EZIO8SA in an inaccessible location

[Anonymous]

#39995

I want to be able to configure an EZIO8SA without the use of the SET button on the PLM or the other linked devices. I’m planning to install the EZIO8SA where it would be a real pain to access the SET button.

If I link a module (an ApplianceLinc, for example) to an EZIO8SA input using the SET buttons on the devices, all is well. The state of the ApplianceLinc follows the state of the input. I can apply/remove power to the linked input fairly rapidly, and the ApplianceLinc keeps up.

Should I be able to use the Simplehomenet Utility to link an input on an EZIO8SA to a device? I have attempted this, and it did not work. Here’s what I did:

Start by factory defaulting both the EZIO8SA and ApplianceLinc by unplugging both for 30 seconds, then press the set button and plug in the unit. Continue holding the set button for 10 seconds then release.

On the Simplehomenet Utility Input Settings and Monitor tab:
Insteon All_Link Group Commands group
Input 1, set to group 9, timer 0, off to on 11,0, on to off 13,0

Then in the Manage Device Links tab
In the EZIO8SA, I added a Controller link record with the Insteon address of the ApplianceLinc, link data 00,00,09; group 09.

In the Appliancelinc, I added a Responder link record with the Insteon address of the EZIO8SA, link data 00,00,09; group 09.

When I change the state of input 1, no Insteon traffic seems to be generated (I don’t see the LEDs flash on any of my other devices).

I’m using V1.77 of the Simplehomenet Utility. I have tested this with two different versions of EZIO8SA, ver 2.5 and 2.7.

[Anonymous]

#41942

At a minimum the 3rd data byte in the ApplicanceLinc ‘Responder to” link record should be 0x00. The third byte identifies the output unit, of which there is only one in an ApplianceLinc/Lamplinc device. If you are using a Lamplinc then the data should be 0xfe 0x1f 0x00. I’ll link up an AppianceLinc to one of my EZIO2X4s to see what the first two bytes would normally be. You can also go back and establish a link between the EZIOXX device and the ApplianceLinc with the Set button and then display the link database in both devices. That will tell you what hardware set the various fields to for a working link.

If an Input transition is not causing an Insteon message to flow it is generally a mismatch between the Group number assigned to the Input and the “Controller of” link record in the EXIOxx device. When an Input makes a transition, the link database is searched for a “Controller of” link record with a matching Group number. If a match is found then a Group command sequence is issued to the Insteon device address in the matching link record. Did you click on the yellow “Save Changes” button to permanently save the Input settings after the “Write” click finished updating the settings.

Redisplay the Inputs Settings and Monitor for the specific Input you are testing. Also display the link database for both the ApplicanceLinc and the EZIO8SA to confirm that the link records you wrote actually are in both devices.

Is the SHN Utility using a PLC? If so, double click on the blue T shaped ICON in the system tray. This will open the SDM3 trace window showing the Insteon messages that are flowing.

[Anonymous]

#41943

Using the Set button technique so I would have the values set by each device, I linked an ApplicanceLinc to Input 2 of one of my EZIO2X4s. The link record in the EZIO2X4 0C.AE.5F is ……

Link Record 6 – Controller of Device: 04.D8.FB; Group: 2; Data: 2,C,28

The link record in the ApplicanceLinc 04.D8.FB is …..

Link Record 1 – Responder to Device: 0C.AE.5F; Group: 2; Data: FE,1F,0

The Group number is 2 because I used Input 2 to link to the ApplicanceLinc. The data in the Controller of link record in the EZIOxx is related to the device class and type of the ApplicanceLinc and has no bearing on the Group command sequence issued by the EZIOxx device. The FE,1F,0 is the standard Full Bright, Fastest Ramp Rate, Output Unit 0; used by LampLincs and now I see also by ApplicanceLincs.

[Anonymous]

#41944

Grif091:

As a test, I factory defaulted my EZIO8SA and an ApplianceLinc. I linked the ApplianceLinc to Input 1 on the EZIO8SA using the manual, set button technique. The ApplianceLinc correctly follows input 1 on the EZIO8SA. With the Simplehomenet utility, I see NO LINK RECORDS in the EZIO8SA, and a responder to the EZIO8SA link in the ApplianceLinc. I wonder how it is working without a controller link record in the EZIO8SA??

[Anonymous]

#41945

There has to be a “Controller of” link record present in the EZIOxx device. The link record contains the Insteon address of the ApplicanceLinc device. Without a link record the EZIOxx cannot issue a Group command sequence because it would not know what Insteon device address to send the Insteon commands to.

There is a communication problem between whatever you are using for the SHN Utility to communicate with the power line (PLC or EZSrve/EZBridge) and EXIOxx. Are you using a PLC or EZSrve. Try displaying the link database in the EZIOxx device again using the SHN Utility. With marginal communication, sometimes it will work and sometimes it will not. May explain why an attempt to write a link record by the SHN Utility did not work. The PLC/EZSrve and the EZIOxx could be on a different power line phases. Are you using Access Points or Signalincs to couple the phases. Try moving the EZIOxx to a different location until you establish reliable communication. There have been cases where the Access Points or Signalincs were not plugged into opposite phases making cross phase communication unreliable.

EDIT: In the lower right corner of the Manage Device Links screen of the SHN Utility, status messages are displayed as the link database is accessed. What messages are displayed when attempting to display the link database in the EZIOxx.

[Anonymous]

#41946

I’m using an EZSrve to communicate on the powerline. I have moved the EZIO8SA to several outlets, and also plugged it into the PLM for the EZSrve. In all cases the SHN utility shows no link records, yet the EZIO8SA is able to control the linked ApplianceLinc. I have two Accesspoints that I’m pretty sure are on separate phases.

The SHN utility momentarily displays “Getting Links” then “Ready” when I click the Display Existing Link Records button with the address of the EZIO8SA PLM in the device Insteon ID field.

[Anonymous]

#41947

You have covered all the horses I know about, it is time to think about zebras. A link record must contain the necessary information for the ApplianceLinc to follow the Input transition yet something needed in the link record to look active to the SHN utility is missing. If it were my devices, the next thing I would do is use the SHN Utility to manually add a “Controller of” link record to the EZIOxx with all the correct information for Input 1 to control the ApplianceLinc. Then display the link database and see what record was used for the new link. If link record 1 is used then something happened during the factory reset or when the Set button link was established. The only other suggestion I can think of is to do another factory reset and start over. Of course, if you have some other software available that can query the EZIOxx link database, that is actually the first choice. Something like Houselinc, or Powerhome that will access the current link records in the EZIOxx to see if they would get a different result than the SHN Utility.

[Anonymous]

#41948

When you used the Set button technique to link the ApplianceLinc to the EZIO8SA, toward the end of the sequence you pressed the Set button on the ApplianceLinc for 3-4 seconds. The last step is to go back to the EZIO8SA and press the Set button for 3-4 seconds to close out the linking process. This last step was not always needed. I still have EZIOxx device documentation on file that does not describe that last step. That was added when support was added for linking multiple devices to the same Input without having to start the link definition process from the beginning. I have encountered link problems if that last 3-4 second Set button press on the EZIOxx device is not done. Ran into it the first time I received an EZIOxx device that had the multi-link support and I failed to read the latest documentation. Don’t remember any of my symptoms matching what you are encountering. Just be sure to close out the Set button linking process with that last 3-4 second Set press on the EZIO8SA.

[Anonymous]

#41949

Keeping in mind the title of this thread, I want to manage an EZIO8SA without using the SET buttons. I have no problem linking devices using the SET buttons. I’m trying to manage an EZIO8SA without having to physically access the EZIO8SA. I want to take a factory defaulted EZIO8SA, set up the input records, add some link records, and have it generate Insteon messages when inputs change. Is this possible? I started down this path when attempting to use the EZIO8SA inputs with my Universal Devices ISY-99. I have hacked several ISY linking methods, and have not been able to get changes on the inputs to generate any Insteon traffic. I also want to use my EZIO8SAs in inaccessible locations. So I either need to be able to build and modify the EZIO8SA configuration using the SHN utility or have my ISY handle this. I’m not able to do either.

[Anonymous]

#41950

The suggestion to establish a link using the Set button technique was to create a working link so you could display the information in the EZIO8SA and ApplianceLinc link database and the EZIO8SA Input information. Knowing what the correct information should be gives you a starting point for entering that information manually through the SHN Utility.

Starting with link data in the ApplianceLinc of 00.00.09 (invalid output unit number 09) initially posted suggested to me that seeing link and input information of a working link would be useful. I have used the SHN Utility to manually create working links in several EZIO2X4s and an EZIO6I when using valid link and Input data. Don’t have firsthand experience with an EZIO8SA but the EZIOxx tab is generic to the EZIOxx family of devices so I feel certain the same thing can be done with an EZIO8SA.

[Anonymous]

#41951

royce, first let me sincerely apologize for not taking what you were saying on face value. My experience with several other EZIOxx devices did not yield the results you are seeing and I assumed there must be some problem on your end. One should never ASSUME!

I received my first EZIO8SA today and I am not able to establish a working link to Input 1 with the SHN Utility after a factory reset. The Set button technique works but even with that, using the SHN Utility to attempt to write a link record for Input 1 to a second device was written to link record 1 according to the utility. Link record 1 should have been (and I think still is) active with the first device. The SHN Utility shows one active link which is to the second device. An Insteon trace shows one Group Cleanup Direct command to the first device address. Looks like something is out of sync between what the SHN Utility believes is the memory map of the PLM and the memory map the PLM is actually using. That is only a guess but something is wrong. I’m detailing all I saw today and opening a conversation with support.

[Anonymous]

#41952

No apology needed.

What version does your EZIO8SA report? Both my 2.5 and 2.7 are exhibiting the same symptoms. My ISY is not able to take advantage of the EZIO8SA inputs either.

[Anonymous]

#41953

Thanks but I do owe you an apology. I had done what you were trying so many times successfully on my other EZIOxx devices I was sure you had some yet to be discovered network or definition problem. Just never considered that the Utility would not be able to work with the links of an EZIO8SA. Smarthome has made changes to the PLM in the past without SHN being aware. This may be another one of those cases.

Anyway, the 8SA I received today is v2.7. I went back and double checked what I documented to SHN support. The only link being displayed by the Utility is for an ICON device address. Yet the only Group Cleanup Direct message issued by the 8SA has the address of my Lamplinc. I would not believe it if I was not looking at the information myself.

I’m in the process of defining the 8SA to PowerHome so I can see what it thinks about the links in the 8SA. I’ll also see if PH can establish links. It has been awhile since I defined a new device type to PH. Had to do the same thing with the EZIO2X4s, the EZIO6I, EZSnsRF and so on but that was months ago. Amazing how quickly I forget how to do something. Must have wasted 30 minutes before I remembered I had to reinit PH after adding the new device type before I could use it in a device definition. PH lets you specify the number of Inputs a device has so I’m hoping I can establish links to multiple Inputs that way. Have always depended on the SHN Utility for this kind of stuff in the past. I’ll let you know what PH thinks about this situation.

[Anonymous]

#41954

We fixed the utility – it should work for this.

Sorry for the bug!

http://simplehomenet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2509#2509

[Anonymous]

#41955

I assume 1.78 changed the flag byte bit. I installed 1.78 and it does not correct my problem. The problem with my configuration is the PLM that came with the EZIO8SA is the new version which supports 2016 links. This puts the link database start point at 3FF8 rather than the old 0FF8 starting point. I can see my 3 Set button links stored at 3FF8, 3FF0 and 3FE8. The 1.78 level is still looking at 0FF8 for the first active link record.

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