For the record - resolving noise/comms issues

In the spirit of lessons learned:

I have had an Indigo installation going for about two years. I have a Mac Mini (server) in the basement that does everything: Indigo, iTunes, file sharing, telephone stuff, media server (Plex), and lesser included offenses. I originally bought a Lion server Mac Mini, tried to implement server stuff, decided it was too hard and gave up. Upgraded at every opportunity to the next Mac OS. Meanwhile, I've been gradually increasing the installed devices in my house as well as adding outlets, lights, etc. From day one I've had noise issues. I bought a ton of Filterlincs and use them, that brought the noise down to a manageable level but it still caused lots of red in the logs, mismatched keypads, etc. The issues were intermittent and random; extremely difficult to troubleshoot. Lots of red in my event logs; had come to accept it as normal.

So yesterday I erased the Mac Mini (was having other issues with iTunes) and reinstalled Mavericks and all the apps that we use. I copied the databases/preferences back from Time Machine, but the software/plugins are all fresh installs from scratch. I also replaced the PowerLinc.

Had some serious problems with my system afterwards. Lots of devices (essentially all the keypads, plus some fanlincs) refused to respond or resync links, so I had to redefine and sync them. But even then, some refused to define and sync multiple times. I had to factory reset the devices (about ten or so) to get them to work. I then walked around from room to room with my iPod, turning on/off every single device to ensure that it worked from Indigo (local links, deceptively, never quit working).

I was convinced I had perennial noise issues, but when I took a look at the log there was no red - none. So it *seems* like I have skinned the noise/comms issues.

Where did they come from initially? I suspect some of it comes from the incredibly wild voltage swings we have out here in rural Maryland. It is not uncommon to hear the UPSes wind up several times a week, or watch the lights dim momentarily. I suspect the rest came from my installation. Turning the breaker on/off to install new gear probably introduced some configuration problems. That is, for the most part, over. Any further installs I do, I will be especially careful to "groom" the devices on that circuit from Indigo with a fresh resync just to prevent any issues.

I may be totally wrong with all this, but that's what everything looks like at this point. Hopefully this will help the next person diagnose and treat noise/comms issues.

Had some more red in the log today from a keypad linc I fixed yesterday, so did another define and sync... Resolved those... So it looks like it is an iterative process to gradually whittle down the errors...

[matt (support)]

Define/Sync really shouldn't be able to fix a noise problem, unless the original define/sync didn't complete 100% successfully or the module's settings or links database somehow became corrupt. I think the latter might be possible in an environment with bad noise -- maybe the noise is causing the links database in the modules to go bad, and re-syncing is fixing that.

If the noise is coming from bad AC coming in from the street, then I'm not sure how to go about improving that. Keep us posted on the progress.

Matt,
I should have been more clear.
For the DIYer with no experience, a noise issue looks like a comms issue looks like an install issue looks like a hardware issue. What's worse, the more issues you have...the more issues you'll have: signal collisions can result from any of these. And when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
So I agree, define and sync doesn't resolve noise issues - but it does resolve issues that LOOK like noise issue (failed acknowledgements, etc.).
The other point I tried to make, badly, was that this is not a set it and forget it kinda thing. You have to stay engaged with the system and monitor how well it works because if you have an issue and don't catch it early, it is likely to cascade into a more complex problem. You go from doing simple math to calculus in your troubleshooting.
I can tell you that with the amount of trouble we were having, the only thing preventing a deinstall was the amount of money/time I had invested - and the fact that my wife had found a couple of automated things in the house very convenient. Just want any future newbies to know that if you are meticulous with your install - I was not - you can set up a system that works very reliably.

Phil