INSTEON Link Managment

Posted on
Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:14 pm
matt (support) offline
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INSTEON Link Managment

A beta of 3.0 has been posted (download here) that supports both remotely editing INSTEON links and having Indigo send INSTEON group/scene commands.

Remotely Creating and Editing INSTEON links

See the Indigo online help for more details.

Creating and Sending INSTEON scene/group commands

See the Indigo online help for more details.

Controlling KeypadLinc button LEDs via scenes

From within any Action panel (inside a Trigger Action, Time/Date Action, Action Group, Control Page click action), select a Group/Scene number you want to correspond to a KeypadLinc LED and enter an optional group/scene name in the edit field. Press the Add/Edit Devices... button, then (in the new dialog that opens) select your KeypadLinc in the responder popup control. Next, select the popup control to specify which LED you want to control (ex: controls 4th button LED). In addition to using this scene to control the KeypadLinc LED, you will probably also want to go ahead and control the device(s) associated with that KeypadLinc button (LampLinc, SwitchLinc, etc.) so that the device turns on/off in unison with the KeypadLinc LED. You can add those responders to the scene as well via the New Link to Responder button.

When you are done press the Sync Now button, wait for Indigo to update all the links, then close out of the edit dialog. You can then test your scene via the Test Send On and Send Off buttons in the Action panel.

Unfortunately, you have to create a new Group/Scene for every KeypadLinc button LED you want to control. This is a limitation to how INSTEON groups work and how they are, in this case, being used to control the KeypadLinc.
Last edited by matt (support) on Tue May 06, 2008 4:08 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Posted on
Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:14 pm
gbreeze offline
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Joined: Jan 27, 2007

(No subject)

I love the new 3.0beta 10 release. The ability to edit Insteon links is an improvement of epic proportions from my perspective.

Don't think I'm not grateful for the tremendous improvements in this release, but here's a bit of end user beta feedback around the new functionality that you can take or leave :)

I don't see a topic in the forums specifically for beta feedback and my feedback is along the lines of this topic so I'm posting it here, but if there's a more appropriate place to post this, please let me know.

IMHO - the link manager should probably be it's own window, available from the main "Window" menu rather than having to navigate through a device. Being able to edit other devices from there is nice, but it screams to me that it should be promoted to it's own entity on the "Window" menu.

It would like to suggest devices with valid Insteon addresses should appear in the pull down of devices in the link manager. I've got quite a few undefined modules (with undefined addresses) in anticipation of future purchases with Norm. This is probably an edge case, but I do find it convenient to predefine things to get an idea of what I want things to look like from an Indigo perspective, order modules, and plug in the addresses when they arrive.

For devices like the ControlLinc, it would be really nice to see the links associated with each button. I assume this is intended from the window in the GUI, but I don't see any of my links in there (the top window where I would expect them is empty), but do see the links on the controlled devices. I suspect this may be a bug. I can't add a "New Link to a Responder" in the GUI either - I get a visual that the button was pressed, but nothing else happens (and I so want to be able to see/define things this way!).

This may be a bug related to the preceding item, but I can't add a new link to a responder in an "Send Insteon Scene/Group" under the Action Groups either. I get visual feedback the button is pressed but nothing else happens. I'm running Indigo on Mac OS X 10.4.10 on PPC if that matters to you.

Doing one better for the ControLlink - it would be really cool if there was a "Virtual ControlLinc or RemoteLinc" GUI - i.e. being able to see the buttons and push each and associate scenes with them as you would a real ControlLinc/RemoteLinc.

It would be really nice to be able to have an option to see all the links in one table view, and the pairs of devices listed. Maybe an "All" device in the pull down menu that would list all the links in use?

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:03 am
matt (support) offline
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gbreeze wrote:
...For devices like the ControlLinc, it would be really nice to see the links associated with each button. I assume this is intended from the window in the GUI, but I don't see any of my links in there (the top window where I would expect them is empty), but do see the links on the controlled devices. I suspect this may be a bug.

This should be working (it is with my ControLinc). Try resyncing all of your devices via the Interface->Start Sync INSTEON Device Links menu item. Choose the Synch All Devices button (eak! typo in the UI -- should be sync not synch). Let me know if that helps.

I'll reply in more detail to your other comments tomorrow. Thanks for the feedback!

Regards,
Matt

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:50 am
GRWilde offline
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Link Management

Matt,

The new link management seems to be working fine except for trying to delete two unknown links on one of my KeypadLincs. The log is as follows:

PowerLinc Linking - updating local links from UI changes
Error lookup of old link group failed (ignoring changes)
Error lookup of old link group failed (ignoring changes)
PowerLinc Linking - update complete
PowerLinc Linking - all devices are currently in sync

The links are not deleted.

George Wilde

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 12:53 am
gregss offline
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Location: Atlanta, GA

Bug in UI: Links to Responder Devices Disappear

Matt, I am seeing the same bug as gbreeze. The Links to Responders in the Link Management window disappear. The bug also affects the ability to define a scene group on the interface.

Here are my steps to reproduce:
1. Select any device in main window device list.
2. Double-click
3. Click Manage Links... button
4. Click either Close (Sync Later) or Cancel
5. Repeat steps 1-3 with any device.

At this point, the top pane in this window that normally shows columns for Link to Responder Device, Address, Group, Level, Rate, Other, and Status shows an empty table. The column headers are missing, as well -- although it may be that there is a single column that is using an extremely wide spacing. There is no data in the table.

I have isolated that this is a UI bug only. If I delete the Indigo Client preferences (~/Library/Preferences/com.perceptiveautomation.indigo_client.plist) and re-launch the client, the responder links appear again once. The normal functionality is there, however; using this method, I have been able to edit responders and define interface scene groups, albeit one at a time.

The controllers list is not affected. For reference, this bug is reproducible on my Power Mac G5 (server/client) and MacBook (client), both running OS version 10.4.11.

I hope this helps isolate the problem! This functionality is VERY exciting!
-Greg

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:18 am
bschollnick2 offline
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Location: Rochester, Ny

Disappearing links in link management...

I am seeing a similar issue, but I am going in through an Action instead...
But I have found is that if I change the Group number to 2, and then change it back to #1, it then draws correctly.

It could be that the data is not being loaded before the table is drawn?

But functionality is working fine...! It's real nice so far.

The only thing that I would like to see is the ability to set a action for multiple devices in one trigger.

For example, if controlinc aa.bb.cc or bb.cc.dd or ff.gg.aa send a button #4 command, run action group CCCCCC1.

Right now I have to write a trigger action 3 times, once for each device.

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 9:04 am
matt (support) offline
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Re: Bug in UI: Links to Responder Devices Disappear

gregss wrote:
Matt, I am seeing the same bug as gbreeze. The Links to Responders in the Link Management window disappear. The bug also affects the ability to define a scene group on the interface.

I'm not able to reproduce this problem on 10.4 or 10.5 here.

Greg: are you still seeing the problem even after you deleted the prefs .plist? I tried your steps, but am not seeing it. If you are seeing it still, then can you email me your Indigo database file and your client prefs .plist file?

Are there any errors in the Event Log window?

And can someone post or email me a screen shot of what the UI looks like when it is messed up?

Thanks!

Matt

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 11:24 am
gregjsmith offline
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Location: Rio Rancho, NM

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I have a device called "Kitchen Light" which is connected to a load. I have another device called "Kitchen Light Extra" which is not connected to a load. I have them linked to each other.

If I turn on "Kitchen Light Extra" in the UI shouldn't the "Kitchen Light" come on?

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 11:32 am
matt (support) offline
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gregjsmith wrote:
If I turn on "Kitchen Light Extra" in the UI shouldn't the "Kitchen Light" come on?

If you use the Send INSTEON Group/Scene Command Action type and create a new scene that controls both modules, then when you execute that action they'll both turn on/off at the same time. If you use the Control Light/Appliance action type (or press Turn On or Turn Off in the UI), then a direct INSTEON command is sent to the module selected. Direct INSTEON commands know nothing about INSTEON links, and thus your other module won't know to automatically turn on/off. If you want them to both turn on/off via a single command, then you have to create an INSTEON scene to do so.

Matt

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 1:05 pm
gregss offline
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Location: Atlanta, GA

Re: Bug in UI: Links to Responder Devices Disappear

support wrote:
Greg: are you still seeing the problem even after you deleted the prefs .plist?


After I delete the client prefs .plist file, the display is correct in the client for one "cycle" — I can view and create responder links one time, then the problem recurs. If I delete the .plist file again, I get another "cycle." So, something appears to be corrupting or otherwise writing bad prefs values when this error occurs.


support wrote:
Are there any errors in the Event Log window?


No, it is clean.


support wrote:
If you are seeing it still, then can you email me your Indigo database file and your client prefs .plist file?


I just sent you the requested information in an e-mail to indigo-support.

Let me know if you need any additional help tracking this down!

-Greg

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 1:39 pm
dsnider offline
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Joined: Jul 20, 2006
Location: Utah

(No subject)

FYI, I'm seeing the same bug. Deleting the plist file solves it.

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 1:57 pm
dsnider offline
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Location: Utah

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And then the problem comes back... :cry:

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 2:48 pm
snowjay offline
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Joined: Aug 09, 2006

(No subject)

Very nice!

Couple of questions... When I create an Action Group and then do a "Show All" all the Insteon Groups/scenes are listed as such with their number next to them. Would it be possible to populate that field with the description as well? It's just making it hard keeping track of whats being controlled. :)

I'm assuming this next problem has to do with the single LED per group issue...

Say I create a group #10 on the Powerlinc and it controls the main load on the Living Room KPL. In that same group if I try to control button #3 on the same KPL and sync, both the above links are deleted.

But yet I can add those same commands to any other module without issue.


So for say my Wake Up scene that controls 6 lights, 3 of which have corresponding LEDs, I need at least 4 groups, one each of the LEDs and lights and then one for the remaining 3 (unless I make separate groups for them as well as I want to control ramp rate, but that seems like a waste).



Or I suppose the other way to do it, is how I was doing it with X10 commands and create a separate group for each LED on & off and then use trigger actions for those lights to execute those groups. At least it would be far more reliable than the X10 commands and I could then group all my devices per scene into one Powerlinc group.

Jason

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:24 pm
bmoraes offline
Posts: 47
Joined: Feb 05, 2007
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Linking not working

I just upgraded to 2.5 beta 11 and I'm having linking issues. Whenever I change anything on link manager I cannot link the changes. I get the following log file:
PowerLinc Linking - batch syncing changed links for "Quarto Hóspede Luz Teto Keypad"
PowerLinc Linking - batch syncing changed links for "Quarto Hóspede Ventilador"
PowerLinc Linking - batch syncing changed links for "Quarto Hóspede Ventilador 2"
PowerLinc Linking - batch sync started
PowerLinc Linking
PowerLinc Linking - syncing remote device "Quarto Hóspede Luz Teto Keypad" (address 05.7D.95, firmware version 2.9)
Error Linking - syncing failed
PowerLinc Linking
PowerLinc Linking - syncing remote device "Quarto Hóspede Ventilador" (address 06.73.1B, firmware version 2.8)
Error Linking - syncing failed
PowerLinc Linking
PowerLinc Linking - syncing remote device "Quarto Hóspede Ventilador 2" (address 06.73.48, firmware version 2.8)
Error Linking - syncing failed
PowerLinc Linking - batch sync complete


I also have issues to add a device, the last step (when the interface address is added to the new module memory does not work), probalby the same sync issue.

I already tried to delete the plist file, but it did not work.

Does anybody know how to solve this? (10.5.1 here)

Posted on
Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:07 pm
dsnider offline
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Joined: Jul 20, 2006
Location: Utah

(No subject)

I had the same issue when I first installed, I think my PLC was all messed up. To fix it, I did this:
1. Click Interface, Choose Interface/Serial Port...
2. Click Interface Options
3. Click Download Internal Application and Reset

Then everything sync'ed up fine.

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