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[fhaferjr]

I have X10 modules throughout my home.  I control them with the Active Home Pro (AHP) software.  Everything has been working fine.  I recently decided to try an Insteon wired outllet and for some reason I can't control it.  I plug an old X10 clock/timer controller I have into the same outlet as the AHP transmitter (CM15A) and strangley, it can control the Insteon outlet perfectly.  This leads me to beleive that it has something to do with either the AHP software or the CM15A controller.  I've tried picking different X10 modules in the AHP software but none of them seem to make a difference.

Any feedback/help would be greatly appreciated.

fhaferjr

[Jsnlong]

Insteon has its own code and RF signals ..... I'm shocked you Can control it at all with any X10 controller. 

I was always under the idea the Insteon can control X10.. but X10 can not control Insteon.



I'm modifying this  someone has told me that you can control Insteon with X10........ I always thought you couldn't

[Jsnlong]

I was reading at another forum
http://www.techmall.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2407

http://www.techmall.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=656&SearchTerms=cm15a

Don't know if this helps but could be another place to post and get some guys with insteon back ground. Some people here do us insteon!!

[Alan V]

Insteon modules will see X10 commands if they are set to X10 compatibility mode.  However, when this is done they will lose Insteon characteristics, such as the capability of acting as part of a mesh network.

What Insteon device are you having problems with, and how are you defining it in AHP?

[Charles Sullivan]

I have X10 modules throughout my home.  I control them with the Active Home Pro (AHP) software.  Everything has been working fine.  I recently decided to try an Insteon wired outllet and for some reason I can't control it.  I plug an old X10 clock/timer controller I have into the same outlet as the AHP transmitter (CM15A) and strangley, it can control the Insteon outlet perfectly.  This leads me to beleive that it has something to do with either the AHP software or the CM15A controller.  I've tried picking different X10 modules in the AHP software but none of them seem to make a difference.

Any feedback/help would be greatly appreciated.

fhaferjr

This may be a signal level issue.  The signal voltage of older X10 plug-in controllers is usually at least 2 times higher than that of X10 computer interfaces like the CM15A.
I don't believe we know the sensitivity of Insteon modules to X10 signals versus that of X10 modules .

Try this experiment:
Plug an X10 appliance module into the Insteon outlet but set to a different housecode|unit address than the outlet.
Turn on the Insteon outlet with the clock/timer controller.
Try turning On and Off the appliance module with AHP.

If the Insteon wired outlet has one unswitched socket, try this experiment:
Load two macros into the CM15A which will turn On and Off the Insteon switched socket when triggered by On and Off signals on a different housecode|unit address.
Plug the CM15A into the unswitched socket of the Insteon outlet.
Use the clock/timer controller to trigger the macros.

[Brian H]

No you can add an X10 Primary Address [some an X10 Scene also] to an Insteon device and loose no Insteon functions at all. I have all mine in that mode.

You may have a marginal signal level. Since the Insteon modules also are two way devices they absorbe signals when not transmitting.

Did you try the Applance Module choice in AHP?

[fhaferjr]

Brain and Charles,

Thanks so much for your feedback.  Charles, I'll try your experiment tonight.  Brian, I did set the Insteon wired outlet to an X10 Primary Address.  Iused my clock/timer controller (plugged into the saem outler as the CM15A).  As I mentioned, the X10 clock/timer controls the Insteon outlet perfectly, just not the AHP software.  By the way, yes, I did try to set-up the Insteon outlet as an X10 Appliance Module.  There was no difference. 

I'm leaning towards the CM15A being the problem.  I downloaded a cool little iPhone X10 application that uses a utility loaded on my PC and the CM15A to control my X10 modules with my iPhone.  Sure enough, it works perfectly with the X10 modules but it can't control the Insteon outlet.

If I do determine the CM15A is the problem, is there a different brand controller I can buy (that controls both Insteon and X10) that's much more reliable?  My only concern would be whether it's compatible with this cool iPhone application.  It's made to be used with the CM11 or CM15A althougth I guess I could leave my CM15A plugged-in for this application even if I also had a diffent one for the PC software.

-f

[Dan Lawrence]

Since the Insteon outlet is two-way, try defining it an LM14 two-way module in AHP.  The LM14 is out of production, but AHP still has it. 

[JMac]

I have an Insteon LampLinc module that I use with AHP, and I designated it as a two-way (as Dan suggested) and it works fine.  Not sure how the wall switch would work, however.

[Brian H]

In the Smarthome Forums. People are reporting new OutletLincs as failing fairly fast after install.
I don't use them so I can't say anything from personal use.