PowerLinc 2412U (PLM) Support
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:53 am
UPDATE (NEWER): The lockup problem happens very rarely and may be related to X10 traffic. I haven't heard of any INSTEON-only installations seeing the lockup. Also note we've added some code to detect a soft lockup which Indigo can restore by reconnecting to the PowerLinc. I've still seen a hard lockup which is impossible for Indigo to recover from (requires a physical unplug), but it is very rare and possibly related to X10 traffic.
UPDATE: I've encountered a couple of PLM freezes that require an unplug of the PLM to reset. Note I've only seen this problem twice after testing the 2412U for weeks, so it doesn't happen often. But I consider this to be a serious issue since it requires a physical unplug of the PLM which may not be possible for second homes, etc. We are working with Smartlabs on resolving or a workaround for this issue.
The public beta of Indigo 4.1.0, which now supports the PowerLinc 2412U, is now available (download the DMG here).
The PowerLinc 2412U is like a newer version of the 2414U with the exception that it does NOT have an internal clock or ability to run standalone mode. If you need to shutdown or put your Indigo Mac to sleep, then the older 2414U is still the correct interface for you.
But if you have a Mac you leave on to run Indigo, then it looks like the 2412U will be a good and faster replacement for the 2414U. Based on our internal test the 2412U is significantly faster than the 2414U. We have seen full link syncs go from 15 minutes to 5 minutes, and from 38 minutes to 14 minutes. The exact speed increase depends on several factors: how reliable your INSTEON network is, what types of modules you have, etc. Regardless, I think anyone that switches to the 2412U will see a good speed increase. Sending direct commands (turn on, turn off, set brightness, change setpoints, etc.) will also typically execute faster than on the 2414U.
As an added bonus, Indigo 4.1 also syncs links faster for 2414U users. I saw full syncs go from 38 minutes to 30 minutes. Not as dramatic as upgrading to the 2412U, but still a good improvement.
Norm at MacHomeStore.com has some 2412Us (UPDATE: Norm isn't shipping the 2412U until we can further research the lockup problem above) in stock and ready to ship out. Note Indigo requires a minimum PowerLinc 2412U firmware version of 8.5 or higher (which is what MacHomeStore.com has), so if you have an older one you might have to get it swapped out for Indigo compatibility.
In future betas of 4.1 we hope to take advantage of 2412U capabilities (the 2nd rev of the INSTEON engine) which will make some additional functionality available on a few newer INSTEON modules (like the motion sensor, keypadlinc relay). We'll have more details on this over the next few weeks.
Lastly, note this is still beta quality. The implementation of adding support for the PowerLinc 2412U was non-trivial. Just about the only thing it shares in common with its older ancestor (the 2414U) is the name. Therefore, I would appreciate beta feedback and bug reports, along with your patience as we work through any issues that might come up.
UPDATE: I've encountered a couple of PLM freezes that require an unplug of the PLM to reset. Note I've only seen this problem twice after testing the 2412U for weeks, so it doesn't happen often. But I consider this to be a serious issue since it requires a physical unplug of the PLM which may not be possible for second homes, etc. We are working with Smartlabs on resolving or a workaround for this issue.
The public beta of Indigo 4.1.0, which now supports the PowerLinc 2412U, is now available (download the DMG here).
The PowerLinc 2412U is like a newer version of the 2414U with the exception that it does NOT have an internal clock or ability to run standalone mode. If you need to shutdown or put your Indigo Mac to sleep, then the older 2414U is still the correct interface for you.
But if you have a Mac you leave on to run Indigo, then it looks like the 2412U will be a good and faster replacement for the 2414U. Based on our internal test the 2412U is significantly faster than the 2414U. We have seen full link syncs go from 15 minutes to 5 minutes, and from 38 minutes to 14 minutes. The exact speed increase depends on several factors: how reliable your INSTEON network is, what types of modules you have, etc. Regardless, I think anyone that switches to the 2412U will see a good speed increase. Sending direct commands (turn on, turn off, set brightness, change setpoints, etc.) will also typically execute faster than on the 2414U.
As an added bonus, Indigo 4.1 also syncs links faster for 2414U users. I saw full syncs go from 38 minutes to 30 minutes. Not as dramatic as upgrading to the 2412U, but still a good improvement.
Norm at MacHomeStore.com has some 2412Us (UPDATE: Norm isn't shipping the 2412U until we can further research the lockup problem above) in stock and ready to ship out. Note Indigo requires a minimum PowerLinc 2412U firmware version of 8.5 or higher (which is what MacHomeStore.com has), so if you have an older one you might have to get it swapped out for Indigo compatibility.
In future betas of 4.1 we hope to take advantage of 2412U capabilities (the 2nd rev of the INSTEON engine) which will make some additional functionality available on a few newer INSTEON modules (like the motion sensor, keypadlinc relay). We'll have more details on this over the next few weeks.
Lastly, note this is still beta quality. The implementation of adding support for the PowerLinc 2412U was non-trivial. Just about the only thing it shares in common with its older ancestor (the 2414U) is the name. Therefore, I would appreciate beta feedback and bug reports, along with your patience as we work through any issues that might come up.