SmartLinc 2412N

Back to Amazon it goes. If you need a quick method of setting up some on-off stuff the smartlinc will work, but it is worthless in comparison to Indigo. Thanks for the prompt reply!

Is there anyway to get Indigo to work with a SmartLinc 2412N?

It is our (SmartHome's) goal to provide a pass-through mode for the SmartLinc Controller so that if Ethernet data is sent to Port x-x-x-x of the SmartLinc, those signals would just be passed through the SmartLinc Ethernet daughter board to the PowerLinc Modem main board. This ability and Matt's support to have Indigo speak "PLM" is about a year away. When this happens, I expect Matt and his software to be the first to support it

That would be excellent... I have always looked at the 2412N, and been interested in using it... But without Indigo support, it would be too much of an investment...

This is another vote for 2412N support. Seems obvious and valuable---would not have bought the 2412N if I'd understood the situation beforehand Thanks!

I'd definitely like to see 2412N support. Just currious., but what items are considered higher priority than the 2412N?

[matt (support)]

There are other issues, besides just priority. For one, the 2412N doesn't have an official protocol published for it. Some developers are communicating with it as a remote PLM, but it sounds like there might be some issues. Until there is an officially supported protocol, we won't be supporting it. Instead we recommend the PowerLinc 2413U. Its USB connectivity has been very reliable.

Our main priority right now is on the plugin architecture, then we will be focusing on a few other things, including an update to Indigo Touch.

[jay (support)]

Another thing to consider - supporting the 2412N from Indigo has dubious benefits given that there is no API allowing management it's other built-in standalone capabilities, basic as those may be. So, the only real benefit (if it really did work just like a normal 2412U except over the network - and there's evidence that it doesn't) would be that you could place the 2412N in a different room from your Mac. Given that most features of Indigo require a Mac running Indigo 24x7, that sorta implies a fixed location Mac. In which case you can just attach a 2413U (better than a 2412 since it's dual-band) to your Mac. And for Macs that are more mobile there is the 2448 PowerLinc RF dongle.

So even if there were a documented and supported API for using it as a networked 2412 and it worked correctly that way, the time we'd spend implementing and testing it doesn't seem like it would be a reasonable ROI - even if there was nothing else big on the request list. Throw in other features that will appeal broadly to both existing customers and attract new customers and you can see why it's not high on our list.

Matt -

Any chance of adding the support for the 2412N purely as an RF repeater? I have one from before I converted to Indigo and I'm having trouble getting powerline communication consistently to one room, I was hoping to just plug this in and have it bridge the gap for me.

thoughts?

[jay (support)]

INSTEON repeating is an invisible process - each device will examine the hop-count for the message it just received and if it's greater than 1 (or maybe 0, I forget) then it sends the message on.

So the answer to your question is that there isn't anything we can do to it to make it repeat. I don't believe it's going to repeat messages like any other device does. What you can do however is reposition some of your dual-band devices or access points - that will help strengthen the signal in the trouble area. You might even want to buy a single Access Point and try it in different locations to see if that improves things. I personally have 3 of them in my house to help strengthen the signal.

Jay -

I'm trying to buy more dual band devices rather than access points. My house has some interesting electrical wiring... I have the main 200A panel and then 2 separate service panels. As I understand it that essentially means that rather than having a true 2 phase system I'm looking at more of a 6 phase system, correct? That being said... if most of my devices are dual band then I wouldn't think this would be an issue. Specifically the devices that are struggling are 2 outletlinc dimmers (2472DWH). They are located approximately 14 feet from the Dual Band 2413U PLM There is a wall in between... but I would expect the RF signal to reach even if there was an issue with the communication over the power line. I also have a motion sensor in the room which is probably more like 6 feet from the PLM. I plan to install another Micro on/off in the hallway (direct line of sight to one of the 2472DWH) and only 4 feet from the PLM.

Does this point to a potential issue with the RF portion of the 2413U? Any other troubleshooting advice? I do know for certain that the 2 2472DWH are on the main panel whereas the 2413U and most of the rest of my insteon modules are on one of the service panels. Also, it's not a complete lack of communication but it is consistently intermittent.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Side note, I just downloaded the DSC alarm plugin and installed an Envisalink. Loving the integration with the existing hard wired motion sensors.

Here's an excerpt from the log

Feb 1, 2013 1:27:37 PM
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" off (button 1)
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" off (button 1)
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" on (button 1)
Trigger Office Motion
Action Group Office Lights On
Sent INSTEON "Office Floor Lamp" on to 100
Sent INSTEON "Office Table Lamp" on to 100

Feb 1, 2013 1:28:17 PM
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" off (button 1)
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" off (button 1)

Feb 1, 2013 1:28:36 PM
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" on (button 1)
Trigger Office Motion
Action Group Office Lights On
Sent INSTEON "Office Floor Lamp" on to 100
Error "Office Table Lamp" on to 100; send failed (no acknowledgment)

Feb 1, 2013 1:29:08 PM
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" off (button 1)
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" off (button 1)

Feb 1, 2013 1:31:13 PM
Received INSTEON "MS_Office" on (button 1)
Trigger Office Motion
Action Group Office Lights On
Sent INSTEON "Office Floor Lamp" on to 100
Sent INSTEON "Office Table Lamp" on to 100

[jay (support)]

Subpanels are not equal to phases - they just allow for more circuits in your house. AFAIK, all residential electrical systems have only 2 phases (in the US anyway).

It's unclear if there's a hardware problem or just some interference. Note that we've had a couple of reports of RF interference lately so the problem may be twofold: first, the power line may have some attenuation (physical distance means nothing in this case) and second you may have some RF interference. Adding some other dual-band device somewhere in between may help - particularly since it works sometimes and other times it doesn't. The implication there is that you have a noise maker that isn't on all the time. If you can identify that then you can filter it.

Also, make sure that you have at least one dual-band device on each leg that can talk to each other (follow the procedure in the device's docs for pairing or whatever they call it). That will ensure proper bridging between the phases.

A minor point. North American wiring is actually single phase 240VAC with two 120VAC legs.
And, while sub panels do not add to the number of legs, breakers, especially GFCI and arc-fault types, can attenuate power line signaling. So, as Jay said, having a dual band device on each leg on each panel is a good idea. Also, consider adding extra dual band devices on some circuits if they are behind sophisticated breakers AND are having reception problems.