Inconsistent Timer Operation with WM100 via iOS

Started by xfm, October 09, 2018, 12:34:42 PM

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xfm

I have been controlling my outdoor lighting via X10 wall switch modules for many years via plug-in timer/controllers with no problems/issues whatsoever. Since getting the WM100, I've experienced numerous instances of individual lights not turning on as scheduled, lighting on schedule but not turning off, etc. I had started out with all 3 lights set on unit address 1 to turn on and off together, as I had for years. But one or more lights did not turn on or off consistently, so I changed each light to its own individual address, and after some experimenting with different combinations, I've achieved modest improvement. My current status is that the lights set on unit addresses 2 and 5 turn on and off as scheduled. The light on address 8 turns on per schedule but does not turn off. All 3 lights respond well to discrete on/off commands via the iOS app, so the signals are getting through OK. Any ideas?

Tuicemen

You don't say what type of light or its age is on unit 8.
Have you tried a different bulb? I've seen bulbs (even incandescent ones) as they age fail to turn off and replacing with a newer one fixed the issue.
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xfm

Quote from: Tuicemen on October 09, 2018, 01:37:25 PM
You don't say what type of light or its age is on unit 8.
Have you tried a different bulb? I've seen bulbs (even incandescent ones) as they age fail to turn off and replacing with a newer one fixed the issue.

Thanks for the quick reply. Sorry for the omissions. It's an incandescent post lamp in front of my home. Switch is a standard single pole X10 switch over ten years old (maybe closer to 20). Looks just like a WS467, although it could be a predecessor if there is one. Can't see the model number and didn't want to pull the assembly out of the wall box unnecessarily. Worked like a charm with the M10A plug-in timer/controller for all of those years. Bulbs are new incandescent candelabra base bulbs (3) that were working flawlessly with the M10A timer. Also, I can command on/off manually with the WM100 iOS app and it works every time.

My front porch and rear porch lights are standard incandescent on similar wall switches (front porch is 3-way) and they are behaving as expected.

Don't know if it's relevant, but as part of my troubleshooting, I've set the on/off times of each of the 3 lights to be a couple of minutes apart to avoid any possible interference issues during on/off events.

Tuicemen

I had a new incandescent bulb which would turn on and off but if I left it on for any length of time it would fail to turn off with a single off send. This was due to a bad lose filament. This also cause so much noise on the line after a while all X10 devices on that circuit failed to work. You might wish to see what else is on that circuit that may be a possible noise or signal sucker if your changed timer setting still fail.
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Brian H

Have you tried the MT10 in the same outlet the WM100 is now using? To eliminate possible power line issues.

xfm

Quote from: Brian H on October 09, 2018, 03:50:04 PM
Have you tried the MT10 in the same outlet the WM100 is now using? To eliminate possible power line issues.

I will try that. I was more focused on getting the WM100 plugged into a breaker branch that includes the outdoor circuits. The branch that the MT10 was plugged into is not in that sector. But I will try it tonight or tomorrow. I only want to test one potential fix at a time so if (when) successful I know where the fault was.

Thanks to all for the input and advice. Most appreciated. Much of my in-depth X10 experience has gotten hazy over time. I looked back and I did these installs in the 2000-2001 timeframe when I had a major renovation of front hall and front porch.

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