Re: Insteon Review

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

I moved the lamp module to the same phase as the controller and made sure
the module was set for the fastest ramp rate. I still see no big difference
between the time that an Insteon lamp turns on from the tabletop controller
and an X-10 lamp turns on from a mini-timer button. Insteon is marginally
faster but it's really not all that obvious to an uncalibrated eyeball.

I have explored a bit more. If the Insteon controller does not receive an
ACK from the Insteon module, it will resend the command several times. The
documentation says up to five and it looks like it's about that long using
the ESM1. I don't know whether the number of retries is a user setting. The
LED on the controller flashes rapidly for several seconds after such a
missed command. I tested across phases by unplugging the target module. The
result gives a rough indication of PLC signal reliability and I think the
PLC signal reliability will prove to be very good since it's two-way with
ACK/NAK. Only experience will tell whether the hardware/firmware reliability
will be as good.

BTW, it's possible to disable the controller's "beeps" and even the LEDs on
the modules. It's amazing what one can learn from reading the manual. ;)

I have one of the RF links near a CRT type monitor. It's LED flickers
faintly constantly. The LEDs on other RF module and lamp module on that same
phase are steady except for occasional brief flickers off (once or twice per
minute). This reminds me of the flaw in the X-10 protocol LampLinc two-way
module where the LED would flicker at random and the module would go deaf to
the powerline.

The LED on the other lamp module is rock steady except it will also flicker
off briefly. When it does, I see a brief flash of the ESM1. It's shorter
than the normal Insteon messages. I do not know whether its noise or some
brief housekeeping signal from the module or controller. Tomorrow I'll move
the ESM1 to the other phase to see if there's similar activity when the LED
flickers.

Troubleshooting when problems do arise may be difficult. The ESM1 will
indicate PLC signal presence but when it's absent, finding the cause may
require dedicated test gear to measure/analyze PLC and RF signals.