Can't activate scenes with Open/Close sensor

[loboent]

I have the new V2Hub with several devices. The last one I hooked up is an open/close sensor. I first hooked it up with the jumper installed so it would turn ON a scene when the door opened and turn OFF the scene when I closed the door...Nothing happened. I get the email notifications but that is all. I then uninstalled the jumper so I could set up 1 scene each for the open and close events. The Android app does not seems to recognize this capability to allow me to define 2 scenes so I just up a single test scene to turn on some lights and same thing...I get the email notification of the door opening and the scene does NOT activate. The manual describes the physical setup process but I was hoping to use the app to do this.

Help please. What am I missing?

[Patimus]

You might need to check the revision of your open/close sensor. The jumper is ignored from rev 1.B and above and the "ON only" can only be achieved through HL or the ISY. In your case you would have just 1 scene. The open/close sensor set as a controller and everything else in the scene set to responders in the state of "On."

[loboent]

I have Rev 1.9 whatever that means. I have the 2245 Hub to it cannot be used with Homelinc. There is no mention in the documentation that the jumper is now ignored. But either way, other than send an email, I cannot get it to active a scene in either mode. I am using it for security on a basement door and would like to turn on all the house lights (and leave them on) if the door is opened. Preferably I would like to be able to set the schedule for the scene so the lights only happen when we are sleeping and not when we are typically awake and in the house.

[Patimus]

You might start with only one device in the scene and add other devices, but make sure you test each addition after you add it to make sure that the devices are working as expected. You might find that one particular device is causing the issue of the entire scene not turning on.

The scheduling part will not work on the Hub. Its 24/7 or nothing with those sensors.

[loboent]

SOLVED...So I started over and reset the sensor. The documentation only shows you how to set up a scene using all the physical buttons on the device. It also needs a section on how to program if you are using the app. I talked to support and they said I had to make the physical connection between the Controller and Responder first and then could set up the scenes in the App...this is NOT CORRECT...just do it in the App. If you are using the app to define an open and close scene, make sure the jumper is off (Rev 1.9 or higher). The app does not give you control over whether you are building an Open or Close scene (that would be too easy). If you are creating an OPEN scene then you have to make sure the door is open while you do all the scene programming in the app. Do your testing and then if you are creating a CLOSE scene, make sure the door is closed while you define the Close scene in the app.

Everything is working now but still not very useful. You still can't set a schedule for scenes using sensors of any kind which seriously restricts their usability. So now the lights come on all day every time I open the basement door myself and I have to manually turn them off. How about a second scene to turn the lights off when I close the door? So much for security and turning on all the house lights if someone breaks in the door...and leaving them on. Even a countdown timer to turn the scene off would make this sensor slightly more useful useful.

[Patimus]

What you are describing are the features of the Insteon motion sensor. That has a built in countdown timer and the ability to only activate at night. (2842-222)

[loboent]

Yes I have a couple of them (also not very useful without scene schedule capability). I only want security activities to happen (lights/notifications, etc) when the door is actually opened. Motion sensor means the dog, the wife and me will all set it off even more.

[loboent]

ISY/HomSeer/etc. are all way more expensive and involved that what I wanted. I don't need conditional processing, just allow scene schedules to work with sensors...simple. Even my old Belkin Wemo can handle a schedule for when to detect motion and when not to and they don't even need a Hub. Guess I am just really disappointed with what was supposed to be the new and improved HUB.

[stusviews]

Powered devices can be scheduled to turn on or off because they are both controllers and responders. Battery powered devices are controllers only, so they can't be scheduled, they're always on.

An alert is not a device at all. An alert transmits a message every time the device that it's monitoring sends a signal. The Hub does not have the capability to schedule an alert, only a device.

A workaround is to use a battery eliminator plugged into an Insteon device and schedule that device.

BTW, I agree. Scheduling alerts would be a nice feature

[loboent]

On the good news side, when I talked to Insteon support last week, he said they were looking into using schedules on scenes activated by sensors.

If you think about it, it is no different with a light switch. The scene established the devices involved and what the "trigger" is. In most cases a light switch and a time. It is not the controller device that is responding to the schedule. The Hub is telling the switch to turn on based on schedule, and depending on what other devices are controlled by that switch, you get lights, etc. turning on. The Hub pays attention to the scene. If you set a schedule, the hub only reacts at/during the schedule times. It need be no different with a controller that is a motion/open/close sensor. If a schedule is associated with a scene that includes a sensor, it simply determines whether it notifies the responders or not to do something. You are not trying to stop the sensor from sending out alerts, you just want a schedule for when the Hub (and therefore scenes) pay attention to it. Which is exactly what the ISY would do.

So whether you want the application for security or room occupation, the need is there to have sensors only activate scenes during a set schedule. Otherwise their use is severely limited. At the moment, they are only useful for occupancy and then only in offices/kitchen/etc. I only want notifications of motion or door/window openings, during the day when I am at work, and at night when I am sleeping, or on vacation mode (another missing feature of the hub) when I am away all the time.

I get that the Hub is not a do everything device, certainly not for the price of it. But this is a pretty basic capability. Try putting a motion detector in your bedroom to turn on the lights when you walk in and see how pissed the wife gets when you roll over at midnight and all the lights come on and then again at 12:10 am and 1:28 am and 1:43 am and and and. As I said, even my WeMo could do it. And Insteon is a mostly closed system. They don't need to make money on the Hub. It only controls Insteon/X10 devices and the odd other one so they can make all their money off all the their Insteon devices we buy to put in our homes and offices.

[uchauhan]

Hello - Just started with Insteon Connected kit. Trying to setup door sensors to activate alarm. I am able to setup 3 door sensors and linked to a ON / Off switch which will turn on siren when any of the door sensors are open and will close the siren when door is close again. So far good, however, how to stop siren / On / Off wall switch during day time? I have created a scene (we are home) and added all 3 sensors and one wall plug to this scene (we are home) and trying to turn off this scene. Icon turns green which means that scene is doing something / turning off, but still door sensors are going on / off and turning on siren at all time. Please guide how to setup this.

Thanks!

[stusviews]

Sensors cannot be scheduled. They function full time. How is the siren powered?

[uchauhan]

Siren is powerd with a ON/Off Insteon wall base which is activated by a group of sensors. This part is working fine, however, now how do you switch off ON/Off Insteon / Siren during the day?

[stusviews]

So, the siren is a 120VAC device wired to the Insteon switch?