Do scenes require on and off states?

[Corto]

If I have a single scene scheduled to turn on 2 lights from 7-8PM, are the following statements true:

1) If the lights were already on before 7PM, they will stay on at the 7PM turn on, i.e. they won't toggle to off.
2) At 8PM they will turn off.

Or do I need to add an "off" scene at 8PM to shut them off?

Probably a stupid question.

[stusviews]

Do you mean by "from 7-8PM, that the scene turns on at 7 and off at 8? If so, then yes, if the lights are on before the scheduled time, then they will remain on and they'll turn off at the scheduled off time.

[sejohannsen]

[I]TFitzpatri8 wrote - If you are using the model 2242 or model 2245 Insteon Hub, for each device or scene, you can choose to schedule just the On time, just the Off time, or both. At the On time, those Hubs will turn a single device on (100%) or send an On signal to a scene, and you can set how each device on the scene responds (on, off, dim level, ramp rate). At the Off time, the Hub sends an Off signal, and all scene devices respond by turning off.[/I]

Would like to talk about this for a minute. I have a 2245-222 Hub. I have a scene that has some outside lights in it. All the lights are set as responders. I have the scene turning on at dusk and off at 10PM. Works fine. Also have a keypad button set to be both (controller and responder). Works fine. I can turn the lights on and off from the keypad, and if the scene is timed on the keypad light lights, and it goes off when the scene goes off. Just like I imagined, expected, wanted.

Now, I wanted a scene to turn off all the lights on a floor. Put all the devices into the scene. Set each light to be off. Set a keypad button to control the scene. Here's the confusing part. It makes no difference whether I turn the scene on or off from an iPad , all the lights go off, but the keypad button only turns everything off if the light goes from off to on, like turning the scene 'on' turns everything off. Pushing the button a second time, to 'off', does nothing. It just doesn't act as I expect.

If I create a scene, called Main Floor, and add all the devices as responders, shouldn't that turn all the lights on if the scene is turned on from the app, and all off, if turned off from the app. If I then include a keypad button in the scene, as both, should it turn all the lights on and off as I toggle that button. And should the button light if the scene is turned on via schedule or app, and turn off with the scene off from app or schedule.

A drawback to that, assuming it should work that way, is that if only half the Main floor lights have been turned on, the keypad wouldn't know that and would be off. tapping it would turn all the lights on (really the other half) right? Would it work to have the keypad button as a responder to each of the lights, so that it would believe it is on when any of the lights were turned on, so the next tap would be off, sending a scene off? I suppose turning any of the lights off though would turn the button back off, putting me back to tapping it and turning the whole floor on.

Long question, but the bottom line is, what's the best way to have a scene that turns a group of lights off, that can be initiated from an app, or a keypad button.

[stusviews]

That's because the scene is being turned on when you press on and off when you press off. A device in a scene can be set to turn on or off (or anything in between if the devices is a diimmer),

In fact, I have scenes that turn some light dim and others off. If an On is sent, then that's what happens, as directed. Off turns all the lights off.

Your scene is set to turn all the lights off. The scene responds as you set it to do when you send an On and turns everything off when you send an Off.

[sejohannsen]

So turning a scene off will automatically turn everything in it off, but turning it on sets everything to the preset defined for each item. Is that right? The keypad button doesn't seem to behave quite right then. It would seem, pushing the button for scene on, should turn everything off. Then pushing it again, for scene off should still turn everything off. It shouldn't matter what the button thinks it is currently at, pushing it should turn all the lights off. Seems like I often have to tap it twice.

[stusviews]

So, if the button is lit (On) and you press it (turn it Off), then any light that's on doesn't turn off?

[sejohannsen]

I need to carve out some time to do some testing. Lights being turned on and off remotely and shut off en-masse is annoying to the other residents in the house. Need her to be out shopping for this. ;) I have a better understanding of the concept now. I need to decide what I really want it to do, and try to get that set up.