will use ISY to program a house and then they unhook it and take it to the next job. The ISY (or something like it) is necessary to run programs (like scheduled lights) or to integrate your Insteon with other technologies (like Elk).

 

But you will not lose any programming rebooting them. The xep does not contain the programming, it is only the ethernet adapter, the programs are in the main Elk board. But still, no worries, these things are quite robust. But it is certainly not a bad idea to run a backup of your ISY if you haven't already. The Elk programming also is saved to the Elkrp software so if somehow the Elk loses it's programming you just upload it back in from ElkRP.

 

Remember, your ISY is going down every time you have a power outage anyway. And probably the xep unless you have it on a UPS.