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 QW Home Automation Version 1.5.13.414 Released		  New Topic  Reply to Topic
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/14/2011 :  1:44:19 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
QW Home Automation is free and currently running on Raspberry Pi and Windows.
QW Home Automation offers the most intelligent status LED update.

An online demo of the web interface can be found here:
http://qwhomeautomation.com/webdemo/QWHAWebClient.html

Garage Door Guide (with IOLinc, Sensor & KeypadLinc)
http://qwhomeautomation.com/iolincgaragekpl.html

Update 04/17/2013

  • Improved Insteon Advanced Configuration for KeypadLinc, RemoteLinc, SwitchLinc, IOLinc and Motion Sensor.

  • Insteon Advanced Configuration now uses memory map for Insteon i1 devices and combination of memory map and 1F, 20, 2E messages for i2 and i2cs devices.



Update 03/26/2013

  • Raspberry Pi support

  • Added support for new Insteon devices using i2cs protocol

  • Timer support

  • Various UI Improvement in QWHA Admin

  • Fixed Android GUI on Nexus 7 (Android version 1.0.9)

  • Fixed occasional crash on Raspberry Pi when web interface is used (1.5.13.323)

  • Added feature to write crash report to QWHA log (viewable through QWHA Admin GUI) on system crash (1.5.13.323)

  • Updated Raspberry Pi script to automatically restart process on crash (1.5.13.323)

  • Fixed QWHA Admin GUI Windows position restore (from last close state) on start-up

  • Fixed QWHA Controller crash on some new Insteon device subcat IDs (1.5.13.325)

  • Fixed QWHA new logging framework sometimes generating corrupt logs (1.5.13.326).




Update 02/10/2012

  • Improved status LED feedback algorithm

  • Memory map editor
    KeypadLinc
    I/O Linc
    Many more

  • UI Improvement

    • Individual On Level and ramp Rate for dimmers
    Reverse feedback and control for IOLinc garage control with sensor purchased from ebay
    On/off text customization (for garage door can be Open/Close)
  • Updated documentation

    • Status LED Update
    KeypadLinc
    IO Linc
    Garage Door Control
  • Android client and Web Interface upgraded to 1.0.7



Update 01/16/2012
Fixed some Icon devices with different ALDB address shown as "Unknown Device" problem
Fixed Web UI display wrong device name when the device control returns an error (e.g. timeout). Thanks jdale for reporting that
Fixed Web UI scaling issue on mobile devices (iPhone, WebOS phones). Thanks jdale again for providing solution
Added a column of "Logical Device name" in Insteon Device ALDB panel, which makes display of all-linking buttons more intuitive
Also thanks thephantum and quantumbitflip for valuable feedbacks.

Next release will feature a general purpose Insteon memory map editor with special UI for editing KeypadLinc and IOLinc. The Insteon features will be completed by then. Stay tuned.

Update 01/08/2012
Worked around a bug in iOS WebKit browser
KeyPadLinc ligical buttons LED can be controlled through a scene

Update 12/30/2011
Fixed high CPU utilization when web interface is used
Optimized the memory management of QWHA controller a little bit more
Slight change in the layout of web interface
Fixed some minor issues of QWHA Admin GUI

Update 12/18/2011
This version includes a general purpose Web interface that offers almost the same user experience as the native Android version.

The web interface features two way real time communication with the QWHA Controller server, just like the Android client. The latency can be as low as several milliseconds.

QWHA is raising the bar of home automation technology.

Update 08/01/2011
Version 1.0.11.728
Added scene support
Added support for new version of thermostate with devcat of 05/0E.
Android client updated to support scenes
Improve error logging with unstable PLM communication
Insteon dimmer on-level and ramp support within scene
Replaced dependency of LibXml2 with TinyXml

Next release will support timer, but we have to have scene (and scene actions) support in order to use timer.

Update 07/22/2011
Now SmartLinc 2412N is supported as network PLM. Also one minor bug is fixed. Next major release will add support for timers (sunset/sunrise, periodic, daily, weekly etc), triggers and SMTP transport (sending email, SMS, works with triggers). Stay tuned!



http://qwhomeautomation.com
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
Edited by - weiqj on 04/17/2013 4:28:55 PM

weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/14/2011 :  3:08:41 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Thanks for the disclaimer. I am a long term Insteon user. I didn't post simply because I did't have any questions.
You will get feedback from users soon.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/18/2011 :  4:11:27 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
QW Home Automation is now a member of the INSTEON Alliance:

http://www.insteon.net/alliance-about.html
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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EVIL Teken
Advanced Member

Canada
968 Posts
Posted - 07/18/2011 :  4:27:42 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Could you please clarify one thing for me please. Can both applications *controller* & *Admin* software be installed on the same computer system?

Or does it have to be one separate computer systems?
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/18/2011 :  4:35:32 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Of course they can be installed on the same computer, or separately, whichever way you choose.
Unless you run controller on a Linux system, because the Admin has to run on a Windows machine.
And I haven't released the Linux version anyway, simply because I don't want to support so many binaries (one for each version of distribution).
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
Edited by - weiqj on 07/18/2011 4:37:43 PM
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EVIL Teken
Advanced Member

Canada
968 Posts
Posted - 07/18/2011 :  5:15:39 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I thank you for the clarification. I look forward to testing your new application and supplying some feed back. What I see right now looks like it will work perfectly in my environment.

Much thanks for taking the time to develop, and share this resource with all of us.
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/18/2011 :  5:40:17 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Thanks for your interest Evil Teken. I'm looking forward to your feed back.
Currently I'm running it around clock. It takes virtually 0 CPU time and less than 900K of memory running as a Windows service.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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William A Stephens
Starting Member

USA
4 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  09:50:04 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
This is just a hobby app? Thank you for a top notch application.

Using the Admin, the UI is very professional, and the setup of devices and appliances is very smooth and easy. The method of setting up the PLM on my Vista PC was much more exact than the Smarthome method.

I am using the app on my Nexus 1, both with a local IP and from an external (public) IP. The response is essentially instant - way quicker than one second. I really like the dimmer circle to control brightness.

I have had two instances of seeing the timer circles, indicating determining the device status, never go away. At that point Admin seemed to have lost connection to the PLM also. I don't know if the PLM is bad or something else.

One suggestion for the app is to be able to select a different UI without accessing the IP/port setting screen.

Another would be an ON/OFF for all the devices in a UI. You probably are already working on this. I am looking at this as a panic function, turning on all the lights in a UI at once.

Yet another would be to be able to set the ON brightness for dimable devices.
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  10:38:53 AM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
William, thanks for your in-depth review. Could you please post your comments on my forum? I've seen dozens of android activation but nobody seems to be willing to make one comment. Maybe I've made it so smooth that they don't have any questions.

The PLM is not very stable. Sometimes it just goes crazy and the commands won't be able to be decoded. I've seen it several times and I am 100% sure it is the problem with PLM. Fortunately my program will be able to detect it instantly and reset the PLM within a second or so. So you as a user will be able to use it around clock forever and won't notice any problem.

The system is quite robust. try to abuse it in whatever way you want, for example, unplug the PLM and plug it back on.

It's all about asymmetrical information. I know the quality of my work but the world doesn't know. The entire system is based on a proprietary framework that involves C++, .Net and Java for fully automatically trading system, not something a team can build from scratch within one year. I am glad you enjoy it. So if you like it, spread the word. It will give me the incentive to make it even more powerful while keeping it free.

What you want is fairly simple. It will probably be added to options because you have to admit not everybody uses that feature every day.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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xlurkr
Junior Member

42 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  4:09:20 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Does it require the USB version of the PLM? If so, any plans for supporting the serial version?

-Tom
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  4:13:27 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
No. As long as it is PLM you will be fine. It works directly on serial port anyway.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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William A Stephens
Starting Member

USA
4 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  5:54:28 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have had considerable trouble with the reliability of Insteon PLMs before.

Insteon has another product, the 2412N, which I have found to be much more stable, as well it is a simple stand alone controller.

It is supposed to be used with their WEB interface, which is very plain and limited. HOWEVER, it has a tcp socket access to the modem (PLM) via port 9761, which might be useful. My 2412N has not given any trouble.
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jdale
Advanced Member

USA
1012 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  5:59:54 PM  Show Profile  Visit jdale's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I've never had any trouble at all with the reliability of a serial PLM. USB creates some possible additional issues though.
Insteon FAQ: http://goo.gl/qNTNr
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/19/2011 :  6:34:52 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I am actually quite new to PLM. Had 2412N for several years. Almost never used it and never liked it. My USB PLM may give some trouble once every several days. But it can be easily worked around by my QWHA system. So I am generally happy.

I also have been using Cat 5 to USB extensions to place PLM 30 feet away form the PC for a couple of months. So I guess that is also part of the reason for occasional malfunction of PLM. Overall I am happy with it, and my system, too.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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Mike Berro
Average Member

USA
124 Posts
Posted - 07/23/2011 :  11:46:10 AM  Show Profile  Visit Mike Berro's Homepage  Reply with Quote
FYI, it does not seem to work on Windows Server 2003. In the service config I get a "type cannot be null" after clicking "Apply".
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/23/2011 :  12:06:19 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Berro

FYI, it does not seem to work on Windows Server 2003. In the service config I get a "type cannot be null" after clicking "Apply".


Thanks for the feedback. I suspect it is related to the firewall setting. I will try to reproduce and get back to you.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/23/2011 :  12:26:28 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Berro

FYI, it does not seem to work on Windows Server 2003. In the service config I get a "type cannot be null" after clicking "Apply".

Mike, I uploaded a new release with more detailed error reporting with suggestions. Please try to install the new version and let me know the feed back.
BTW, it works fine on my Windows Server 2008 R2 with both fresh install and re-install.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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Mike Berro
Average Member

USA
124 Posts
Posted - 07/23/2011 :  12:53:33 PM  Show Profile  Visit Mike Berro's Homepage  Reply with Quote
"Error setting up firewall. Message == Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: type
Please report the problem. In the meantime, try to manually set up your firewall."

I checked, and on my PC I have the firewall disabled.

---MikeB
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williegoat
Starting Member

USA
4 Posts
Posted - 07/23/2011 :  9:08:29 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Berro

"Error setting up firewall. Message == Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: type
Please report the problem. In the meantime, try to manually set up your firewall."

I checked, and on my PC I have the firewall disabled.

---MikeB



I am getting the same error message when I try to set it up on an XP machine, with the firewall turned off.
I'm a grumpy old man, and I approve of this message
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 07/24/2011 :  07:48:21 AM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by williegoat
I am getting the same error message when I try to set it up on an XP machine, with the firewall turned off.

If your settings are successfully saved then it is safe to ignore the message. We all know why the message is generated now.
Otherwise please re-download the latest version from my website and install. It will make sure your settings are saved even with the warning.
In the future release a more meaningful message will be displayed in this case.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
Edited by - weiqj on 07/24/2011 07:48:51 AM
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William A Stephens
Starting Member

USA
4 Posts
Posted - 08/28/2011 :  7:50:23 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have used QWHA very successfully since it was introduced. It works in conjunction with my other Insteon control software, controlling devices built up over the last several years. The pool pump and reading lights (used for security) were part of the system.

I implemented the most recent QWHA release just before a major 2-1/2 week trip. It was fun and comforting to be able to monitor my Florida system from Spokane, Vancouver, BC and Alaska.

Just over half way through the trip, I noticed that my main software was no longer activating the devices. QWHA allowed me to manually cycle the pool pump - no green pool when we returned - and deal with the other devices as needed.

Thank you, QWHA!
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MF_Bra
Starting Member

Brazil
14 Posts
Posted - 09/08/2011 :  11:10:00 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Hi, just tried to download but my antivirus says its infected with "WS.Reputation.1".

Could you fix it please ?
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 09/08/2011 :  11:25:15 AM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
According to symantec it's simply because my "reputation" is low. And there is no threat associated with my files.
I just filed a dispute with them. And I am afraid there is nothing else I can do.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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MF_Bra
Starting Member

Brazil
14 Posts
Posted - 09/08/2011 :  12:30:42 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by MF_Bra

Hi, just tried to download but my antivirus says its infected with "WS.Reputation.1".

Could you fix it please ?


just sent to symantec my comments, disabling the AV I could download it, but microsoft´s download manager also sad its a non "comom" file (and source) and advice to be careful... after that i´m starting to configure my devices (just a few).

Sometime it takes long time to update the ALDB and the cancel button isn´t available, is there something i can do ?

thank you
Edited by - MF_Bra on 09/08/2011 12:31:20 PM
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 09/08/2011 :  12:48:51 PM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I've got about 100 users of QWHA. You are not the only one who has anti-virus. Nobody else ever reported security warnings like that.

Insteon communication is slow. You have to be patient, especially during initialization process. No you can't cancel the progress dialog because QWHA is trying its best to finish as quick as possible. It doesn't make any sense to cancel it because it will corrupt the device ALDB.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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jdale
Advanced Member

USA
1012 Posts
Posted - 12/18/2011 :  7:29:09 PM  Show Profile  Visit jdale's Homepage  Reply with Quote
The new web interface got me interested. I have a WebOS phone so the Android app was not too useful. Here are my impressions so far.

During setup of the controller, I got this error: "Error setting up firewall. Message = Value cannot be null. Parameter name: type." Possibly this is because I have Windows Firewall turned off. It doesn't seem to be causing any issues. At the moment the controller and admin are on the same computer (IP address = 127.0.0.1 --- it might be worth noting this possibility in the docs). (Note: this is Windows XP SP3.)

I am unable to add some devices, because I get a message "Operation completed partially. Some devices did not respond." And then the device is not added to the device list. It seems like it would be more useful if the device was added to the device list, just noting that the ALDB had not been read properly. (The device in question is an Icon Relay, not a wireless device.) Then eventually the rest of the info could be filled in.

Despite having entered 7 devices in the devices list, the tree view on the left shows "Devices (0)". After exiting and restarting the admin panel, it is updated.

The "Load & Sensor Device" concept seems redundant. Suppose I have a SwitchLinc that is wired to a light fixture. To set up this device, I need to first set it up as Device. It get automatically set up as a Logical Device. Then I manually set it up under "Load & Sensor Devices", and give it another name. Then in the UI, I set it up a third time and give it a third name. Why not just have a checkbox in the Logical Devices list for "has a load"? To me this feels like you are locked into the idea of directly representing your database in your program. This is an easy way to write an application, but not good for usability. This layer is irrelevant to the user, it should be transparent.

I can get to the web interface by going to [IP Address]:[port] but after logging in it just gives me a list to select a UI from, and the page just reloads to the same UI selection no matter what I do. Both on my phone, on my other computer, and even on the same computer (going to 127.0.0.1:port). If there is only one UI, it shouldn't need to ask me which one.

There should be a way to turn off the server, without unlinking the PLM from it. I have another program that also uses the PLM, but now I can't use it because the PLM is in use. Just add a "shut down" button in QWHA Config.

Also with regard to QWHA - I don't think it makes sense to require the user to enter the Insteon address of the PLM, since it is so easy to read that from the PLM. I had to unplug the PLM to read it off the label (I'm using a stick PLM at the moment).
Insteon FAQ: http://goo.gl/qNTNr
Edited by - jdale on 12/18/2011 7:29:48 PM
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 12/19/2011 :  07:55:37 AM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
@jdale,
Thank you for your review. I've read your home page when I started the QWHA project. It's a pleasure reading a comment from an expert like you.
1. Firewall during setup. The issue has been discussed on this forum in previous post. So far those are only caused by firewall being turned off. However I still want to report it as an error with full error message from the system. Just in case there is something else wrong it can be reported back by users. Maybe this particular issue will be included in an FAQ later on.
2. Insteon is susceptible to power line noises. So an wired device may occasionally have communication problem. During initial set up process a lot of message exchanges will happen between PLM and device. So it's possible that some device may need manual retry later on.
I've got report from some users that some icon relay doesn't follow Insteon specification in term of internal address of ALDB, which make it very difficult (if not impossible) to diagrammatically communicate from PLM. I will investigate the issue.
At any rate, I won't expect any technical support from Smartlabs.
3. Load & sensor device treatment or the alternative "checkbox with has load" design has been discussed in QWHA forum before.
http://qwhomeautomation.com/forum/index.php?topic=18.0
While I will certainly keep the concept of "physical device", "logical device" and "load & sensor" devices. Some improvement in the UI will be made in the future to minimize unnecessary user operations, which will include that "has load" checkbox.
Here is reason why the concept is correct. Home automation is not just about switch and dimmers. It's about virtually anything imaginable. For example, in the future, the concept of "combo device" will be introduced. The simplest form of such device may be a switch will separated control and feedback signals from different physical devices. It's something like the IOLinc but more general purpose. The current design will be able to allow users to create logical units with their wildest imagination and specify ways to control and present it with a customizable UI.
4. Web interface is a new addition. It may still need improvement, as well as some other minor issues (some of those you mentioned).

Again, thanks for your feed back. I want to point out again the thing the distinguishes QWHA from all others is that QWHA controller is built in pure C++ with minimal dependency. It can be embedded in lots of devices, DVD players, TV set top boxes, Cable/DSL routers, home NAS etc. I'm trying to design and implement it right to give best user experience.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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pmmj
Starting Member

USA
2 Posts
Posted - 12/21/2011 :  05:15:58 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have successfully setup all my devices in QWHA with the exception of 2 ControLinc tabletop controllers I have. I have tried to manually add the 2 devices with the insteon addresses, but it does not add them. Are ControLinc devices supported at this time?

Thanks for the great product. I had a lamplinc module recently die on me and therefore was unable to use the set button on the side of the lamplinc to unlink it from the keypadlinc used to control it. I called smarthome support and asked them if there was any way to unlink the dead lamplinc from the keypadlinc since I had a 2412n. They told me it was impossible and that I would have to reset the keypadlinc back to factory default and reprogram all the buttons on it. Thankfully, I found your software yesterday and it allowed me to delete just the one entry in the keypadlinc for the dead lamplinc.

The only thing I would request at the moment would be the ability to batch add device buttons as logical devices. One example is the keypadlincs. It would be nice to give it a naming convention and then have it add all 8 buttons and just tack the button number on the end of the naming convention given. With 12 keypadlincs, that process gets a little tedious.

Thanks again for sharing such a great product, I look forward to future enhancements.
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weiqj
Junior Member

USA
32 Posts
Posted - 12/21/2011 :  09:59:27 AM  Show Profile  Visit weiqj's Homepage  Reply with Quote
@pmmj,
According to the SmartLabs documentation, ControLinc is one of their early products and has been discontinued. In order to control it diagrammatically one needs to use different type of messages.
In QWHA I did try to follow the documentation but I don't have a sample at hand to test it as of right now.
Next step of QWHA is to support finer grained configuration (memory map) and wider range of devices. So it's already in the plan.
QW Home Automation
http://qwhomeautomation.com
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jdale
Advanced Member

USA
1012 Posts
Posted - 12/21/2011 :  10:38:11 AM  Show Profile  Visit jdale's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I find that I can't get any info out of my ControLinc. I can link it and use it, but any time I query it for info it has nothing useful to say.

ControLincs were never updated from i1. For most purposes you are better off with a KeypadLinc in a tabletop enclosure.
Insteon FAQ: http://goo.gl/qNTNr
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BLH
Advanced Member

3759 Posts
Posted - 12/21/2011 :  12:05:34 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I found the same thing with a ControLinc. It doesn't give you anything back when queried.
The ISY99i needs a special menu choice for a ControLinc in the Add a Device Menu.
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