i am testing out a new i3 dial dimmer. i installed it in place of an older 2477D dimmer. in my testing, i tried linking it to another insteon 2477D dimmer.
the difference in physical design (knob vs paddle-style rocker switch) means there are some slight differences in terms of how you locally control the switch.
pushing the knob when light is off/on is roughly analogous to pushing the top/bottom of the rocker switch respectively
double-clicking the knob when light is off/on is similar to double-clicking the top/bottom of the rocker switch respectively.
twisting the knob clockwise/counterclockwise when the light is on is similar to pushing and holding the top/bottom of the rocker switch respectively.
twisting the knob when the light is off causes the light to turn on (to lowest dim level) and this has no real correspondence in an old dimmer.
surprising things i discovered are that twisting the knob to turn the light on did NOT turn on the linked device.
also turning the knob to adjust brightness up/down did NOT cause the brightness of the linked device to change.
this inconsistency was unexpected. it seems like a "bug" to me - or at least a total departure from the way linked insteon devices have worked in the past.
this means that if you are a long-time insteon user (as i am) and you have a lot of sets of paired "cross-linked" devices (as is common in situations where there was originally dumb 3-way or 4-way switches in hallways, stairways or rooms with multiple entrances) OR especially if you have any situations in your house where you have multiple linked dimmer switches that each control their own local loads (as is typical for "scenes" or other situations where you have a reason to have multiple devices that you intend to keep in sync with each other), that you may be surprised disappointed.
so for example, a user using an i3 dial switch a light to turn on, brighten, or dim from one end of a hallway will find the paired switch at the end of the hall will incorrectly remain in the off position providing false feedback that the light is off.
i'm wondering if anyone else has observed this behavior? any have an explanation or rationale for why they designed the switches to work this way?
the difference in physical design (knob vs paddle-style rocker switch) means there are some slight differences in terms of how you locally control the switch.
pushing the knob when light is off/on is roughly analogous to pushing the top/bottom of the rocker switch respectively
double-clicking the knob when light is off/on is similar to double-clicking the top/bottom of the rocker switch respectively.
twisting the knob clockwise/counterclockwise when the light is on is similar to pushing and holding the top/bottom of the rocker switch respectively.
twisting the knob when the light is off causes the light to turn on (to lowest dim level) and this has no real correspondence in an old dimmer.
surprising things i discovered are that twisting the knob to turn the light on did NOT turn on the linked device.
also turning the knob to adjust brightness up/down did NOT cause the brightness of the linked device to change.
this inconsistency was unexpected. it seems like a "bug" to me - or at least a total departure from the way linked insteon devices have worked in the past.
this means that if you are a long-time insteon user (as i am) and you have a lot of sets of paired "cross-linked" devices (as is common in situations where there was originally dumb 3-way or 4-way switches in hallways, stairways or rooms with multiple entrances) OR especially if you have any situations in your house where you have multiple linked dimmer switches that each control their own local loads (as is typical for "scenes" or other situations where you have a reason to have multiple devices that you intend to keep in sync with each other), that you may be surprised disappointed.
so for example, a user using an i3 dial switch a light to turn on, brighten, or dim from one end of a hallway will find the paired switch at the end of the hall will incorrectly remain in the off position providing false feedback that the light is off.
i'm wondering if anyone else has observed this behavior? any have an explanation or rationale for why they designed the switches to work this way?
Comment