Larry Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 This should be simple, but the answer is escaping me. I have a (brand new, just recently installed) C4 Wireless Outlet Dimmer, with a lamp plugged into it. My dealer did the "learning" and named the two outlets (that you plug things into) Device 11 and Device 12. I am using Device 11. It often works perfectly (using a custom button I programmed), but it sometimes just stops responding. It comes back on its own, but if I unplug it and plug it back in, or hit the reset button on the top, it will come back instantly. When it is not responding, I am not able to turn it on from main Monitoring screen of Composer HE (that is why I know it is not my remote or programming that is wrong). How can I see what's wrong -- why isn't there a message that says "can't communicate with device" (then I would know it's a mesh problem) or alternatively "device not responding" (then I would know the device is bad or flaky). Seems elementary, but I can't locate any messages. They must be SOMEWHERE in Composer HE, can anyone give me clue? I only see this pop-up information: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic30101 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Never used HE so i am not sure if it has Network Tools in the Tools tab but in there is zigbee network and in the node you can see the dropped packets to stat with troubleshooting. If you move the outlet dimmer closer to the controller that is the primary Zigbee Server or ZAP does it help the reliability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 11, 2017 Author Share Posted May 11, 2017 Thanks! Well unfortunately Composer HE Tools tab does not seem to have performance info on the ZigBee network. I guess I will have to get the dealer's tech back here. I will try moving the outlet-dimmer closer to the C4 controller, good tip! I can't move the lamp, but I'll use some other lamp for testing. How about the inexpensive ZigBee sniffers out there, under $40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ER7aK81lU. Any chance it would work with a C4 system, and that it could be used to find and isolate dropped packets? On reflection I think having someone here to run Composer Pro is a better idea, but I thought I'd ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatheed Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 11, 2017 Author Share Posted May 11, 2017 Sure, as I said in my original post, that often works to restore functionality. But what's the point of remote control for a lamp if you have to walk over to the lamp to "reset" the C4 outlet all the time? X10 works better than that! I am seriously thinking of replacing the C4 outlet with an old-fashioned X10 outlet, and use the tiny X10 key-chain remote -- I have dozens of old X10 junk devices in a box in the basement. I am going to set up a temporary lamp with the outlet right by the EA-5 and see if this is a ZigBee connectivity issue, as suggested by @sonic30101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Thanks! Well unfortunately Composer HE Tools tab does not seem to have performance info on the ZigBee network. I guess I will have to get the dealer's tech back here. That composer pro instance could be run remotely by your dealer. Save a truck roll. Sent from my E6603 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 I only get good results when I make the dealer's tech sit next to me at the kitchen table and I watch and direct while the tech "runs" Pro on his laptop. And the one fellow who actually had some Composer skills left the dealer. The remaining staff has not been to C4 training school, the owner won't send them even though they said they would pay the fee out of their own pockets. And I can't switch dealers (of course I will eventually) since this one owes me work I have paid for. This choice of dealer was forced on us by the builder of the community, he had an exclusive arrangement during construction (since during that phase we didn't actually own the house, nothing we could do, these are not really custom homes where we get to spec anything, and they were plenty of other buyers if we tried to negotiate anything -- zero leverage -- and since this is a very unique site in our part of the world we really didn't want to live anywhere else). Quite the pickle. Other home owners who were smarter than me did not pay for work in advance and have switched dealers post-installation, or did not elect the C4 option at all after hearing horror stories, or installed after the close using a different dealer, with the walls already up, painful. I think maybe the best plan is to switch for a short while, get some work done, then switch back to the original dealer as I press to get everything I paid for finished. I might try the original dealer one last time for the ZigBee analysis, we'll see, Thanks so much for the post, the help, and the concern. Without this forum, which answers my questions all the time, immediately, or has already answered an identical question in a post I find through search, I would have been a most unhappy C4 homeowner. As it is, I am very happy with C4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 With team viewer a second dealer can remote on to your network and do the work with you looking over their virtual shoulder Also get your zigbee onto ch 25. No WiFi interference. Less dropped pocketed and better performance. Sent from my E6603 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 Is there a way to set ZigBee to Channel 25 in Composer HE? I couldn't find it. Or some other utility. I moved all the WiFi I can control to 5 GhZ, but there's still 2.4 GHz phones and neighboring strong WiFi on 2.4 GHz. Channel 25 sounds like the answer. Like the virtual shoulder idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMHarman Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Is there a way to set ZigBee to Channel 25 in Composer HE? I couldn't find it. Or some other utility. I moved all the WiFi I can control to 5 GhZ, but there's still 2.4 GHz phones and neighboring strong WiFi on 2.4 GHz. Channel 25 sounds like the answer. Like the virtual shoulder idea! Nope but your dealer can do it remotely in about 123 seconds Sent from my E6603 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VINCELdUB Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Nope but your dealer can do it remotely in about 123 seconds Sent from my E6603 using Tapatalk Larry, I would be happy to connect to your system for a small coffee fee and help you decipher this issue. Remote desktop session is one of the nest options. This along with a voice chat is basically the same thing. Drop me a line with PM or vince@theexpectedresult.ca. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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