HouseBot

I have been using Insteon for almost 3 years now. Overall I am ok with it with the ocassional problem everybody has reported. Although I have almost 99.5% good response when a command is sent from Housebot through the PLM to the switch my percent of success is a lot lower when trying to get a change in state from the field. What I have noticed is that after a period of time without sending or receiving anything through the PLM when I hit a switch locally is normally doesn't update in Housebot, when I hit it the second time then I get the update and then it works fine for the others. After a while without pressing any switch or sending any command from housebot the same thing happe again. It looks like the PLM, the plugin or the COM port goes to sleep mode and normally misses the first one from the local switch. Any ideas what it could be happening or if you have seen a similar thing? Any creative way to maintain sync between housebot and the insteon network? I tried to do a poll every XX minutes but with over 30 devices it doesn't work fine creating too much traffic.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Victor

Maybe try just polling single switch periodically to keep the PLM active. This would cut down the insteon traffic and, if it is a problem with the PLM being inactive, keep it responsive to non-polled status changes. Choose a switch in close proximity to the PLM for polling and see if this doesn't provide some sort of a solution for you.

Also, do you have wireless bridges in place? I have found these to be invaluable for enhancing network responsiveness.

Osler

I know this post has been out there some time but I thought I would comment and ask a related Insteon question.

It appears that if you are controlling lamplincs or appliancelincs with other keypadlincs you must conduct a routine 'poll' with Housebot of at least these devices anyway to track their status in Housebot. Is this correct? (think this even applies to a keypadlinc controlling a switchlinc/relaylinc.....)

The PLC or PLM has now way of knowing if a lamplinc or appliancelinc is turned on from a separately linked keypadlinc...unless you track the actual keypadlinc button that is linked with the lamplinc/appliancelinc using a group in Housebot. I hope this makes sense. If this is not the case, is there a better way to keep track of your insteon devices that are turned by other insteon devices other than the PLC/PLM? I tried linking them to the PLC/PLM, but when they are turned on by another insteon device..they don't report back to the PLC/PLM.

So for now, i poll them regularly.

v/r

Kevin

I have found there is no better way with the current PLM device. Problem is, it creates way to much traffic. I hope Scott can one day re-visit the PLM device to have it 'listen' for updates for Insteon devices that are setup in HB. I tried a system where a task would listen, for say a ControlLinc button press, and then update the device that the button had just turned on. The PLM sometimes would get so bogged down that if I tried to turn on a light from HB, i would wait 4 or 5 seconds before the light would respond.