Indigo Domotics

I have been using Indigo and Insteon for at least 2 years now and everything worked perfectly until the last few months when Insteon has started giving me problems.
About twice a day, I get Interface Connection Failure. In the Log, I see: (not in order)
PowerLinc
Unexpected command 02 62 (flushing)

Error
PowerLing not responding -- attempting reset

Application
PowerLinc address 33.E2.2D, firmware version 9.14

Interface Failure
lost connection with interface

Error
resending previous command (busy or unexpected command). - I get several of these in a row.

Cynical's insteon water leak add on has been giving me lots of false alarms

I also have a trigger that alerts me when the power goes out. I have been getting lots of false alarms on this too, and it usually coincides with the insteon errors.

My PowerLinc is plugged into a UPS. I know it is advisable not to do that, but it has been like this since day 1. I tried plugging directly and it didn't solve the issue. The powerlinc is connected directly to my Mac mini.

I should also say that very often these errors happen when I turn on/off an insteon device (via its own switch) that has an associated trigger with it.

Please help.

Well, I'm quite surprised you ever had reliable communication with the PowerLinc plugged into the UPS.

The symptoms you are seeing are typically because of signal noise. Try using a long outdoor extension cord to run from your PowerLinc to an outlet in another room and see if that makes any difference.

If it happens when it's a specific insteon switch that you hit that seems to trigger the issue, then I'd be suspicious of that switch. It may be failing and sending out a lot of signal noise.

Another common source i have found is aging CFL bulbs. They seem to get noisier and noisier as they approach EOL, whether they are controlled by Indigo or not.

Jay, I am in South Florida, and now that the hurricane passed thru, I remembered why I put the powerlinc on a UPS. Every time the power goes out and comes back on, the powerlinc doesn't connect to the insteon network. The red light stays on. In order to get it working, I have to disconnect it from the computer and then plug it into the AC outlet, and then connect to the computer. So I put it on a UPS to avoid this. So if I leave it off of the UPS, how can I get it to work if I am away from home?

george99 wrote:

Jay, I am in South Florida, and now that the hurricane passed thru, I remembered why I put the powerlinc on a UPS. Every time the power goes out and comes back on, the powerlinc doesn't connect to the insteon network. The red light stays on. In order to get it working, I have to disconnect it from the computer and then plug it into the AC outlet, and then connect to the computer. So I put it on a UPS to avoid this. So if I leave it off of the UPS, how can I get it to work if I am away from home?

That definitely shouldn't happen (I've had quite a few outages over the past year and both my production and development PowerLincs come back when power is restored) - I'm guessing it's a bad PowerLinc, though if you're not getting full outages but rather brownouts it might be locking the PowerLinc up (the red LED means it's locked up for some reason). It's worth trying a replacement though IMO.

If you can simulate a power outage (trip the breaker on the circuit that the PowerLinc is on then turn it back on) and the PowerLinc always locks up, then I'd definitely try a replacement and see (if the new one does it then you can always return it).

Hi,
Just got the new powerlinc delivered and I think that fixed it. Light turned green instantly.
However, it has been a while since I set up a powerlinc. How do I get it to control all my devices instead of the previous one?

When you plugged in your new 2413U, Indigo should have prompted you to resync everything. If not, open the Insteon config dialog, click the Interface Options... button, and click the Start Sync All Links... button. This will resync everything. Note: if you have battery powered devices, you'll want to have them in hand so you can wake them up for the sync.

Got it thanks!