Installing, Setting Up & Linking Insteon Devices in House Check

Note: If you haven't already, read Network Planning and Hub Setup for Insteon.

This article is an overview of more detailed Insteon-specific knowledge that can be useful when setting up devices in House Check.

Insteon Basics

In general, it is important to understand the following when setting up Insteon devices.

Insteon is a Mesh Network

Insteon is a communication protocol that forms a form of mesh network, in which each mains/AC-powered device repeats all messages its gets from other devices in the network. This means that unlike Wi-Fi devices, which always communicate directly with the Hub, Insteon devices may communicate with the Hub indirectly, by sending messages which are forwarded by neighbors along to the Hub.

Insteon is a Dual-Band Network.

Insteon mains/AC-powered devices communicate both wirelessly as well as through Power-line communication. Thus, any device in the Insteon network which is mains/AC-powered can communicate directly with the Devicebook Hub through the reliable and high-range powerline. In addition, any wireless Insteon devices which are placed near such a mains/AC-powered device will have good communication with the Devicebook Hub, since their messages will be picked up by the repeater, and forwarded along the powerline to the Hub.

Insteon Installation Considerations

Insteon networks can navigate around dense building materials such as concrete and brick, and also connect far parts of the home such as detached garages. For more information on designing a robust Insteon network, see the appropriate sections in Network & Device Positioning Planning.

Insteon Device Setup

Insteon Devices need to be added to the Insteon Network before they function. Unlike Z-Wave devices, Insteon Devices can be set up in any order to get the benefit of the mesh network.

You should set up Insteon devices and link them to the Home Controller in the same way you do most other devices: find the device in House Check, tap the 'Set Up' Button., and follow the instructions.

In general, once you tap 'Set Up', the setup process for Insteon Devices will look like this:

1. Make sure the device is powered on.

2. Press and hold the device's SET button until it beeps or LED flashes. (This adds the device to the network)

3. Wait for up to a minute for Devicebook to discover the device.

4. Press the Next Button to proceed to linking the device to the Home Controller.

Common Setup & Link Issues

Wireless Insteon Devices may not always be set up properly. Here are some common problems and resolutions:

Insteon Device beeped/flashed during setup step, but does not appear as a candidate, even after several minutes.

Most likely, the device did not complete its pairing process. Follow the device's instructions to reset it to factory defaults it, and then set it up again.

Insteon Device was paired and appeared as a candidate, but no event is coming from them device during the linking step.

Most likely, the device did not complete its pairing process. Follow the device's instructions to reset it to factory defaults, and then set it up again.

Insteon Device was set up and linked as expected, but during normal operation in the smart home, events from the device take more than 30 seconds to be reflected in the Home Controller.

If events from the device (Such as a switch turning on/off, motion detection, or other events) take more than thirty seconds to be reflected in the Home Controller, there is likely an issue with the way the device was set up.

Reset the device to factory defaults, and set it up again.