The generic instructions (given in other topics) are correct, however, there are a couple things I would like to add (please let me know if you would like me to change some things...this was written after 2 solid hours of troubleshooting!):
UNPLUG ANY OTHER RF TO POWERLINE BRIDGE! You do not want any other RF transmitter working while you program the EZX10RF!
#1) Do this in a darker room if you can. This is a situation where you may have to read the blinking status of the LED from across the room.
#2) If you are like me, you have several wireless RF x10 devices to "link"...I was using Hawkeye Motion Detectors. So, I did it the simple way. Mine were labeled C1, C3, C5, C7 & C9. Then I had buttons (battery powered button keypads) also. Each labeled D1, D2, D3 & D4, D5, D6.
The EZX10RF expects the ON signal from each of these. So here is what I did. First the motion detectors:
Take one motion detector off the wall. Set it to the address you wish to control first. (C1 in my case). Take your EZX10RF and sit (indian style---just kidding) on the floor near an outlet with your laptop (running 2.5b8 client of course).
ENSURE THE BATTERIES ARE REMOVED FROM ALL RF MOTION DETECTORS and ENSURE THAT YOUR X10 NETWORK IS QUIET. This is the part where the EZX reads the FIRST thing it hears as the item it is gonna control. If the EZX10RF reads the wrong RF device it can be confusing as all get out!
Connect to Indigo server using Indigo/Indigo Client.
Hit APPLE (CMD) - 8 (or go to Window->Event Log) to display the event log for troubleshooting.
Plug in the EZX10RF to the wall socket. DO NOT PLUG ANYTHING INTO THE "ALWAYS ON" OUTLET. ESPECIALLY AN ACCESSPOINT. ACCESSPOINTS BEING THIS CLOSE TO THE EZX10RF CAUSE MAJOR INTERFERENCE. Not to mention the fact that plugging one Insteon device in the back of another is a recipe for crosstalk...
Add the EZX10RF to the Indigo DEVICE center pane. Do the normal Insteon linking ritual with it. When it is done linking, double click the EZX10RF Device line in the DEVICE pane and look for the "Send PowerLinc Set Button Pressed" button in the "Edit Device" window. If this is NOT there, Indigo has not completed the linking of the EZX10RF. Go back to the start of this paragraph and begin again.
Push the LED on the EZX10RF. Count to 5. Let the button go. Wait for the bright LED to turn Dim(mer) than normal (about 1 sec).
Press the ON button of the Motion Detector. You will see the LED on the EZX10RF blink (once or twice -- this is the reason for the darkened room). IMMEDIATELY click the "Send PowerLinc Set Button Pressed" in Indigo. This is extremely important. You do not want another RF device or another Insteon device sending a singal before the "Send PowerLinc Set Button Pressed" is pressed.
HERE IS THE WEIRD PART! The EZX10RF LED will go dark for perhaps 30 seconds to a minute. This is disconcerting. All that is really going on is this: The Insteon network is linking up and transferring the codes for the Button the EZX10RF has assigned to your device. A bit more than that is happening but that is the gist. When the LED comes back on the following should be in the event log (window):
- Code: Select all
Received INSTEON "EZX10RF" on (button 1)
The button 1 could be button 2, button 3, etc. It will be the first available "Button Area" within the EZX10RF
If the Event Log reads sonmething like:
- Code: Select all
Received INSTEON "EZX10RF" status changed value of 82
Received INSTEON "EZX10RF" status changed value of 81
...then the Insteon link did not successfully finish.
If neither of the preceding occurred, then this does NOT MEAN your "linking" failed.
Simmply do the following to see if it linked and did not add it to the event log: Press the ON button on your Motion Detector once. It should read:
- Code: Select all
Received INSTEON "EZX10RF" on (button 1)
If the previous line appears (again, the button 1 could read button 2, etc) then you are okay!
Here is a big trouble-area. Sometimes the log will read:
- Code: Select all
Received X10 C1 ON
(if your motion detector is set to C1).
THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT! The cause for this is simple. You accidentally pressed the ON button (on the motion detector) twice (OR THE MOTION DETECTOR DETECTED MOVEMENT AT AN INOPPORTUNE TIME). This caused the EZX10RF to set itself to a "BRIDGE" for this X10 Device. It simply performs the duties of an EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE Whole-House-Code RF to POWERLINE bridge (echoing that RF X10 command to the powerline).
There is a method to my madness, so bear with me here.
The EZX10RF is fantastic. It can perform many different functions, but the main one is translation.
If you enter RF to POWERLINE bridge mode for an X10 device (as shown in the log by an X10 address number followed by ON or OFF), you are negating the $130 or so dollars you paid for this device. If this is all you want it to do, buy a cheap Levitan RF to Powerline Whole-House-Address bridge. You would save $90-ish dollars!
If you want to use the EZX10RF as it was meant to be used in an Insteon environment, then you want to make sure the EZX10RF is translating your X10 RF codes to it's own "Button Pushes"...hence the Button 1, Button 2, etc monikers.
This is where this device shines as the only slowdown to your network is now the RF side of the X10. Once the X10 signal hits the EZX10RF it turns into Insteon and goes MUCH FASTER to it's destination (not to mention with all the error correction, etc). So, the moral of the story is: Ensure that you see: 'Received INSTEON "EZX10RF" on (button 1)' when you activate your RF X10 device.
To pair the other motion detectors, simply keep the one you are currently using and change it's address to that of the other motion detectors one-by-one (ie: C3, C5, C7, etc). This stops you from having to running all over the house, removing that horrible little battery cover and pressing all those buttons "ON" until it sends the RF signal, only to climb down off the ladder and have the motion detector fire off a signal cos it saw you move! Not fun!
Now, the secret for the keypads (the ones you stick on the wall) are the same as the motion detectors...they are all RF X10 ON codes. Simply code in the X10 code for your keypad buttons to the motion detector temporarily and let the EZX10RF learn from that. The EZX10RF does not need to know that this is a Keypad and not a Motion Detector. All it needs to know is to wait for the C1 ON command and it will convert it to a Insteon Button command for you.
Simple, eh? DO NOT TRY TO BE SMART AND "SIMULATE" THE BUTTON PRESSED ON THE KEYPADS AND/OR MOTION DETECTORS BY USING A TABLE-TOP REMOTE CONTROL. This, in my circumstance, was not working. Just use an RF device and be done with it.
Anyway, you are not done yet. Some interesting tidbits follow:
These are questions I had that did not get answered without massive amounts of trial and error!
Q. How is Button 1, Button 2, etc decided? What happens if I make a mistake when pairing and I want my first one at Button 1 but it is now Button 2.
A. Don't worry about it. The Button order in the EZX10RF is decided by sequential nature. IE: The first device you link is Button 1. The second is Button 2. If you screw up and you think you "lost" a button...simply reset the device and start again. BUT BE AWARE you will have to RE-LINK (re-pair) each X10 RF device again. If you unlink (or stop using a X10 Device), the EZX10RF will make that "Button" available again and use it the next time it needs a "Button". All I have yet to figure out easily is how to erase ONE X10 code without the others being gone too... Can you say "Feature Request, Please Matt?"
Q. Does the EZX10RF only "translate" RF or can I put it on one "leg" of my house where X10 does not get good signal and have it convert those to Insteon?
A. Good question. The jury is still out on this one. One would think that it would be designed to listen only to the RF side for "Learning" signals...but that would be a waste. Try it to see if it would work! If it did, it would certainly be a great way of reaching legacy X10 devices on the other leg of your power line. This *IS* expensive though. Better off buying a X10 active repeater/signal bridge that you plug into the dryer main. This is cheaper AND has the added benefit of NOT eating up your available 20 "Buttons" in the EZX10RF! The only benefit (really) to doing this is speed and error correction. Of course, needless to say, don't even bother if you don't have the 2414u, as the 1132CU, etc only understand X10 and won't pick up on the Insteon codes so Indigo will not be able to "link" to the EZX10RF anyway.
Q. Whoa! What do you mean only "20 Buttons"!?
A. Be careful about this. The EZX10RF only allows 20 devices to be either Translated or Bridged. It does NOT go beyond that. You really wouldn't want to anyway. You have the capability of linking unlimited (right Matt?) numbers of EZX10RFs up to the Insteon device limit, that is...each with their own 20 buttons.
Q. What if I mess up?? How do i reset this thing?
A. SmartHome Labs says "While the unit is unplugged, hold down the SET button then plug it back in. Count to 12 and let go." However, this did not work for me... Any ideas?
Q. The EZX10RF seems to pick up more than it's fair share of activity (judging by it's LED). Why?
A. All I can figure out is that like most devices on the Insteon network, the EZX10RF repeats and also like most X10 devices -- shows activity of other X10 traffic by flashing it's LED. It is nothing to worry about..but turn off the lights and enjoy a blue light show if you are so inclined.
More to come later as I identify more things to do with this marvelous piece of hardware!
Jann
