X10 Community Forum

🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Topic started by: kevinvinv on December 17, 2007, 11:47:41 AM

Title: extending transciever range?
Post by: kevinvinv on December 17, 2007, 11:47:41 AM

Who has the best info on how to extend the RF range of the TM751 transciever?--   like change the antennae or etc---

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Title: Re: extending transciever range?
Post by: dave w on December 17, 2007, 12:11:52 PM

Get it as high as possible (i.e. second story outlet, etc). Adding wire to the antenna probably isn't going to improve a whole lot, but worth the try. Add a piece of wire . to the existing antenna to make it 18" long. Wire type is very non-critical, 18 - 26 ga, twisted, soild, etc.

Title: Re: extending transciever range?
Post by: KDR on December 17, 2007, 06:46:56 PM

I haven't tried this but it should work... Take a light duty coat hanger and snip off 18 inches. Bend it straight and lightly sand the coating off of it. Extend the TM751 antenna and tape the coat hanger along its length. Doing this way wont void the warranty of the TM751 and should work to help improve reception.

_{(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)}^---_{(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)}^---_{(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)}^---_{(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)}^---_{(http://www.bdshost.com/X10/lpup.gif)}^----KDR

Title: Re: extending transciever range?
Post by: Tuicemen on December 17, 2007, 07:50:47 PM

kevinvinv: Placement is the key as dave w stated place as height as possible!
Place it in as central a location as possible as well!
Some things to note:
The TM751 receives RF commands and suffers from all the problems associated with RF interference, microwaves, cordless phones, and large metal objects in line of sight of the transmiter!
Modifications will only enhance your interference problem if this is the case. :(
Also the TM751 only transmites PLC on the phase that it is plugged into (a Phase coupler may also be needed)!