INSTEON 2410S User Manual

SeriaLinc

Model : 2410S

INSTEON® to 2-Way R S-232 Serial Converter

SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT SERIALINC ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Key SeriaLinc Features ............................................................................................................................. 3

What is Included with SeriaLinc ................................................................................................................ 3

System Requirements ............................................................................................................................... 3

WHAT IS INSTEON? .................................................................................................................................... 4

INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Preparing to Install SeriaLinc..................................................................................................................... 4

Creating a CSV File ................................................................................................................................... 5

Installing SeriaLinc .................................................................................................................................... 6

ADVANCED FEATURES ............................................................................................................................. 7

Restoring Power to SeriaLinc .................................................................................................................... 7

Resetting SeriaLinc to its Factory Default Settings ................................................................................... 7

ABOUT INSTEON ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Using Dual-Band INSTEON Devices to Upgrade Your Network ............................................................... 7

Important Note about INSTEON Networks; Split Single-Phase vs. 3-Phase Installation.......................... 8

Further Enhancing Reliability .................................................................................................................... 8

TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................................................................................. 8

SeriaLinc Support ...................................................................................................................................... 8

SPECIFICATIONS, CERTIFICATION, AND WARRANTY .......................................................................... 9

Specifications ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Certification ................................................................................................................................................ 9

Limited Warranty ....................................................................................................................................... 9

SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

Set

Status

Serial outlet

Pass-through

ABOUT SERIALINC

With SeriaLinc, now you can connect serial and/or RS-232 compatible devices to your INSTEON network.
From whole-home audio to security system s to automation controll ers, you can now k eep the equipment
you already own and take advantage of a reliable INSTEON network. SeriaLinc is a 2-way serial, so it can
be used to control RS-232 devices or control INSTEON devices via RS-232 commands.

outlet

button

LED

Key SeriaLinc Features

• Controls most serial (RS-232) controllable devices fr om any INSTEON Controller by downloading a
user-customized setup file

• Controls INSTEON scenes and devices using a serial command from most serial devices

• Supports a variety of INSTEON commands – ON/OFF, BRIGHT/DIM, FAST ON/FAST OFF

• Two-year warranty

What is Included with SeriaLinc

• SeriaLinc – INSTEON to RS-232 Serial Converter

• RJ-45 (male) to DB-9 (female) serial cable

• Null modem adapter

• Free software download

• Quick-Start Guide

System Requirements

• Windows 2000, XP, or Vista (32-bit)

• 15MB free disk space

• Minimum 128MB RAM

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SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

WHAT IS INSTEON?

Since its inception in 2005, INSTEON has become a best-selling home-control networking technology,
offering more reliability and flexibility than any other home management system on the market. INSTEON
systems are sim ple, reliable, a nd affor dable. Simple, because each device tak es mere minutes to install.
Reliable, because ever y INST EON dev ice work s as a network repeater, e nsurin g your c omm ands will not
be lost. Affordable, bec ause INST EON can be int egrated i nto any num ber of devic es easil y and at a very
low cost. An INSTEON home grows in value with each added INSTEON device, making life more
convenient, safe, and fun.

How Does INSTEON Work?

What makes INSTEON the most reliable home automation network is its dual-mesh network. INSTEON
devices use both radio frequency (RF) signals and the home’s existing wiring to talk to each other. In an
INSTEON network, every INSTEON device also acts as a repeater, receiving and sending every message to all
other devices in the network. So by integrating more INSTEON devices you will strengthen the network and
ensure no commands will be lost.

No central controller or networking setup is required with an INSTEON network. Simply install your devices and
then use a series of button presses or taps to Link your devices together. Throughout this Owner’s Manual, you
may see the terms “Controller” or “Responder”. These generic INSTEON terms refer to the components of an
INSTEON scene, and are used on a scene-by-scene basis.

• Controller – sends INSTEON commands to other devices

• Responder – reacts to commands sent out by another INSTEON device

An INSTEON device may act as a Controller, Responder, or sometimes both.
INSTEON networks are also extremely secure. Each INSTEON device is assigned a unique INSTEON ID, so

unless neighbors or would-be hackers have access to your particular device’s INSTEON ID, they won’t be able
to control your home, even if they are using similar products.

INSTALLATION

Preparing to Install SeriaLinc

CAUTION

Read and understand these instructions before installing and retain them for future reference.
SeriaLinc is inten de d f or ins tall ati on in ac c ordance with the Nation al El ec tric Cod e and loc a l reg ul ati ons in

the United States or the Canadian Electrical C ode and local regulations in Canada. Use indoors only.
SeriaLinc is not designed nor approved for use on power lines other than 120V 60Hz, single phase.
Attempting to use SeriaLinc on non-approved power lines may have hazardous consequences.

Prior to installing SeriaLinc, please review the entire installation procedure and take the following
precautions:

• Use indoors or in a properly insulated and weatherproof electrical box only

• Don’t plug SeriaLinc into an outlet controlled by a switch bec ause if the switch is inadvertently

turned off, SeriaLinc won’t have power

• Don’t plug SeriaLinc into a filtered power strip or AC filter

• Don’t stack INSTEON home automation devices together by plugging them into each other.

Stacked devices may overheat and stop function ing. Also avoid using the pas s -thr ough out lets on
INSTEON devices for other heat-generating power supplies.

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SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

• Some computers and their accessories can absorb S eriaLinc signals off the power lines . Since

SeriaLinc will be so close t o the computer, us e a Smarthome Filter Linc (#1626) or f iltered power
strip for the computer to keep the SeriaLinc signals from getting absorbed by the computer
equipment.

• If the computer’s serial por t is shared with another hard ware device (scanner, PDA, etc.), be sure

to turn off the device’s program on the PC. If left run ning, the home aut omation soft ware will not
be able to communicate with SeriaLinc.

If you have any questions, please call:

INSTEON Gold Support Line

800-762-7845

Creating a CSV File

The SeriaLinc Downloader takes CSV files with the following formatting as input:

• First line – b aud rate of the device. It should c ontain the baud rate preceded by the ‘#’ symbol.

Allowable baud rates are: #240 0, #4800, #9600, #1 4400, #19200, #2 8800, #38400, # 57600, and
#115200.

Example Line:
#9600

• Some number of lines defining the serial translation in the following format:

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
Line entries are defined as:
[1] – either ‘0’ (INSTEON to serial), ‘1’ (serial to INSTEON ON), or ‘2’ (serial to INSTEON OFF)
[2] – INSTEON ID, which is printed on SeriaLinc’s label in the XX.XX.XX format

NOTE: This entry is ignored for serial to INSTEON commands.
[3] – group number (1 – 255, or in hex format 0x00 to 0xFF)
[4] – either ‘ON’ (respond to ON), OFF (respond to OFF), ON BRIGHT (ON as well as Start

Bright), OFF DIM (OFF as well as Dim), FAST ON, FAST OFF, BRIGHT (incremental

bright, sent from ControLincs, RemoteLincs, and SmartLincs)
[5] – Seria l data, e ither as quoted tex t, such as *Z01O N/r , or spac ed hex b ytes, s uch as 01 01 03

0A
INSTEON to serial, id: 01.01.03, group 1, respond to on, ASCII command from device 0,

01.02.03, 1, on, “Z01ON”
NOTE: Lines with blank space and lines where the first character is a semicolon will be ignored.
;comment line ignored by software

Example CSV File

Test_01.csv

#9600
1, , 1, on, “Test group 1 on”
2, , 1, off, “Test group 1 off”/r”

Download the test CSV file at: http://www.insteon.net/software/serialincdownloader/test_01.csv

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SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

1) You will need a CSV file with your serial codes to downloa d the SeriaLinc Downloader Application.

3) Plug SeriaLinc into an electrical outlet (make sure SeriaLinc will be

6) In the SeriaLinc Downloader application, open the CSV file

8) Choose the com port SeriaLinc is connected to

10) When prompted, unplug SeriaLinc and plug it back in, making

11) Close the SeriaLinc Downloader application

Installing SeriaLinc

See Creating a CSV File.

2) Download the SeriaLinc Downloader application at:

http://www.insteon.net/software/serialincdownloader/serialinc_1_0_0_32.application

able to reach your computer with the included serial cable or use an
extension cord)

4) Tap the Set button on SeriaLinc to enter Configuration Mode

The SeriaLinc Status LED will begin blinking

5) Connect SeriaLinc to your computer using the included serial cable

7) Devices that are respondin g to serial codes (defined as 1 in the CS V file) will need to be Linked to
SeriaLinc according to their defined group number (third parameter on the same line in the CSV file)

A) Click the appropriate button on the right side of the application interface for SeriaLinc to

enter the defined group’s Linking Mode
B) Press & hold the Responder’s Set button for 3 seconds
C) Repeat steps A and B as needed

9) Select “Download to SeriaLinc”

sure not to tap the Set button

The SeriaLinc Status LED will stop blinking

12) Plug SeriaLinc into your RS-232 device using the included null
modem adapter

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SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

ADVANCED FEATURES

Restoring Power to SeriaLinc

SeriaLinc stores all of its settings, such as Links to other INSTEON devices, etc., with non-volatile
memory. Because set tings are saved in t his non-volatile memory, they will not be lost in the event of a
power failure.

Resetting SeriaLinc to its Factory Default Settings

The factory reset proced ure can be used to clear the SeriaLinc m emory and restore its factory default
settings.

1) Unplug SeriaLinc for about 10 seconds

2) While holding do wn the Set button on SeriaLinc, pl ug it back in, making sure not to let go of the Set
button

3) Continue to hold down the Set button for 3 seconds and then release

After a few seconds, the SeriaLinc Status LED

will turn on

ABOUT INSTEON

Using Dual-Band INSTEON Devices to Upgrade Your Network

What are phases?

The majority of single-family homes in North America have two phases (or “legs”) of 110 Volts coming into
their electricity panels. From the panel, they are distributed throughout the home, providing power to
outlets and wall s witch es . Thes e p has es c ome together in some par ts of the h ome to provide 220 Vo lts of
power to large appliances, such as an electric oven or pool pump.

Why do I need to bridge these phases ?

Single-band power li ne devices send com mands via the home’s electr icity, but onl y on a single phase. If
the command is intended for a devic e on the opposite phase, there is a good chanc e the command will
go unnoticed. Instal ling dua l-band IN ST EON devices, such as Access Points (#2443), on each ph ase will
allow for devices to communicate between the two phases via RF.

Dual-band INSTEON devices embody the full potential of a true INSTEON mesh network. Taking the
power line band signal and working in conjunction with the RF band signa l, its dual-band functio n plays
out in two ways:

• Phase bridger – a receiver of comm ands , reacting to and tr ans lating s ignals s ent f rom one po wer

phase to the opposite via RF

• Signal repeater – a particip ant in an INSTEON networ k, repeating comm ands intended for other

devices whether those com mands are generate d from RF or pow er line-onl y devices. To ensure
reliability, every INSTEON device c onfirms that it has received a command. If a Controller does
not receive this confirmation, it will automatically retransmit the command up to five times.

While using at least one dual-band device is r equired when using an RF-on ly device, at least tw o dual­band devices are recommended to ensure reliable communication across two-phase home wiring
systems. For larger app lications, it is recom mended to install at l east one dual-band device for every 750
– 1,000 square feet.

Search for dual-band INST EO N devices at: www.smarthome.com/dualband

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SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

Important Note about INSTEON Networks; Split Single-Phase vs. 3-Phase Installation

For the best INST EON network per formance, be sure you have proper ly instal led at least tw o dual-band
INSTEON devices. INSTEON has only been officially tested in a split single-phase residential
environment but has been known to work in many 3-phase s ystems, where three dual-band d evices are
used (one on each phase). How ever, due to th e potentia l complex ity of its troubles hooting, the INST EON
Gold Support Line is unable to support INSTEON in 3-phase environments.

Further Enhancing Reliability

As signals travel via the power line or RF throughout the hom e, they naturall y becom e weaker the f arther
they travel. The best wa y to overc ome weakened signals is to i nc r ease th e c ov erage of the mesh network
by introducing more INSTEON devices.

It is possible that som e audio-video devices, computers, power strips, or other electrical equipment may
attenuate INSTEON signals on the power line. You can temporarily unplug suspected devices to test
whether the INSTEON signal improves . If it does, then you can plug in filters that will permanentl y fix the
problem.

TROUBLESHOOTING

SeriaLinc Support

Information

SeriaLinc is a Serial (RS-232) – INSTEON converter. It can translate INSTEON ON and OFF commands into
serial output strings to a connected device. It can also accept serial input strings from the remote device and
activate INSTEON Group ON and OFF commands. These serial commands will control devices such as Nuvo.

A PC and the SeriaLinc Downloader application are required to set up SeriaLinc.
To download to the device the user must connect the serial output of SeriaLinc to the serial port on their PC.

Within 4 seconds of power-up (before the LED turns on), the user should tap the Set button. This allows
SeriaLinc to enter Configuration Mode. After downloading to SeriaLinc, unplugging and then powering up
SeriaLinc and NOT tapping the Set button will activate the Serial Translation Mode. An included null modem
adapter is required to talk to most RS-232 devices. (NOTE: There is s a 50 byte limit from the device.)

Software

SeriaLinc Downloader
Download configuration files to SeriaLinc:

http://www.insteon.net/software/serialincdownloader/serialinc_1_0_0_32.application

Additional Software
Useful for testing RS-232

• Docklight – RS-232 Terminal / RS-232 Monitor: www.fuh-edv.de/docklight

Supported Devices

Known Supported USB → Serial Adapters for Setup

• Belkin F5U409 USB to Serial Adapter

• FTDI US232R-10 (RS-232 cables, US232R-10 USB to RS-232 Converter, 10 com)

Security

• HAI Security Panel (Omni)

• HAI Lighting Panel (Lumina)

• SecureLinc

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Audio

• Nuvo Systems including: Concerto, Grand Concerto, Essentia, Tuners

• HiFi by HAI

Automation

• Stargate

• Ocelot

• X10 (using 1132B)

• Rain8

IR

• Global Cache

A/V

• Blu-ray Player

• A/V Receiver

• Amplifier

• Media Center

SPECIFICATIONS, CERTIFICATION, AND WARRANTY

Specifications

View specifications for SeriaLinc at: www.smarthome.com/2410S.html

Certification

This product has been thoroughl y tested by ITS ETL SE MKO, a nationa lly recognized in dependent t hird­party testing laborator y. The North Am erican ET L Lis ted m ark s ignifies tha t the device has been tested to
and has met the requirements of a widely recognized consensus of U.S. and Canadian device safety
standards, that the manufacturing site has been audited, and that the manufacturer has agreed to a
program of quarterly factory follow-up inspections to verify continued conformance.

Limited Warranty

Seller warrants to the or iginal consum er purc haser of this produc t that, f or a p eriod of two years from the
date of purchase, this pr oduct will be free from defects in material and workm anship and will perform in
substantial conform ity to the desc ription of the product in this Owner’s Manual. T his warranty shall not
apply to defects or er rors caused b y misuse or neg lect. If the product is f ound to be def ective in m aterial
or workmanship, or if the product do es not p erf orm as warranted ab ove dur ing the warra nty peri od, Sel ler
will either re pa ir it, r ep lace it, or refund th e purc hase pr ice, at its optio n, upon r eceipt of the pr oduc t at the
address below, postage pr epaid, with proof of the date of purchas e and an explanation of the defect or
error. The repair, replacement, or refund that is provided for above shall be the full extent of Seller’s
liability with respect to this product. For repair or replacement during the warranty period, call the
INSTEON Gold Support Line at 800-762-7845 with t he Model # and Revision # of the device to receive
an RMA# and send the product, along with all other required materials to:

Smarthome, Inc.
ATTN: Receiving Dept.
16542 Millikan Ave.
Irvine, CA 92606-5027

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SeriaLinc Owner’s Manual

Limitations

The above warranty is in l ieu of and Seller disc laims all other warrant ies, wheth er oral or writt en, express
or implied, including any warranty or merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Any implied
warranty, including any warranty of m erchantability or f itness for a particular purpose, which m ay not be
disclaimed or supplanted as provided above shall be limited to the two-year of the express warranty
above. No other representation or claim of any nature by any person shall be binding upon Seller or
modify the terms of the above warranty and disclaimer.

Home automation devices have the risk of failure to operate, incorrect operation, or electrical or
mechanical tam pering. For optimal use, manuall y verify the device state. Any home autom ation device
should be viewed as a convenience, but not as a sole method for controlling your home.

In no event shall Seller be liable for special, incident al, consequential, or other dam ages resulting from
possession or use of this device, including without limitation damage to property and, to the extent
permitted by law, personal injury, even if Seller knew or should have known of the possibility of such
damages. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and/or the exclusion
or limitation of dam ages, in which c ase the abo ve lim itations and/or exclus ions m ay not app l y to you. You
may also have other legal rights that may vary from state to state.

INSTEON Technology Patent

U.S Patent No. 7,345,998, International patents pending

© Copyright 2011
Smarthome, 16542 Millikan Ave., Irvine, CA 92606, 800-762-7845, www.smarthome.com

Rev 03-14-2011

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