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    FanLinc Gone Bonkers?

    Howdy. I installed a FanLinc controller approx 6 mos ago and connected it w/ Alexa. It's worked fine with no probs controlling light or fan. Power comes from a wall switch that is always left on so we can simply use voice commands to control it. However, we noticed about a month ago that the lights were blinking sporadically, but in a minor way. We don't dim these fan lights, so I had initially left the CF bulbs that were in there. I assumed (from reading this forum) it could be the bulbs causing the issue (I was hoping, anyways), so I replaced them with LED lights. For about a week I thought it may have solved the problem, but this week the issue has grown much more severe. We must now keep power to the fan OFF using the wall switch, because it's gone from an annoying flicker to a constant blinking at full brightness. Additionally, if we turn wall power on, then ask Alexa to turn ceiling fan off, Alexa responds with "Device not responding".

    Anyone know if this is a known issue and anything I can do to troubleshoot that doesn't include opening up the fan (which a HUGE pain)?

    Thanks -


    #2
    Are the LED bulbs labelled as dimmable? If not, then that's your problem. Even at full on, the FanLinc light uses TRIACs which trim the AC waveform causing difficulties with loads that are specifically not dimmable. Also, some brands of LED bulbs have problems with electronic dimmers.
    Last edited by stusviews; 12-09-2017, 01:00 PM.
    Message from Forum Admin: stusviews passed away in April 2018. Stu was a huge fan of Insteon and a huge presence on both the Smarthome and Insteon forums, helping thousands of us along the way (he had nearly 20,000 posts to his name). We thank him for his contributions, dedication, and passion for making the Smart Home a reality. He will truly be missed.
    Saving energy is not always free. Be a world saver.

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      #3
      Originally posted by stusviews View Post
      Are the LED bulbs labelled as dimmable? If not, then that's your problem. Even at full on, the FanLinc light uses TRIACs which trim the AC waveform causing difficulties with loads that are specifically not dimmable. Also, some brands of LED bulbs have problems with electronic dimmers.
      Yes they are. These are the same bulbs I use in my kitchen, which are also on an Insteon dimmable switch and haven't glitched once (so far). I've already removed the device and am going to power it on my bench to test it.

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        #4
        There is a long thread on the UDI forums. About Fanlincs failing and replacement also not working too long.
        I thought it was mostly the fan control portion.
        The bench tests may give you more data on it.

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          #5
          Before pulling down the fan, replace one of the bulbs with an incandescent bulb. Does the erratic behavior stop?
          Message from Forum Admin: stusviews passed away in April 2018. Stu was a huge fan of Insteon and a huge presence on both the Smarthome and Insteon forums, helping thousands of us along the way (he had nearly 20,000 posts to his name). We thank him for his contributions, dedication, and passion for making the Smart Home a reality. He will truly be missed.
          Saving energy is not always free. Be a world saver.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by stusviews View Post
            Before pulling down the fan, replace one of the bulbs with an incandescent bulb. Does the erratic behavior stop?
            Too late, but we actually don't own any incandescent bulbs at all anymore :-\

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by BLH View Post
              There is a long thread on the UDI forums. About Fanlincs failing and replacement also not working too long.
              I thought it was mostly the fan control portion.
              The bench tests may give you more data on it.
              Thank you..we'll see. This is low on the list of priorities right now

              Comment


                #8
                This happened to me too, and it was the bulb. Worked fine for months and then flickered once per second. The fanlinc was no longer communicating. I pulled the bulb and put an incandescent to test and it worked again. The bulb was a dimmable LED and it works with other insteon dimmers, but to be safe I put it in an on/off fixture.

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