Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light & fan

Posted on
Tue Mar 27, 2018 8:04 am
Jason G. offline
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Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light & fan

Hi-

I'm trying to set up a scene on my PLM that will control both the ceiling fan and light on one fanlinc - basically turn on light and set the fan speed to medium.

I create one link to set the light to 100%, then a second link to set the fan speed to MEDIUM, then when I close the window I get this in the logs:

PowerLinc Linking - updating local links from UI changes
PowerLinc Linking - . . found: link with duplicate address and group number XX.XX.XX group 01 (deleting)

If I go back to the scene, my fan control is missing.

Is this on purpose or maybe a bug? Am I supposed to set up the links in some other way?

I can come up with some workarounds - create two scenes (one for the light and one for the fan), or at the FanLinc set up two responders even though there's only one controller... but I'd like to make sure I'm not overlooking something obvious.

Thanks,
Jason

Posted on
Tue Mar 27, 2018 8:56 am
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

Have you considered achieving what you want using triggers instead of scenes? That's how I do most of my stuff, I haven't really used Insteon scenes for years, opting instead for the seemingly infinite options that Indigo triggers and action groups give me.

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Posted on
Tue Mar 27, 2018 10:06 am
jay (support) offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

Because Insteon didn't implement the FanLinc as two separate logical devices, a PowerLinc scene can only have one link to that device (either to control the light or the fan) in any given scene.

However, the functionality can be implemented easily as @Colorado4Wheeler says through an Action Group called from Triggers/Schedules/Control Pages.

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Posted on
Tue Mar 27, 2018 7:04 pm
Jason G. offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

Thanks guys - I started with triggers and action groups, but that was quite slow. I figured I would use a PLM scene to broadcast the message simultaneously to all my devices... which is a lot faster and everything turns on/off at the same time instead of in a serial sequence.

Why was it slow? The trigger/scene was called "Everything" and includes all the devices in my house... including many ceiling fans, and the follow-on triggers that update the KPLs that control each ceiling fan.

I think I will settle on two PLM scenes - one for the fanlinc lights and one for the fanlinc fans, then put them both behind an action group and a virtual device. That goes pretty quick - the triggers for the KPLs still take a while, but that is much more tolerable.

That setup actually allows me to do something that makes more sense - "everything on" turns on the lights (but not the fans), "everything off" can turn off the lights and turn off the fans.

Posted on
Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:19 am
jay (support) offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

There ya go, now you're starting to see the power of Indigo. And, yes, unfortunately, Insteon is a pokey technology (compared to other modern HA technologies).

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Posted on
Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:30 am
Jason G. offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

What do you consider modern HA technologies that are faster? I was pretty unimpressed with the other stuff I evaluated - if any of them were particularly fast I didn't notice it...

Posted on
Thu Mar 29, 2018 9:23 am
jay (support) offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

Jason G. wrote:
What do you consider modern HA technologies that are faster? I was pretty unimpressed with the other stuff I evaluated - if any of them were particularly fast I didn't notice it...


Z-Wave is significantly faster in most cases (though it does slow down when multiple hops are needed) in terms of raw through-put. WiFi devices that can be controlled locally should be significantly faster. For instance, my Hue bulbs, which actually require 2 different technology hops (plugin->hub is ethernet, hub->bulb is Zigbee) respond faster to commands from Indigo than Insteon, particularly when you stack up multiple commands. While I don't have the same direct experience nor stats, I'm guessing that Zigbee (again, from a pure technology standpoint) would be significantly faster.

Insteon, from a pure technology standpoint, is just slower (given a variety of factors). Don't get me wrong - I still use it for almost all my lighting because I like the look and feel of the SwitchLincs (though HomeSeer's switches are catching up in that department) and I've yet to find anything like the KeypadLinc. I do like the ability to have direct links between devices (KPL->FanLinc, door sensor->SL, etc). I live with the slowness and occasional reliability issues because they don't bother me that much. I don't use Insteon for sensors, thermostats, etc., because those things are just better, faster, and more reliable (in my experience) using other technologies (mostly Z-Wave for me).

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Posted on
Thu Mar 29, 2018 1:59 pm
Jason G. offline
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Re: Multiple device links to FanLinc for controlling light &

That's great, thanks.

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