Insteon Dual Motion Sensor Application

DIY

Member
Greetings,
 
I have a scenario that I'm trying to build with Insteon devices and my ISY99. I've almost got it working the way I'd like but not quite 100%. Any assistance would be appreciated.
 
The area in question is my stairwell into my basment laundry room. You access this area from either the stairwell or an apartment that is downstairs past the laundry room. There is no easy line of sight that covers both the stairwell and the laundry room effectively with only one PIR so I've purchased and installed 2 Wireless PIR 2842-222 sensors. I have 3 separate lighting circuits, both of which are controlled by independent SwitchLinc 2477S switches (one in the stairwell and two in the laundry room).
 
So the scenario is that I have 2 motion sensor controllers that I want to have jointly control a scene that contains 3 switches (or I could configure it to manage the devices directly).
 
This works pretty well for the most part using a simple ISY Program that detects motion on either PIR and then turns on both switches, waits 10 minutes and then turns them both off. The problem I have is if I happen to be in the laundry room for (gasp) more than 10 minutes. In this case the lights shut off and sometimes won't turn back on for 30 seconds or more despite lots of movement. What I'd like to see is a shorter timer (30 seconds) but if EITHER motion sensor detects motion during that time then the counter basically would reset. This means when I'm just passing through the lights are only on for 30 seconds, but if I happen to be in the room for 20 minutes the lights won't shut off. Does anybody have any suggestions how I could make this work a bit better than how I currently have it?
 
The problem seems to be that I'm trying to use 2 sensors to manage the responders. I've enabled jumper 5 on both motion sensors so that I can manage them using the ISY GUI.
 
Thanks.
 
I did not. :)
 
Lots of good examples there. I'll dig through them and try a few and report back on the results. Thanks!
 
az1324,
 
Thanks again for the pointer. I followed one of the examples on that wiki (2nd one as I recall) and modified it just a bit to suit my purposes. I'm still in the testing phase but so far it seems to be working exactly like I wanted. The PIRs themselves are on a 30 second timeout and then the program adds 1 more minute, which of course I can adjust. Below is the program as I've implemented it in case anybody else wishes to do something similar. Feedback is welcome.
 
If
    (
        Control 'Back Door PIR-SensorSensor' is switched On
         Or control 'Laundry Room PIR-Sensor' is switched On
    )
    And Control 'Back Door PIR-SensorSensor' is not switched Off
    And Control 'Laundry Room PIR-Sensor' is not switched Off
Then
    Set 'Back Door - Bottom of Stairs' On
    Set 'Back Stairs 3-way (Up)' On
Else
    Wait 1 minute
    Set 'Back Door - Bottom of Stairs' Off
    Set 'Back Stairs 3-way (Up)' Off
 
I prefer to set up my motion sensors in such a way that they no longer send OFF commands.  I include motion sensors in no scenes, relying exlusively on programs to control response and timing.  The only downside to this approach, as near as I can tell, is a slight delay in the lights responding to motion, due to the additional time it takes for programs to execute.
 
In your case, I would also create a scene that includes "back door-bottom of stairs" and "back stairs 3-way (up)"
 
Using this approach, I would create a program such as:
 
 
If
    Control 'Back Door PIR-SensorSensor' is switched On
    Or control 'Laundry Room PIR-Sensor' is switched On

Then
    Set scene
"newly created" on
         wait some period of time
         Set scene "newly created' off
Else
 
All things being equal, your program will work as well.  The advantage, I believe, of mine is that you never have to make adjustments to the motion sensors if you want to change the timing, and that the lights will go off even should there be a communication failure from the motion sensors.  Your program logic is slightly different, as well.  If one of your sensors sends an OFF command (even if the other is detecting motion), it will trigger your timer and turn off the lights.  Mine, on the other hand, will keep the lights on even if only one motion sensor detects motion.  I will leave it to you to decide which set of conditions is better.
 
    
 
Oberkc,
 
These are great points. I'm starting to notice how Programs can take an extra half-second or so to respond, and I do notice there is a slight delay between when my first light comes on and my second. Given the approach we both seem to like (of using a program for this) then maybe a scene will be slightly faster. I too like the idea of controlling as much as possible in the ISY Program rather than relying on and configuring the motion sensors. And finally, thanks for noting the error in the logic as I'd written it. I definitely want the lights to stay on if EITHER motion sensor detects motion. I'm going to modify my program to align with your suggestions. Thanks again!
 
Back
Top