Re: Insteon Test Report

["BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Of course, I was so frustrated by the other stuff that I forgot to do
that test.  Here are the results:
 I plugged one Insteon Appliance Module, one Insteon Tabletop
Controller, one Leviton X10 Signal Generator and one ELK ESM1 into a
basic powerstrip.  The Insteon module responded flawlessly to every on
and off command sent from the controller and the ESM1 did indeed report
it as noise by turning off the green light about 2 seconds after the
Insteon signal was sent.  I then plugged the controller into various
outlets around the house and it worked fine (except ,of course, from the
infamous bathroom).
 One thing nice about the controller is that it reports on whether the
signal got through. If it doesn't get a confirmation back from the
module within a few seconds the LED on the controller flashes rapidly.
The controller is a big (to me) bulky thing that only controls 5 Insteon
modules or module groups, however; if you flip up the faceplate, the
same buttons can control all 256 X10 codes!  I hope thay make a
controller that will handle more Insteon devices.


From:Dave Houston
nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx

> You can still run the noise test I suggested. You don't need to
> bridge the phases. Just put the tabletop controller and an Insteon
> lamp module on the same phase and see if they can communicate while
> the line is flooded with X-10.
>
> "BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Yes, the bathroom has GFI outlets but so do other rooms with no
>> problems.  Signals sent withIN the bathroom are strong but it's
>> almost like there's a signal blocker between the bathroom and the
>> rest of the house.
>> I figured I might solve the problem by moving one of the Insteon RF
>> lincs to the bathroom thereby bridging the bath to the rest of the
>> house via RF.  However, I was foiled in my attempt to test that
>> because one of the RF lincs is now dead after about 2 hours of use.
>> Smarthome is advance shipping another pair which will take another
>> week to get here. So, until the new RF linc arrives, all tests are
>> off.
>> After blocking out the day to test this stuff I am, needless to say,
>> EXTREMELY frustrated.
>> I may spend the rest of the day doing some UPB testing instead.
>>
>> From:Dave Houston
>> nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>> Bruce,
>>>
>>> Any X-10 meter (e.g. ESM1) should report the Insteon signal as
>>> noise. You can use it as a measure of signal strength.
>>>
>>> Is the bathroom outlet GFI?
>>>
>>> "BruceR" <br@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I've run my first test with an Insteon ICON switch and controller
>>>> with disappointing results.  I installed the repeaters per the
>>>> instructions and one ICON In Wall On/Off (2876S) switch that
>>>> controls a porch light. I linked that switch to an Insteon Tabletop
>>>> Controller and verified that it works from several outlets. The
>>>> real test was to see if it worked from my bathroom where I could
>>>> never control the X10 switch that was in place prior to the
>>>> Insteon.  I plugged the controller in, pressed the button and...
>>>> No Joy.
>>>>
>>>> Next step is to call them and discuss the result to see if they
>>>> have any suggestions. Stay tuned.