sofakng Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 I'd like to place an EA-3 on a shelf in my rack (in the basement) but it will obviously have terrible (or non existent) signal from the attached antennas. Does anybody use long coax antenna extensions? I also have an EA-1 on the first floor near the TV but I plan to finish my basement so the EA-3 might still provide useful range if I do use extensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 Oh dear. Well first off, you shouldn't use 'extensions' for ZigBee - Zigee is it's own beast in some ways, and needs to be treated/setup properly. That doesn't mean the EA3 couldn't be used as it's OWN zigbee setup NEXT to the EA1, but setup is a bit different than you seem to think. Second, C4 has an extension antennae for ZigBee and Wifi that work like a charm to get out of metal enclosures, and usually are plenty to do what's needed, if needed. As for using coax to extend them, theoretically you can do that, but unless you're using it to go to a powered antennae for 2.4 Ghz, it's likely to cause more issues than fixes as you're now basically just making the antennae longer. That doesn't actually work, as there are strict requirements for (multiples of) lenghts that you need to adhere to work the right frequency so unless you can ensure the lenght of coax (plus converter plus antennae, plus calculations for each connection distance increas) is just right... Even a powered external antennae is probably 50/50 at best. Hence the C4 one that is made to be the exact right lenght... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChzBurger Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 These extension cables work fine: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SYPDYLW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unsocialtoaster Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 4 hours ago, Cyknight said: As for using coax to extend them, theoretically you can do that, but unless you're using it to go to a powered antennae for 2.4 Ghz, it's likely to cause more issues than fixes as you're now basically just making the antennae longer. That doesn't actually work, as there are strict requirements for (multiples of) lenghts that you need to adhere to work the right frequency so unless you can ensure the lenght of coax (plus converter plus antennae, plus calculations for each connection distance increas) is just right... Even a powered external antennae is probably 50/50 at best. Hence the C4 one that is made to be the exact right lenght... That might be true in theory, but many years ago (HC200 days I think!) we tested connecting WF100 coax to the antenna, and connected an SR250 remote from out of the office and way down the road. Whilst I wouldn't recommend selling this as a solution, it might be a get out of jail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C4 User Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 The only antenna solution I have used in your case is the one available from C4. That said, I have a CORE5 and EA5 and EA3 in a rack and in a server room. Only the EA5 has the extended antenna that runs out of the rack and server room. The CORE5 and EA3 both use their standard antennas. I have about 15 C4 switch/keypad devices within about 10 feet of my server room, below, above and around it. And from there my meshes cover my entire house. The key to a good mesh is a good distribution of Zigbee devices in your house, no matter how big your house is. So I would suggest you review your mesh layout for each controller in your system and try the EA3 in your rack with no extension before doing anything more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAV Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 The official extension works fine for its intended purpose of exiting a metal enclosure. Done many full houses with it in the basement and a controller or two upstairs. For any distance needs, use a Ca1 or other controller remotely located as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted September 4 Share Posted September 4 5 hours ago, Unsocialtoaster said: Whilst I wouldn't recommend selling this as a solution, it might be a get out of jail. It really shouldn't need a get out of jail to begin with, not for a normal house at least. OP, basically, you likely have zero reason to adapt anything, assuming your system uses the EA1 for ZigBee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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