Recent content by smcdonal

I looked briefly into alternatives but it is hard to find the rich automation integration options Somfy provides. If I had to do it over again, I would probably have gone with 120v motors, but I'm only assuming they would be more reliable....

Hi, sorry to bump such an old thread but I just happen to find my way back here after a few years and one more kid. Just wanted to confirm that I was able to integrate the ELK M1 serial interface to the Somfy 1810872 URTSI-II Universal RTS 16 channel device. I was able to use the power pin...

  Hi Del,        Yes, it literally goes straight to alarming the moment after I punch in the last digit of my alarm code.  If anything, I would have expected a disarming countdown.  This alarm condition also gets called in to the CS and I have to answer the phone and confirm the alarm.   There...

  Hi Mike,       It would be nice to keep it simple that way if it were just me but for the wife and kids it is not quite as simple.  ;)  I have set the force-armable flag.  I guess I completely overlooked that flag and forgot the meaning of it.  Thank you!  I'll give it a shot.     I will take...

  I look forward to increased competition!  :)

  All general home wiring (romex) have a white, black and bare wire, but that doesn't mean they are always attached to the neutral power feed from the breaker box.  The most common annoying case is that power is wired to the light fixture first and then only the hot (black) continues on to the...

  Well, interestingly, all eight of my Somfy blinds stopped working properly over time.  Six died about the same time after about 3 years with similar symptoms.  Unfortunately, two of the blinds that were used much less frequently, died just after their 5 year warranty.  The vendor repaired the...

Hi,       I've been having the strangest problem over the last several years that has been nagging me and I'm hoping someone here has seen or provide some insight on.  I would be eternally grateful!  :)   Basically, the problem occurs during arming in the split second after punching in the last...

Taking a quick look at the blinds.com site it does seem like some of the motorized options might be by Somfy based.  The options are similar to the available Somfy options and there are references to Somfy in the general motorized blind information section.  It would be nice if they specified...

I went with Somfy based motorized blinds with a remote.  A 24V based motor was recommended to me based on my available wiring and bang for buck.  It would be best to pick a manufacturer and go from there to determine your exact requirements as suggested above.  Failing that, my blind installer...

Hi,      This is a great topic.  I was just about to post a question along pretty much the exact same lines.  I think my situation is similar to yours Mike. My setup is an Elk M1 with UPB lighting.  I want to add Zwave door locks and I'm also trying to decide if I go with the Vera or the Elk...

  I am thinking of adding Z-Wave locks to my config so I decided to give the new firmware a try and upgraded it last night.  Turns out it upgraded my boot version as well.  Its not that I needed the update to use Z-Wave... I just have a habit of refreshing everything before I make major changes...

  I'll try disabling my NTP servers before the next time sync and see how it goes in the fall.  It might be failing because the ELK is doing the math incorrectly when applying local time to the NTP server's returned time.   I've been ignoring it for years now as it usually corrects itself after...

Mine has the same problem.  I sync with an NTP server as well as having the ELK M1 configured for DST.  I run the 5.2.4 code.  For me, right after the DST change, my M1 stays 1 hour out for a few weeks and then it sorts itself out.  I update my NTP time at 4:05 am just avoid any missed or...

I have an Elk M1 panel with 40 SA UPB switches and its been pretty reliable for me over the last 5 years.  It has been really reliable for me in general.  The only problems I had were the odd switch losing its programming (3 times, different switches) and I have a noisy Panasonic microwave which...