LOR S5 control of Insteon?

[CKSedg]

Last year I found out that  LOR S5 does not support X10 devices, which changed my Insteon integration.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to control Insteon switches with LOR S5?  I want to have my regular porch lights and eave lights go off anytime my LOR lights go on.

I have a Universal-Devices ISY 994i which I can program, but how do I tell the ISY that the LOR lights are on?  Any ideas?  Anyone have experience with this?

Thanks!

[LOR Staff]

Look at using the shell command functions of the software.  If your Insteon controller has a command line program, you can call that from a sequence in a batch file.

http://www.lightorama.com/help/index.html?windows_shell_command.htm

[CKSedg]

Great idea that I hadn't thought about.

I just hope I can figure it out; I'm just learning the isy, and my old brain takes awhile to grasp new concepts. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, DevMike!

[k6ccc]

My solution is that the porch light is a channel on a LOR controller.  Bear in mind that I run a year round landscape lighting that are LOR controlled.  I just have the porch light on as part of the show.  For Christmas, I generally do have the porch light on, but I put a piece of cardboard in the light fixture so it illuminates the front porch, but is completely blocked to the street so it is not a bright light that is always on.  In this photo (taken during dusk) you can see the light fixture is illuminating the porch, but is not a bright spot towards the camera.

[CKSedg]

k6ccc,

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm not sure I could get cord from a LOR controller to my porch lights, since there is brick. I don't want it exposed on the exterior, so I've got to come up with another solution. Thanks for your input!

[k6ccc]

Understand.  In my case I have an AC controller in my attic and just intercepted the existing house wiring to the front porch light.

 

[CKSedg]

I solved the problem of having my LOR lights control my porch lights.

LightoRama

1. I made a sequence that controls only one channel in it, in my case channel 2.1
2. I put this sequence in every show I run, as a background sequence, so this channel will be on all the time any show is running.
3. From my controller (2.1), I run a cord to the coil of a 120 volt coil relay.
4. The other side of the relay is a "dry contact" (no voltage).

Insteon/ISY

1. The cord from the "dry contact" goes to the "ground" and "sense" terminals on an I/O link (Insteon #2450). When the LOR channel sends power to the relay, it in effect "shorts" the ground and sense terminals on the I/O Link, signalling it to turn on. Removing the power from the relay turn the I/O link off.
2. I program the ISY using three different programs.
   1. LightoRama turns on:
      • If 'Outside/LightoRama - Sensor' is switched On
      • Then Set 'Outside/Eaves' Off
      • Else no actions
   2. LightoRama turns off (a):
      • If 'Outside/LightoRama - Sensor' is switched Off
      • And time is from 11:00:00 PM to Sunrise - 30 minutes (next day)
      • Then Set 'Outside/Eaves' On 25%
      • Else no actions
   3. LightoRama turns off (b):
      • If 'Outside/LightoRama - Sensor' is switched Off
      • And time is from Sunset + 1 second to 11:00:00 PM (same day)
      • Then set 'Outside/Eaves' On
      • Else no actions

I don't know if anyone else is interested, but I was thrilled to get an automated way to turn my outside lights off when LightoRama comes on!