pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Hi, I was going to move our old style 6 button keypad from one room to another but noticed some thin control wires attached to it after removing the wall plate. I looked here and saw no mention of these wires: https://www.control4.com/files/dealers/documentation/200-00037_RevD_Wireless2-3-6-ButtonKeypad_IG_Web.pdf Does anybody know what very thin wires feeding into the back of the keypad are for? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 3 minutes ago, pinkoos said: Hi, I was going to move our old style 6 button keypad from one room to another but noticed some thin control wires attached to it after removing the wall plate. I looked here and saw no mention of these wires: https://www.control4.com/files/dealers/documentation/200-00037_RevD_Wireless2-3-6-ButtonKeypad_IG_Web.pdf Does anybody know what very thin wires feeding into the back of the keypad are for? Thanks. are you talking about the yellow antenna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 This was several weeks ago when I opened it up, and so don't remember exactly what colors, but I think there were two thin wires coming out the back...maybe blue and yellow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Thats the zigbee antennae extension from the back of the device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 So is that actually connected back to anything in my rack or just a dangling antenna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 this is an outlet - so nothing connects back to anything in your rack via cable. Just electric cable + Zigbee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 Okay, now it seems the plot thickens. I had a guy out just now checking another issue and he found that this keypad was installed with power coming from a CAT5 cable, but it's not POE. He said it was running 120V. I'm not at home so couldn't see what he was talking about, but he said that is definitely not code and actually kind of dangerous. I don't really know how this would even work, but I guess my previous installer did this for some reason when I had him move the keypad from another room to the currrent room. I don't know if any of this makes sense. I'll just have to take a look at the back of the keypad again once I'm home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Okay, now it seems the plot thickens. I had a guy out just now checking another issue and he found that this keypad was installed with power coming from a CAT5 cable, but it's not POE. He said it was running 120V. I'm not at home so couldn't see what he was talking about, but he said that is definitely not code and actually kind of dangerous. I don't really know how this would even work, but I guess my previous installer did this for some reason when I had him move the keypad from another room to the currrent room. I don't know if any of this makes sense. I'll just have to take a look at the back of the keypad again once I'm home.Count your blessings that you still have a house if power is running over cat Sent from my BBB100-1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 It's that bad/dangerous? Has anybody ever heard of this being done before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 Keypads can be run using low voltage, I believe it's 24VDC minumum. So there could be a power supply some where powering the keypad. If 120V is in fact running over CAT5 cable, call your lawyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 Yikes. Wonder why the previous installer would've even done that, assuming that the power coming into the box the normal way is working fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bsmall423 Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 willing to bet its 24v over the cat5. No one would run 110 over that... and live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 Any way for me to tell when I get home? If I pull the keypad out of the wall, what should I look for? Or, if there is a separate power supply, would that be back in the rack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownbatsbreath Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 You can try and locate the power supply. If you pull the keypad from the wall you can’t tell just by looking. You’ll need to test the voltage with a tester, if you have one and are comfortable you can do it safely. Ask the guy who told you it was 120 if he actually tested the voltage, or just assumed it was 120. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 Okay, thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 Pulled it out of the wall and took a picture. Looks like the blue/white and orange/white wires are coming out of a split open ethernet cable. What I can't tell or see is where that cable originates and what's powering it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownbatsbreath Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Most likely it’s being fed with low voltage. I say that because it looks like that cat5 is coming from outside the box and not actually in the box. With a 120v fan switch next to it, there wouldn’t be any reason to fish a separate 120v feed up. Although there wouldn’t be any reason to feed it with low voltage when you could feed it using the 120v from the switch next to it. So... really I’d still take a meter to it to ease your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 I concur. Looks like they're doubling-up the CAT5 wires to power the keypad with low voltage, which doesn't make a lot of sense if there's 120V in the box. If it's 120V over the CAT5, that's certainly not the best of ideas, is extremely likely against code, and possibly dangerous, depending on how many devices he's powering over the CAT5. Should be low-voltage, something like 24-36V, I also assume whoever told you it was 120V was likely guessing that because the power wires going into the keypad look like 120V, and are White / Black, which are standard Neutral/Hot colors for 120V wiring. Even if you find the CAT5 is low-voltage wiring, it's probably against code having the low voltage wiring in the same box with 120V, if that fan controller next to it is powered via 120V. RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 Once I get some clarification when the new dealer comes back to replace our TV and move the keypad, I'll update you all. Thanks again for the very helpful information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 8 hours ago, RyanE said: Even if you find the CAT5 is low-voltage wiring, it's probably against code having the low voltage wiring in the same box with 120V, if that fan controller next to it is powered via 120V. RyanE ^This. It is against code anywhere in the US, to have a low voltage device and a high voltage device within the same box, without a separating partition within the box. Personally, when the dealer gets to you, kill the breaker for that fan switch and have him switch the power over to 120V lead that's already in the box and get rid of the CAT cable, but leave it capped, just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 You can't see in the picture that I took, but it's a 3 gang wall plate - one switch for overhead lights, one for the fan control and one for the keypad. Is it possible that there wasn't another 120v connection in the box and that's why my previous dealer used the CAT5 cable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 You can't see in the picture that I took, but it's a 3 gang wall plate - one switch for overhead lights, one for the fan control and one for the keypad. Is it possible that there wasn't another 120v connection in the box and that's why my previous dealer used the CAT5 cable?Not really. All the 6 button needs is a hot and can be easily wired in thereSent from my BBB100-1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkoos Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 Okay, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 3 hours ago, msgreenf said: Not really. All the 6 button needs is a hot and can be easily wired in there Technically, it needs a hot and a neutral, and you should wire up the safety ground lead as well. RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 Technically, it needs a hot and a neutral, and you should wire up the safety ground lead as well. RyanETrue. My point was that with everything else in a 3 gang you should be able to wire itSent from my BBB100-1 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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