HomeTroller S6 - Insteon 2413U and Com port question

[vansluis]

Next time I drive over to the property I can try that.

So then after I do that and HomeSeer restarts, hopefully the PLM will connect and stabilize. After that I need to power the thermostats up again--will that make the PLM lose connection again then?

[mnsandler]

Next time I drive over to the property I can try that.

So then after I do that and HomeSeer restarts, hopefully the PLM will connect and stabilize. After that I need to power the thermostats up again--will that make the PLM lose connection again then?

if the plm disconnects or has trouble sending cmds (after reconnecting a stat) then you might need to factor reset the tstat one by one to see which is causing the problem,.

[vansluis]

Well - no go at all...

I powered off all thermostats and rebooted the Hometroller system. Initially the PLM said it was communicating but as soon as I tried to turn on/of an Insteon light it lost communication again...

I tried another reset of the PLM and as usual it gave me "Error finding plugin in PagePut: Object reference not set to an instance of an object".

I have attached the error log.

So... as all thermostats were powered off and all there was left were 4 Insteon lights in my opinion it is not the thermostats which cause the communication to drop...

All thermostats are powered on again. System is unusable... As it has been over a month now, the homeowner is ready to rip out all equipment and call in a company like ADP...

I need to meet with the homeowner on Wednesday. The only other option besides switching to e.g. ADP which is expensive is to go with the next less expensive route and replace all Insteon thermostats and lights with another technology like z-wave...

[mnsandler]

looks like you tried an Insteon Hub via a network connection first and then switched to an PLM (2413).

the PLM is NAKing every command you try to send.

not sure what is causing the problem.

have you tried running an extension cord from the plm to another outlet on a different circuit

[vansluis]

Yes - several weeks ago I used an extension cord and plugged in the 2413U on another outlet at the other side of the room.

I switched between 2413U, 2413S and Insteon Hub, but because none of them worked I swithed back to the 2413U, which initially worked from January through August.

[mnsandler]

something on the powerline or RF is causing the problem.

what changed in August?

[vansluis]

In August the computer (HomeTroller S6) was hanging. There had been a storm that week but there were no issues with power (e.g. stove and microwave were not blinking).
All electronics (modem, router and switches, computer, M1-Gold security system etc.) are behind a surge protector and also on a UPS (2413U is plugged in directly to wall outlet).

Note that this house is the only structure on a prairie and has gone through severe storms for the last 10 years. We never have seen any issues with surges or power.

After I rebooted I never got connection with PLM again. I still can get to the M1-Gold via the plugin and still can get to other systems, cameras etc.

[mnsandler]

have you noticed if the led on the plms or hub flashes a lot even when you aren't transmitting commands yourself?

[vansluis]

I looked at the PLM led and is was solid on... Even when I restarted HomeSeer it remained on--no blinking. All thermostats were powered on.
No blinking even when it was initializing the plug-in...

[mnsandler]

my only other suggestion is to start cutting circuit breakers until the problem goes away. This will help identify where the problem is originating from. Or cut everything except the breaker that runs the PLM and then turn things back on one-by-one until the problem appears.

the problem may be an insteon device going bad.