Setup Wall Swtich 2477S and Motion Sensor 2842-222

[fledda]

I am new to Insteon and bought the 2477S Wall Switch and Motion Sensor 2842-222. I would like to have my outside lights turn on/off when it senses motion at night only and also be able to manually turn on and off the lights. Before I start the installation. I started reading the manuals. To have the lights turn on/off when it senses motion, I read that I have to make the wall switch a "responder" and the motion sensor a "controller". To be able to manually turn the lights off and on, do I also need to make the wall switch a "Controller" and the motion sensor a "responder"?

I am also not sure what it means when they say "create a two-way link and keep the two products in sync". What are the benefits of creating this 2 way link?

NOTE: I am not using a hub or anything. It is just a simple setup. I did buy an access point just in case the motion sensor signal does not reach the wall switch. I can install the access point in between.


Thanks for your help

[stusviews]

A wall switch will control the load it's wired to. No linking is required. Controllers and responders refer only to remotely controlled devices such as the Motion Sensor controlling the wall switch.

But there's a potential problem with the setup you are asking about. In particular, the Motion Sensor cannot be turned off (unless you remove the battery). That means that when outside motion is detected, the wall switch (and the light it's wired to) will turn on. But, after the designated time, it will also turn off leaving you in the dark if it's at night and you're in the room being illuminated.

An alternative is to use a LampLinc to control an otherwise unused lamp that turns on an off in response to motion.

A two-way link is used for a virtual 3-way configuration where two or more devices control the same light/load.

[fledda]

Thanks for clarification and response. So I started the installation and configured the Wall Switch 2477S to be the responder and the Motion Sensor to be the controller. After doing the configuration I tapped on the set button of the motion sensor and it turned off the outside lights which would indicate that the two are linked. I also set it up to Night Only mode by placing the pin on Jumper number 3. I also removed the pin an Jumper number 5 as I am not using a hub. I then adjusted the amount of time the lights would be on and happy with it. I tried to adjust the Day/Night Threshold and got confused with the instruction and gave up. I was doing all these inside the house prior to installing the sensor outside and it is night time. I placed the sensor on a table on a dark room and when it detected motion the lights outside turned on and after the set time it turned off. Great it works.

I installed the sensor outside this morning and waited until night time so that I can adjust the angle of the sensor. When I walked outside it the sensor detected motion and the LED lighted to confirm that it detected motion. The problem now is that it did not turn on the light. At first I thought that maybe the sensor is too far away from the wall switch and it is not getting the signal being that the wall switch is inside the house. The distance is about 25 feet. I opened that back of the sensor and tapped the set button to approximately where the sensor was installed and the light tuned on. So my conclusion is that distance is not the problem.

I then brought the sensor inside the house and placed it in front of the wall switch and place my hand over the sensor and it still did not turn on the outside lights. Note I did this with all the lights closed so it was dark.

I am so frustrated because it was working last night. I did a factory reset on both the wall switch and motion sensor. I re-linked them. Tapped the set button on the motion sensor and the outside lights turn off confirming that the link worked. I set the motion sensor to Night only mode same process as what I did the night before. I closed the lights in the room and placed my hand over the sensor. The LED lights lit up indicating it detected a motion and still the outside lights did not turn on.

What am I doing wrong? Did I get a defective Motion Sensor or Wall Switch? HELP. I am so frustrated with this and ready to give up.


Thanks for letting me vent.


UPDATE:

OK after giving it another try, I got it working. I am going to reinstall it tomorrow morning and test it again tomorrow night. I just got an email response from Insteon Support and I think I had the Day/Night Threshold reversed.

[stusviews]

If you went from inside to outside and tested, then that it didn't work is a normal, but annoying behavior. It takes about 3 1/2 minutes for the MS to get accustomed to a new light level.

[fledda]

stusviews thanks for this information. I did not know about the 3 1/2 minutes. Maybe this is why I think I have a problem. Just to make sure I understand. When you say "It takes about 3 1/2 minutes for the MS to get accustomed to a new light level." are you referring to when you switch to night mode only when you put the pin in jumper 3? Or are you referring to when you turn the threshold knob (meaning every time you make adjustment you have to wait 3 1/2 minutes for the change to take effect?).

[stusviews]

Both, plus changing to night only also requires tapping the set button, but my reference was to moving the MS from a lit area to a darker area requires a wait. An easier way to determine the best position is to set the MS to operate all the time and then change the jumper to night only (plus tapping).

[fledda]

stusviews thanks for this information. I have finally been able to figure it out. It is now installed and working. The problem was that I was not aware of the 3 1/2 minute time lag so when I adjusted the threshold and tested it I did not wait for the 3 1/2 minutes so I assumed it did not work so I kept on resetting the MS and after a while I was in a loop. How I wish they would have stated this in the manual. Additionally, the manual was not clear on how the Day/Night threshold works. I think the manual needs to be re-written.