Insteon Mysteries

[Jim Gregory]

I was recently given a new Insteon 2245-222 and bought two Insteon 2540 low voltage units to give the Insteon a try. Setting up a system to schedule two irrigation valves was straight forward and the valves opened and closed as programmed. After about a week of normal operation one of the 2540's stuck in the on position and then both units completely stopped responding. To trouble shoot, both 2540 units were moved temporarily nearer to the hub where they again worked normally. Returning the units to the original location and adding an Insteon 2992-222 Range Extender the system again seemed to work normally. One day later the range extender died and the 2540's stopped responding. Strangely, replacing the dead extender with a new one did not solve the problem. There have been no changes in house electrical environment. Why did the system work and then fail? Why did the first range extender work, then die, and a new replacement not work. Does anyone know how to test these components individually to isolate the problem?

[Teken]

Hello Jim,

I can't address the earlier failure portion besides indicating Smarthome has a solid 2 year replacement warranty for device failures. Having said this the I/O Linc would not be the preferred device to control water distribution etc. The 3rd party Smartenit device would be the ideal device or something similar. The reason being is the device has a fail safe feature which only allows a zone to be on for a period of time etc.

With the I/O Linc there is no such fail safe in place and thus could result in high water usage or extreme water damage where operations is not expected or detected.

I would however take a few basic steps to verify that your homes electrical system is sound. In North America electrical lines operate from 110 - 120 per spec, and in some areas it operates from 105 - 126 VAC which is also normal and OK. Below or above this spec things tend to burn out never mind any unknown electrical spike events etc.

Take a true RMS meter and measure the line for a extended period of time and report back. Always make sure the connections in the service panel are firm and secure such as any grounds / neutrals.

[stusviews]

The most likely cause is a communication problem. The original RE has probably not failed. You may simply need one or more dual-band devices. Something in your home is causing interference.

[Jim Gregory]

Hi Taken,
Thanks to you and others for your helpful replies. Your point on the risks of automating water distribution was well taken. Fortunately our local water company can forgive a big bill that results from some sort of unusual situation, which in my case, included an x10 failure. The "solution" was a macro that resends OFF signals throughout the day 24/7. I had hoped to improve on that workaround via Insteon.
At least part of my Insteon problem stemmed from a defective 2243-222 hub. Insteon.com replaced the hub and signal strength improved slightly, but range still was insufficient for reliable operation, even with the addition of an Insteon 2092-222 range extender. There are approximately 30 X10 devices in my house, some quite old, which may degrade the Insteon signal. While line voltage seems to a steady 120 volts, there are probably small dips when appliance motors kick in and other noise sources that contribute to the problem.
Replacing my X10 devices with their Insteon equivalents with "mesh" technology" would possibly improve overall system reliability. For the time being, I have opted for the less expensive option of improving X10 signal strength by replacing two aging repeater/phase bridges with a new XTBR-IIR signal bridge/amplifier. While I have removed my two Insteon 2540 devices, I will continue to use the Insteon hub for ad hoc control of X10 devices through its Wi-Fi interface. Scheduling and routine control of the X10 system will continue to run through a CM11A.
In summary, except for the neat Wi-Fi interface, Insteon was a disappointment in my specific case.
Regards,
Jim Gregory

[BLH]

Many of the X10 repeater/phase bridges caused Insteon message problems. As they tried to repeat the end of an Insteon message as an X10 one.
The XTB-IIR is a great device and it respects Insteon Messages. I have one in use myself as my early Insteon Modules can also have an X10 Primary Address added to them.
As a few X10 devices like a Chime Module don't have a good Insteon equivalent.