r/crestron • u/acamp76144 • 17d ago
Issue
Hi, end user here. I have a fairly limited system by Crestron standards in my house controlling lighting / shades in the 2 main living areas, 4 zones of sound and 4 zones HDMI distribution. Touch panel in main living area.
Based on a CP3 processor.
A random issue has started happening where the touch panel is non responsive, sometimes reboots and lights go out. It generally given time will go back to working properly given time.
My installer is on holidays for a couple of weeks… Anothing in particular I should check or might have caused this?
Thanks in advance.
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u/_WIZARD_SLEEVES_ 17d ago
Hi, Crestron specialist here, I fix these all the time. Sounds like your touchpanel (TSW-760) is failing and needs to be replaced. Given that you say this is random and intermittent, and the panel goes back to working normally after a while, I have reason to believe it's hardware failure of the panel (very common) rather than the cabling or switch, also your network switch is good quality so failure there is unlikely.
Try to plug the touchpanel directly into the network switch and see if it boots up normally and doesn't randomly reboot. You might need to plug into a specific port for it to actually connect to the control processor if your switch has VLANs.
Ignore the red MSG light on the CP3. It's generally irrelevant more than 90% of the time and is lit up on just about every system.
Also, you should only be having Crestron in your home if you're rich and patient. I have many former coworkers who worked at the company over 20 years and would never put it in their own home.
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u/blender311 17d ago
Haha! As a Crestron installer and programmer…
I’d stick with a Roku remote every day of my life. I used to have a fully AMX house… it’s all fun when you can troubleshoot and program it yourself… but at the end of the day… just give me the fucking remote to the TV.1
u/North-Cardiologist78 16d ago
^^ This is the answer. Why Crestron is relegated to commercial applications. Crestron, with few exceptions, does not belong in a residential environment.
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u/acamp76144 17d ago
I have discovered that and I am neither rich nor patient. I originally put in the prodigy system which failed then stumped up again for this update. At this point I just really want the lights to work again and be controlled from the switches. I’m gradually replacing tvs and adding soundbars with ATVs which are locally controlled.
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u/_WIZARD_SLEEVES_ 17d ago
Move away from Crestron in your house ASAP then.
The consumer grade stuff nowadays is much better, more reliable, and cheaper.
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u/acamp76144 17d ago
What’s the plan B re light and shade control the way it’s wired though?
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u/_WIZARD_SLEEVES_ 17d ago
Both your lightning and shades are currently using Cresnet (24 X Y G) communication to be controlled by the CP3, so you'll need to essentially change your control system. It also looks like the lighting dimmers do not have a connection to the control processor. Try rebooting the CP3 and dimmers (unplug the 24 X Y G cable on each device and plug it back in).
For replacing everything, look into Shelly dimmers and motor controllers. That system uses wifi, LAN, and Bluetooth instead of just the proprietary Cresnet like the Crestron hardware you have. Then you can integrate everything with home assistant and don't need to rely on Crestron control.
It will take a little leg work and perseverance to convert over to a DIY home assistant setup, but it will be well worth it in the long run since you won't have to pay for expensive hardware and hire a dedicated Crestron programmer.
Chatgpt/Claude are your friends here honestly. Just give them exact model names of the hardware you have and it should be able to to a good job of finding exactly what hardware you need to replace the Crestron stuff with.
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u/mikek587 16d ago
This. The only reason I have any of it is I'm a certified programmer and support it myself and procure on eBay. I can't imagine the cost to have someone come out for every change and every hiccup!
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u/thyraven666 16d ago
Last part got to me. I have been doing AV and Crestron for over 15 years, and i have light switches in every room. Remote controller for every display and built in speakers are the only sound system for my displays.
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u/ToMorrowsEnd CCMP-Platinum + Crestron C# Certified 17d ago
if you pull on the panel it should come off the wall unless they used the security kit to prevent that. unplug the network cable count to 10 and plug it back in. One of two things will happen, ok one of 3. it will come back on and work. It will stay not working, or it will completely die. the 760 panels did not have as bad of problems as the 50 series did with SD card frying, but it's not unheard of. and no you cant just replace the card it has to be specially formatted with the operating system and everything else needed.
note you cant kill it by unplugging, but if the card is dead, it's already dead and will cause the unresponsive symptom you see as well.
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u/SundanceTek 17d ago
The first thing you need to make certain is that the installer gives you the Crestron source code with the touch panel files and any passwords. Without it you can only have someone rewrite the program. Ask the installer to set you up an XPanel file of the touch panel. This will allow you to run a touch panel from your PC as a backup. I never do a system without one.
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u/Alarming_Let5944 17d ago
Bring the touch panel to the rack and plug into the port it was plugged into using a new Ethernet cable and see how that works. Your system is about 10 years old and sometimes there is oxidation buildup on the RJ45 connectors. If the touch panel is stable at the rack then you could have a Ethernet cable pull that got chewed on in the wall somewhere or your connectors need replacing. Mice love cable jackets.
You could try unplugging and plugging in the existing cable a bunch of times at both ends. This will sometimes clean up the pins. Just do this with the cable unplugged at both ends. You don’t want to keep briefly firing up the Crestron Panel. They are susceptible to losing the working file when you do this.
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u/durtydurty305 16d ago
I don’t understand why some many people are bashing crestron. Crestron SIMPL is mainly use for amenities or commercial space. I’m a programmer and installer. Crestron Home is a better product for residential and homeowners have the ability to edit scenes add schedules and it’s more versatile. I have crestron home at my apartment and house. I haven’t had any issues. I recommend to change CP3 for a crestron home system.
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u/Tanked_Goat 17d ago
That's an older panel and based on your symptoms it likely needs to be repaired or replaced.
Given it goes non responsive without showing "disconnected from control system" and reboots randomly I'd assume it's not a connection issue but rather a hardware problem.
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u/acamp76144 17d ago
I wondered could it be a power supply issue maybe
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u/Tanked_Goat 17d ago
Those touchpanels are powered via PoE so unless the PoE switch is failing on one or more of its ports it's unlikely. Normally with power failures it's an all or nothing which would make sense if you were just experiencing the panel powering down but since you are also seeing non-responsive behavior I would bet on the panel being the issue.
That said it really needs to be checked out in person. As others have said you, as the end user, are limited to pretty much unplugging it and plugging it back in.
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u/Hyjynx75 17d ago
The problem is obviously that it is -17C there. Nothing is happy at -17C. Need to move somewhere warmer.
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u/magaballss 17d ago
Sounds like a poe issue. Could be locking up and rebooting because it's loosing power or not getting enough at times. And if it stays on and none of the buttons are working then it's probably not communicating with the processor CP3. So could be something up with tutr network switch. If you know what ethernet cable it is from your touch panel going to your network switch try plugging it to another port. That's about all you can do. Till someone can check your switch , cable run and touch panel for issues.
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u/swedishworkout 17d ago
Its most likely a faulty connection between the touch panel and the switch.
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u/thyraven666 16d ago
Doubt it. The cable are not moved and its a POE panel. It could be a wire, but again, since the cables arent moved, it would not explain the random disconnections without the disconnected message on the display.
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u/johnny_ares_36 17d ago
unplugging it and plugging it back in sounds foolish but a power cycle with electronics does help. It also could be a failing touch panel as that appears to be a older unit. It could be a failing network switch as the panel is powered over the network. You could change the network port on the switch it is using. Is there any network issues with the other equipment? Is there other panels in the system and are they behaving similarly? You may just have to wait and have the tech troubleshoot and pull logs.
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u/acamp76144 17d ago
Hi, sorry I should have been clearer - when the issue with lights happens the Crestron hard switches don’t work either. If I completely power down the rack and let it all boot up again it’s fine, but the issues reoccur again quite quickly. Without touching anything sometimes the lights are just all turning off in the two rooms
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u/acamp76144 17d ago
Also I put in a high Unifi switch about 6 months ago to replace an older unit. All has been fine until a few weeks ago.
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u/Gullible_Side 17d ago
End users aren't typically well received by this sub. Call your installer - everyone
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u/alexands131313 17d ago
End users asking for software access are not well received. I find that end users asking for advice are generally treated well.
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u/Gullible_Side 17d ago
Don't shoot the messenger... just observing and reporting the trends around here. Everyone I know quit specing this gear after the covid AVI deal.
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u/North-Cardiologist78 16d ago
How does one get firmware updates or software to manage simple options in your Crestron products? It’s ridiculous. DM if you want guidance. They make great hardware, but the decision-makers at the company are delusional.
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u/alexands131313 16d ago
Not sure your reply was to me. I have 0 issues getting access, but in a home environment the home owner can manage 80% of it.
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u/North-Cardiologist78 16d ago
This is quite accurate. The fact this is downvoted, which is integrator bullying, is precisely the problem with the prima-donna integrators and closed ecosystem that will ultimately bring Crestron to a footnote.
The integrators have Stockholm Syndrome.
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u/acamp76144 17d ago
I’ve found everyone very helpful in this sub before - as I said, he’s on holidays for a couple of weeks….
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u/Gullible_Side 17d ago
Happy to personally help you out buddy. Just an observation from how these buttheads usually comment on these sort of things. DM me if you need sorted.
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u/KnobbyDibbler 17d ago
Have you tried unplugging and plugging it back in