W800USB from wgldesigns.com

[rnorton888]

Anyone use the W800USB RF Receiver from WGLdesigns? I would like to get one due to my DS700 Security unit always saying out of range. I have tried three different Radio shack antennas and the last two units are just out of range.

Second question is on wgldesigns web side they have drivers etc for it but would like to know if it will work with ActiveHome Pro without having to mod anything on the computer side?

Any help from anyone that has tried it would be great.
Thanks
Randy Norton

[Charles Sullivan]

Anyone use the W800USB RF Receiver from WGLdesigns? I would like to get one due to my DS700 Security unit always saying out of range. I have tried three different Radio shack antennas and the last two units are just out of range.

Second question is on wgldesigns web side they have drivers etc for it but would like to know if it will work with ActiveHome Pro without having to mod anything on the computer side?

Any help from anyone that has tried it would be great.
Thanks
Randy Norton

The W800USB contains a USB->Serial chip and the drivers are for this chip.   Third party software is needed to read it - ActiveHome Pro won't.

There are two things you might try:
1. Add passive repeaters to your sensors
     http://jeffvolp.home.att.net/bx24-aht/passive.pdf

2. Get a TV signal amplifier to amplify the signals picked up by the Radio Shack antenna.

[JeffVolp]

All AT&T personal web pages are being discontinued at the end of March.  I have re-hosted all that material on the jvde site.  Dave Houston's antennas are linked off the X10 Troubleshooting page:

http://jvde.us/x10_troubleshooting.htm

And the passive antenna itself:

http://jvde.us/x10/passive.pdf

Jeff

[rnorton888]

Well the Range of the DS7000 still sucks. Any other way to extend it? I love the X10 lights and even the Active home works well out side my house about 40 feet and I have a large 2 story home. Just the DS7000 will not work. Old 1853 built home all wood and brick. I have moved the DS7000 closer to the middle of the house but now its in my formal Dinning room and not really the location I would like it in. Any other ideas that I can use to get a better distance? I have tried the 19.86 but having those all over does not really seem to be an answer would like a repeater of some kind. I have two ds7000 and both with original antenna and the three different radio shack antenna's doe not get past about 40 feet inside the house. The Active home Pro module gets well outside the house with its original antenna.

Sorry but if it was not for the crappy range of the ds7000 everyone in America would own the x10 system. I would love to find a solution to this.

Thanks for the inital help so far with this.

Thanks
Randy

[Charles Sullivan]

What kind of interior walls do you have?  A former residence had some walls which were plaster over metal lath and signals from a SS13A "Stick-a-Switch" mounted on those walls were virtually undetectable.   With the SS13A held a foot away from the wall the signals were fine.

[rnorton888]

Well with the building being three stories tall the walls are thick, a good 12 inches in each room. They are plaster with wood slats. I am aware that this is a problem but I have had same limitations with my old house that was smaller and alot newer. I am looking for ways to get the Antenna range on the DS7000 limitations extended. This is not limited to me. I hear that daily in the formums. Again my Active home Pro works fine way outside the house so can't just be the walls. Anyone else have any home made antennas etc that are smaller in size that we can try?
Thanks
Randy