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[IPS]

Brobin
Did you get the info?

[IPS]

No
What info?

[Brian H]

IPS;

2412U and 2413U. Are the Smarthome part numbers for the USB version of their PLM.
2412U is USB power line only PLM. 2413U is the USB Dual Band PLM.

Smartenit gets their base PLM from Smarthome. The PLM I got with my P2 kit PLM was labeled with the Smarthome 2412U label on it.

Some of their other modules. Are built on the base Smarthome  PLM main board with a custom daughter board replacing the normally found serial port or USB board.

[IPS]

Thanks Brian H.

[brobin]

The 2412U or 2413U are Insteon PLMs that handle both X10 and Insteon.  When you ordered the P2 that was the one to select and hence the $60 price.  You should return the Insteon Stick and have them send you the 2412U PLM.  I have a P2 and 2412U PLM and it works perfectly.  Once you plug in the 2412U everything you've set up on the P2 will work.

[Brian H]

Sounds like you got a 2448A7. Insteon USB portable PLM.
Smarenit is correct. It does not do X10 and is Insteon 915MHz RF only.

[brobin]

That's exactly what he got.  In doing some troubleshooting with him yesterday I assumed he had the 2412U and suggested that he try a different USB cable.  That's when he mentioned he had an Insteon stick and sent me a photo.  As soon as he gets his 2412U he'll be up and running.

[brobin]

Just to be clear for anybody looking to buy a Smartenit Harmony P2 (or G2), you want to buy it with the "Add Insteon/X10 with powerline only PLM" option ($59.99 for the P2 and PLM bundled) as pictured below unless you already have a 2412U or 2413U on hand.  If you have a a 2412S/2413S that'll work too with a serial to USB adapter. 
https://smartenit.com/product/harmony-p2/

[soxfan1966]

I purchased a Smartenit Harmony P2 with the x10 PLM module about a month ago.
I bought this to use for controlling my x10 devices with Alexa via the Alexa Skill.
It works, however the unit - not sure if it's the Harmony P2 or the PLM - seems to freeze up once every day or two.
By freeze, I mean it stops responding to commands from Alexa and in the android app it's not showing activity. I've noticed here and there also that the light on the P2 is red and eventually goes back to green, not sure if that is related or not. I have the internet cable for the P2 plugged into an 8 port network switch, and all the other devices on that switch work with no problems.

I have 2 other x10 receivers (RF version) that are working fine.

If I unplug the usb cable from the back of the P2, wait about 15 seconds, and then plug it back in it seems to go back to working until the next time it freezes.

Not sure what the problem could be - any suggestions for a solution would be most appreciated.

Thanks

[brobin]

A couple of questions to help diagnose the problem:

1. Can you verify that you are running 3.15.0-14 software? On the Dashboard the first device is the Smartenit-HarmonyP2. Tap the '>' to the right of that and you'll see the software version.  Tapping 'UPDATES' will verify that you're running the latest version or offer an update.  If you don't have the latest there may be multiple updates to get to 3.15.0-14.

2. When you tap a device on the app or tell Alexa to turn something on or off do you see the LED on the PLM flicker?

3. Just for fun, try a different Ethernet cable and, since unplugging the USB cable seems to help, a new USB cable (you may have one from a printer lying around).

Let me know what you find and we'll go from there.

[soxfan1966]

Good morning. 

Good questions, I should have added some of that info.  Yes, I checked the app and the software on the Smartenit P2 is 3.15.0-14.  In regards to the led light on the PLM, when my commands from Alex or the app work, I can see the led light blink.  When it does not work, the light does not blink - which is when I unplug the usb cable wait a bit and then plug it back in.

I am using the cat 5 cable and the usb cable provided with the unit, I believe there was something in the tech doc about the cat 5 cable being wired a certain way, which is why I am using the one they provided.  I may have a different usb cable I can use, I will check and try that.

I'm wondering if there is something with the P2 and the other x10 receivers I have causing issues with each other - I recall there being some sort of issue with the x10 TM units if you had more than one of each house code or something like that.  Not sure, just a thought.  I also have an X10 PLM unit attached to my PiX10Hub, but that one seems OK / reliable as I can use the HomeGenie App to toggle devices even when the P2 is in its frozen mode.

The P2 unit and the Alexa app seem more reliable than the prior methods I have tried - I don't get the Alexa error that the device is not responding, things just seem to get bottlenecked on the P2 (or the PLM) is frozen.

[petera]

What might be an idea is to outline exactly what your setup is hardware and software wise. The fact that your issue is intermittent it is going to be a process of elimination to track this one down. It’s either a single or a combination of issues that’s causing this.

Start by removing Alexa from the equation and continue the process in that manner. Maybe seeing your complete setup documented will help identify where the possible conflict lies. I’m thinking you’ve quite a few intermediaries involved passing an on/off command to your X10 devices.

[brobin]

Good morning. 

Good questions, I should have added some of that info.  Yes, I checked the app and the software on the Smartenit P2 is 3.15.0-14.  In regards to the led light on the PLM, when my commands from Alex or the app work, I can see the led light blink.  When it does not work, the light does not blink - which is when I unplug the usb cable wait a bit and then plug it back in.

I am using the cat 5 cable and the usb cable provided with the unit, I believe there was something in the tech doc about the cat 5 cable being wired a certain way, which is why I am using the one they provided.  I may have a different usb cable I can use, I will check and try that.

I'm wondering if there is something with the P2 and the other x10 receivers I have causing issues with each other - I recall there being some sort of issue with the x10 TM units if you had more than one of each house code or something like that.  Not sure, just a thought.  I also have an X10 PLM unit attached to my PiX10Hub, but that one seems OK / reliable as I can use the HomeGenie App to toggle devices even when the P2 is in its frozen mode.

The P2 unit and the Alexa app seem more reliable than the prior methods I have tried - I don't get the Alexa error that the device is not responding, things just seem to get bottlenecked on the P2 (or the PLM) is frozen.

There's nothing special about the Ethernet cable as I use my own with no problem.  It appears there's something going on with the link between the P2 and the PLM.  The other X10 devices you have in the house are not a factor... I have all manner of X10 stuff too and no issues.  I'd try changing both cables first starting with the USB for the first test.  You might also try clearing the memory in the PLM by doing this:

"To reset the PowerLinc Controller USB to its original factory setting, unplug it from the wall outlet and wait
10 seconds. Press and hold its SET button while plugging it back in and continue holding the SET button for 3 seconds
and release. After several seconds, the Status LED will turn on, indicating a reset is complete."

Another test would be to open the app and watch to see if the green circle around a device turns on and off in response to Alexa commands. If it does, but the PLM LED doesn't flicker, then that indicates that the P2 is connected to the internet correctly but can't talk to the PLM.  Sometimes PLM's leave the factory with test programming embedded in their memory which has been known to cause issues.  I'm hoping that clearing the memory and/or the USB cable is the solution.

So to summarize;
1) Reset PLM to factory defaults and test;
2) Change USB cable and test;
3) Change Ethernet cable and test;
4) Observe the green circle on a device in the app during each test.

Looking forward to hearing the results.

[petera]

Good morning. 

Good questions, I should have added some of that info.  Yes, I checked the app and the software on the Smartenit P2 is 3.15.0-14.  In regards to the led light on the PLM, when my commands from Alex or the app work, I can see the led light blink.  When it does not work, the light does not blink - which is when I unplug the usb cable wait a bit and then plug it back in.

I am using the cat 5 cable and the usb cable provided with the unit, I believe there was something in the tech doc about the cat 5 cable being wired a certain way, which is why I am using the one they provided.  I may have a different usb cable I can use, I will check and try that.

I'm wondering if there is something with the P2 and the other x10 receivers I have causing issues with each other - I recall there being some sort of issue with the x10 TM units if you had more than one of each house code or something like that.  Not sure, just a thought.  I also have an X10 PLM unit attached to my PiX10Hub, but that one seems OK / reliable as I can use the HomeGenie App to toggle devices even when the P2 is in its frozen mode.

The P2 unit and the Alexa app seem more reliable than the prior methods I have tried - I don't get the Alexa error that the device is not responding, things just seem to get bottlenecked on the P2 (or the PLM) is frozen.

There's nothing special about the Ethernet cable as I use my own with no problem.  It appears there's something going on with the link between the P2 and the PLM.  The other X10 devices you have in the house are not a factor... I have all manner of X10 stuff too and no issues.  I'd try changing both cables first starting with the USB for the first test.  You might also try clearing the memory in the PLM by doing this:

"To reset the PowerLinc Controller USB to its original factory setting, unplug it from the wall outlet and wait
10 seconds. Press and hold its SET button while plugging it back in and continue holding the SET button for 3 seconds
and release. After several seconds, the Status LED will turn on, indicating a reset is complete."

Another test would be to open the app and watch to see if the green circle around a device turns on and off in response to Alexa commands. If it does, but the PLM LED doesn't flicker, then that indicates that the P2 is connected to the internet correctly but can't talk to the PLM.  Sometimes PLM's leave the factory with test programming embedded in their memory which has been known to cause issues.  I'm hoping that clearing the memory and/or the USB cable is the solution.

So to summarize;
1) Reset PLM to factory defaults and test;
2) Change USB cable and test;
3) Change Ethernet cable and test;
4) Observe the green circle on a device in the app during each test.

Looking forward to hearing the results.

I'm not a Harmony user but one thing that caught my attention was the OP mentioned the PiX10 hub formed part of his setup. I'd be interested to see exactly what role the PiX10 hub plays between Alexa and the actual X10 devices assuming a CM15 is being deployed here. You'd have more knowledge of how the Harmony hub interacts with a CM15. I'm assuming the harmony hub combined with an X10 controller would be a standalone X10 solution.

Maybe the OP could take a closer look at his PiX10 hub for possible conflicts with his setup. Testing the Harmony hub in conjunction with Alexa as a standalone setup could rule out problems with the harmony hub. Not knowing what the OP has installed on the PiX10 hub I can only hazard a guess at this stage.

Maybe a few more specifics on the setup would help here. Are you a PiX10 user yourself.

[brobin]

Those are good thoughts petera.  The only thing the P2 is doing is telling the PLM to send X10 commands. The PLM is like the CM-15a or a TW-523 in that it sends and receives X10 codes so, other than that, there's no interaction with the CM-15a or hub.  It really wouldn't be any different from a mini controller's signals. 
While I'm not using a PiHub, I do use a Stargate which does X10 through my XTB-IIR.  In fact, the P2 doesn't control any X10 devices directly in my set up.  It sends X10 signals that trigger the Stargate to run events.  For example, I tell Alexa "It's dark in here," and Alexa tells the P2, which tells the PLM to send N1-On.  The Stargate sees N1 go on and sends the appropriate codes to turn on four lamps with different codes and dim settings.  When I tell Alexa to "turn off office lamps," The P2/PLM sends N1-Off and the Stargate turns off the four lamps.  The Stargate can also control relays (to open and close garage doors) and send serial messages (to arm/disarm the alarm or talk to a Hunter-Douglas shade controller) all of which can be triggered by Alexa telling the P2 to send X10 codes to trigger the Stargate.  I've set aside the entire N Housecode for this purpose and am using 14 unit codes presently.  An example of "mixed protocols" is when I say "Alexa, good morning," when I wake up.  That triggers the P2 to send N6-On which tells the Stargate to disarm the alarm and raise the blackout shades in the bedroom. Depending on time of day, it'll also turn on some X10 controlled lamps.

I'm looking forward to Soxfan1966's test results.