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    X10 and gremlins...

    So here I am again with some new interesting story about X10 I am unable to explain, and hoping the collective wisdom of this forum may help me out...

    I had posted some time back on X10 commands being very slow, and seeing all sorts of X10 commands received in my HS log that were never issued and referred to device housecodes I wasn't using... all that is gone, and now I have this instead.

    In a nutshell, I get lights (not all lights, just those upstairs, on housecode "B") come on randomly, especially at night, almost every night. Nothing shows up in the HS log.

    The only two recent changes to my setup have been switching to a single phase installation (retaining one FD10 filter where the electrical supply enters the house) and replacing my CM11 with a new XTB-232.

    This is very annoying, wakes you up in the middle of the night with the bedroom light on full thinking you missed the alarm clock and it's midday when it's actually 3a.m. (not funny, even though you may be laughing right now... ), and has a definite impact on the electricity bill...

    I initially thought a device may be malfunctioning, but I see it is happening to all the lights upstairs (they are all LD11 units)... and the only device capable of issuing X10 commands I have is the XTB-232... other than gremlins, I am at a loss.

    Questions:
    - can X10 commands be received that turn the lights on but not be recorded by HS as "X10 received" in the log?
    - could a malfunctioning X10 device be sending out noise/junk that randomly equates to a device address and a "ON" instruction (sounds like a long shot to me)?

    As a note, there is no one in a radius of many miles using X10, this is a rural area and the average age is like 75+, so it can't be spurious X10 coming from somewhere else... only thing is the electrical supply is not all that "clean", it tends to spike and drop quite a bit, but is generally within tolerable limits.

    I'd appreciate any input before I try to start fiddling with house codes to see if it makes a difference... (not nice, lots of scripts and MainLobby to update if I do that)

    Thanks!!

    Sandro
    HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

    #2
    I do know that things like X10 motion sensors, palmpads and even DS-10's can act up if the battery is getting near its end of life. Generally, you might see problems on HouseCode 'A', or UnitCode '1', which is why I avoid using these, but anything is possible, and it can be quite annoying.
    I'd start by turning on logging for all of your devices and see what shows up.
    Real courage is not securing your Wi-Fi network.

    Comment


      #3
      Wadenut,

      do you refer to the "Do not log commands from this device" checkbox on the device options page? If so, I already have it unchecked for all my devices... and nothing particular is showing on my log.

      Incidentally, all my "A" devices are working fine.

      Cheers
      HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

      Comment


        #4
        Perhaps taking the HS PC side things out of the loop for the day just to eliminate that part of it?

        I left a mini timer plugged in once that had some old timers left in it (that I completely forgot were in there) that caused me a little confusion as lights were coming on at all times of the day and night...

        Comment


          #5
          Good idea! Hadn't actually thought of that... I will turn it off when I go to sleep tonite and see what happens...
          HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

          Comment


            #6
            I had ghost X10 events recently - the cause was a switch-mode PSU going bad. It was generating so much random noise on the power line that it caused my LD11's to fire once in a while.

            The problem went away when the PSU self destructed! Another avenue to look at maybe?
            Jon

            Comment


              #7
              If you have access to an X10 analyzer you may be able to track down the source of the spurious 'signals'. I think a noise generating device is a very likely cause of the problem. Are all your problem devices on the same branch?
              Mike____________________________________________________________ __________________
              HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548, NUC i3

              HW: Stargate | NX8e | CAV6.6 | Squeezebox | PCS | WGL 800RF | RFXCOM | Vantage Pro | Green-Eye | Edgeport/8 | Way2Call | Ecobee3 | EtherRain | Ubiquiti

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by jon00 View Post
                I had ghost X10 events recently - the cause was a switch-mode PSU going bad. It was generating so much random noise on the power line that it caused my LD11's to fire once in a while.

                The problem went away when the PSU self destructed! Another avenue to look at maybe?

                Jon, how did you go about finding the culprit? I hope it was not by disconnecting items one by one, it could take many nights before I find out what is going on...
                HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Uncle Michael View Post
                  If you have access to an X10 analyzer you may be able to track down the source of the spurious 'signals'. I think a noise generating device is a very likely cause of the problem. Are all your problem devices on the same branch?
                  I wish I had an analyzer but unfortunately I don't... when you say "on the same branch" what exactly do you refer to? I now have a single phase installation, so I would say all is on the same branch...

                  All the problem devices are upstairs, and they all go to one electrical junction cabinet that houses the LD11 modules, and has its own differential safety switch, but is still the same phase as the rest of the house... not sure if I am making sense to you, maybe electrical setup is different in Spain?
                  HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

                  Comment


                    #10
                    "Noise" by definition, is more likely to cause things not to work at all. The chances of some random "noise" targeting one house code is so remote as to be nearly impossible.
                    From your inital description of the problem, "Only at Night", "All Lights" & "HouseCode B", and by inference, I'm assuming this is occurring simultaneously? -- If it's only lights being consistently affected and not appliance modules, and only on Housecode B, and especially only at night it's more likely that something is sending an "All Lights On" signal on that house code.

                    Have you checked all of your events for what I've described above? IE: Could any of them under any circumstance send an "All Lights On" or an "All Units On"?

                    Is it possible to revert to the CM11 temporarily? The XTB may just be defective. Where it's occurring only at night, this is a much longer shot.

                    I see you have quite a number of Security Devices. I reiterate, dying batteries can cause things to behave in much the same manner. Which plugin are you using for these?
                    Real courage is not securing your Wi-Fi network.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Do you have a Palmpad and a cat?

                      I know it's a long shot but I've seen stranger things...
                      HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I agree that noise is unlikely to always target the same house code.

                        It is not all lights simultaneously. It is sometimes one, sometimes two, some other times one then another two... some times they even come on dimmed!!! I can never see the exact moment since I am usually sleeping, but I have been reviewing the logs for those hours and seen nothing out of the ordinary.

                        I only have lights on housecode B. I have appliances on house code C (such as dishwasher or fridge). Some days back I found the dishwasher AD10 module was off, and in order to stop anything weird happening with the fridge I since moved all the AD10 switches from Auto to On, so they cannot be modified by a command until I get to the bottom of this. So I can't really tell if it affects appliance modules as well. What I will do is put back non-vital AD10s to Auto and see what happens...

                        I have no events or scripts that would be triggered and cause this to happen. Only one manually triggered event to turn all upstairs lights on or off, but as I said, all lights do not appear to come on during the same night...

                        Yes, I can revert to the CM11 for some days and see if the problem goes away.

                        In relation to security devices, yes I have quite a few. They run with RFXCOM and have X10 forwarding disabled in the plugin. I have had them for a number of years, many times with dying batteries and have never seen this issue before, but at this stage I won't rule anything out.

                        Thanks a lot for all the tips... I will start running some test, first I will switch back to the CM11 for a couple of days and see what happens. I will be reporting back

                        Cheers!
                        HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by langenet View Post
                          Do you have a Palmpad and a cat?

                          I know it's a long shot but I've seen stranger things...
                          LOL!! Yes, as it so happens, I do have a cat... but there is no device he can access or walk or sit on to control HS, except for an iPad, that sleeps with a smart cover on and is protected by a password... my cat is smart, but not that much (I hope) !!!
                          HS3 Pro Edition 3.0.0.548| Plug-Ins Enabled: Sonos 3.1.0.57, RFXCOM 30.0.0.45, X10 3.0.0.62, IPThermostat 3.4.5.0, Pushover 3P 0.0.0.54, Blue-Iris 3.1.3.33206, Z-Wave 3.0.10.0, BLML2HS 2.0.28.0, mcsMQTT 6.12.4.0, Insteon 3.0.7.19​​ | Win 7 32-bit | Intel Atom D2550 @ 1.86GHz 4GB RAM

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I know mine isn't
                            HS3PRO 3.0.0.500 as a Fire Daemon service, Windows 2016 Server Std Intel Core i5 PC HTPC Slim SFF 4GB, 120GB SSD drive, WLG800, RFXCom, TI103,NetCam, UltraNetcam3, BLBackup, CurrentCost 3P Rain8Net, MCsSprinker, HSTouch, Ademco Security plugin/AD2USB, JowiHue, various Oregon Scientific temp/humidity sensors, Z-Net, Zsmoke, Aeron Labs micro switches, Amazon Echo Dots, WS+, WD+ ... on and on.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by pyspilf View Post
                              It is not all lights simultaneously. It is sometimes one, sometimes two, some other times one then another two... some times they even come on dimmed!!! I can never see the exact moment since I am usually sleeping, but I have been reviewing the logs for those hours and seen nothing out of the ordinary.

                              I only have lights on housecode B. I have appliances on house code C (such as dishwasher or fridge). Some days back I found the dishwasher AD10 module was off, and in order to stop anything weird happening with the fridge I since moved all the AD10 switches from Auto to On, so they cannot be modified by a command until I get to the bottom of this. So I can't really tell if it affects appliance modules as well. What I will do is put back non-vital AD10s to Auto and see what happens...

                              I have no events or scripts that would be triggered and cause this to happen. Only one manually triggered event to turn all upstairs lights on or off, but as I said, all lights do not appear to come on during the same night...
                              I think the CM11 would be the next, best step where that's the thing you last changed intentionally. I'm still bothered however by the "only at night" thing. I've seen X10 motion sensors do this once in a while, as I said earlier, and it can be a puppy's mommy to find. I've only ever had one DS10 act this way, but that was constant. It's been discarded as new batteries made no difference.
                              Real courage is not securing your Wi-Fi network.

                              Comment

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