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[billharrison]

Hi all!  Got my stuff yesterday, activehome pro, a lamp module, a pair of socket rockets, a tm751 transciever, and a bunch of security stuff and a powerhorn.

Want to control all this with my always on media center / home server / pc / etc. 

Hurriedly opened the box, ran upstairs, installed software, plugged in my cm15a, and followed the instructions!  Step one, plug lamp module into wall, (Housecode a1), plug in lamp, then flip the switch on screen!  Flipped.... Nothing.  Oh.  Flip flip flip flip.  Nothing.  OOHHHhhh.

Ok, I thought, phase problem, so I moved it to a different room.  Nothing.  Another room.  Nothing.  Damn.  Same room that the cm15a is in.  Nothing. 

Well, that cant be normal.  I skipped that part of setup, and tried adding some of my security stuff, followed the on screen instructions, no problem.  Detected and worked.  Plugged in my tm751, and can turn whatever is plugged into that on and off, no problem!

Seems I cant control anything through the powerline!  Is there anyway to test for powerline signals?  Any way to test quality?  Etc?  Help!

[steven r]

Welcome to the forum and the world of home automation.

...Is there anyway to test for powerline signals?  Any way to test quality?...

The Elk ESM1 is the best tester for the money.
There's even one place that will lend you one for free (you pay postage) but once you use it you'll want to keep it. It's a very useful test tool.

Do search a search on the forum for filters, signal suckers, and phase couplers. 99.9% of PLC problems can be eliminated by addressing those three cases.

[Brian H]

If the CM15A was in the same outlet as the computer or on a surge suppressor. Noise or signal absorption maybe the cause.
Also if you are trying to use the CM15A with an RF remote. It maybe defaulted to not tranceiving the received code.

[billharrison]

The CM15A is in the same surge supressor as the PC!  Could that be the problem ?   Should I rearrange to put it directly in the wall?

[JimC]

The CM15A is in the same surge supressor as the PC! Could that be the problem ? Should I rearrange to put it directly in the wall?

Yes, and get it as far from the computer as possible. Avoid outlet strips and plug directly into a wall outlet if possible.

[billharrison]

I have limited outlets in the computer room.  Would there be any benefit / problem with putting it on an extension cord (old fashioned type with no surge /etc ) to give it some distance from the computer plug in?

[steven r]

I have limited outlets in the computer room.  Would there be any benefit / problem with putting it on an extension cord (old fashioned type with no surge /etc ) to give it some distance from the computer plug in?

As long as don't you trip on the cord or lower the WAF there shouldn't be any problem.

[billharrison]

Tripping should not be a problem, and I never have a WAF (I keep a gf, and the moment they get anywhere near WAF then  )

[steven r]

Then as long as you keep, in your case, the SOAP low you'll be fine. 

[billharrison]

Well, I put the Cm15 on an extension cord from an outlet in the hallway away from the pc then ran it in, works great now!  I will have to figure out a better method, but atleast I know it works.  Range on the RF remote seems weak, I cant arm the system when outside of the house (Which makes for a noisy exit and entrance! Is there anyway to introduce delay in the arming with a security remote?  I tried but the only option in macros is "Arm Home" and the moment you press the arm button it arms, macro or not!).  Also, I have made 2 rooms, and I created a macro to sound the Powerhorn siren when motion is detected and armed.  However, I can only select it on the motion detector that is in the room the macro is in.  IE, can you use the same macro from different rooms? How do you do this?  Lots of questions!