X10 Community Forum
🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: edtuck on November 11, 2007, 12:56:55 PM
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I am trying to wireless send a signal to my (indoor) CM15A from my (outdoor) MS16A. The CM15A sees the 'ON' signal if there is a window and about 20' between the two units. Yet the signal is not recognized if even one (outside) wall, and 30', is in between the two. I have a fairly small home--my wireless home computer network has good signal throughout the house.
Any suggestions please?
tx
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The CM15A has been known to have poor range. There are some mods you can try to see if it improves it. One is completely external and is easy to try.
Wrap a few turns of wire around the CM15A's plastic antenna and then let it extend 9 or so inches above the original one.
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I'm assuming you have new batteries in your 16a, the add a wire trick works good, (wire length of about 18 1/4 inches) If your still having problems at that range (30ft) it's possible you might have some RF interference from an object (possibly metal). I did the add a wire mod while I was building the antenna's for the attic. The F-connector mod with the antenna's changed my humble little CM15A quite a bit, with my furthest eagle eye working excellent at 125ft If you are interested the F-connector mod can be found on this forum. There's lots of help on the forum for you if you need it.
Good luck,
John
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Thanks folks, The simple approach seems to work for me--I can hide the CM15a in my office well enough. I am an upgrade from an old CP290 with Lighthouse software (got it say 20 years ago? i got tired of trying to hook up the CP 290s serial port via a serial/usb adapter). I was so delighted with the AHP stuff, complete with wireless add-ons. I am more toned down now after seeing some macro execution unreliabiliity. Should have known--the AHP program has crashed a few times...never sent so many error report messages to Microsoft with any of my other software.
One thing which seems to help the macro reliability issue is that I have cleansed the interface memory before downloading any modifications to macros/timers, doing it via the AHP/Tools pulldown.
BTW, when I search on the forum for 'F-connector mod' I come up with polls, comments, etc, but not the apparently original instruction message. I probably won't be using this mod but I'd be curious to read about how to do it.
tx, keep up the good work.
edtuck
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edtuck:
There are many things which can cause poor RF reception:
- cordless phones
- wireless lans
- microwaves
- metal stud work in the walls
- aluminum siding
- foil backed insulation
- Any large metal object in direct line of sight between the sender and receiver (even a metal filing cabinet)
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And the list will grow as new 2 MHz RF devices are introduced into the home! :(
A simple transceiver located where the MS16A motion sensor can communicate with it may be the simplest solution !
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Link to CM15A F Connector. The accessha web sites version.
http://www.accessha.com/howto_fconnector_page1.html
This is the mod I did to one of my CM15As. I believe someone used the same basic mod but did it with a BNC type connector instead of an F connector.
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Tuicemen:
I am not against buying a "simple transceiver" as you suggest. What (X-10 or other) transceiver product would fill this specification (the simple part)? How does such work? Does it work as a repeater, similar to Meraki wifi units (meraki.com)? Or does it function as a standalone, independent interface--say the CM15A--which has to be separately programmed?
Appreciate your help.
edtuck
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edtuck,
If you are interested in a transceiver check out the following link. I have been using a V572AB for a little over a year and it works great. It receives X10 RF and puts it onto the power lines. I have range with my motion sensors in excess of 100 feet.
I do not believe that this unit works with the security modules but I think they now have a model that does.
Jim
http://www.wgldesigns.com/v572.html