apuglisi

Damn - I overlooked the copper in the CAT-5...I just ordered two lighting arrester's to 'stop the bleeding'....The other CAT-5 is PoE for a UniFi Wireless AP, not connected to the electrical system in the barn. In a few weeks, I'll replace all the copper with fiber and the appropriate adapters. I didn't realize multi-mode could run that far, but I see it available on Amazon. You're good people to keep us laymen in check - thank you!

correct, and I'm working on adding a fourth PLM to a Mac Mini computer running HASS to supplement some of the actions that are infeasible with the ISY (programmatically collect devices, set consistent attributes such as ramp-up/down time, all-off/all-on by arbitrary folder structure/naming convention (versus managing scenes interactively via ISY admin interface). I am recovering from back surgery, so I have a lot of laptop time to kill while I'm on restrictions. The PLM to Mac Mini is all theory, I don't know if I can do these things yet, but it's a scripting environment so hopefully more flexible.

All - as you know, I started the thread with several theories to extend my Insteon network to my barn 600 feet away. While I was gung-ho on running a 14 or 12 gauge power line from my house to the barn, I was a few weeks away from getting help to do that. So - since I already had an extra cat-5 run to the barn, I made a null modem RJ-45 RS-232 connector and plugged a PowerLinc Modem (Model 2413S) on each end. It immediately started working and I was able to "see" my barn's Insteon light switch! All is good, and no risk of violating electrical and safety codes. That said, the power line run would have been a good exercise to see how far distance the inherent protocol would have gone. A little more background for others in a similar situation: - On the PLM documentation, it had a "NOTE: each byte sent to PowerLinc Modem will be echoed back to the host" that had me concerned events would perpetuate an endless loop...luckily that didn't happen, I monitored the events on my ISY admin console (Tools->Diagnostics->Event Viewer..."Option 3: Device communication events") and there was no babbling at all, just normal traffic. I am assuming the babbling is mitigated in the Insteon communication protocol itself. - To make the RJ-45 null-modem cable, I did the following on one end (cross pin 1&8, cross pin 3&6, straight pin 7). It's easier to do this with pass-thru RJ-45 connectors wires push through the connector and then trimmed after crimping). For me, my cable was T-568B so I crossed Orange/White & Brown, Green/White & Green, Brown/White remained straight as with the others. <table border=1> <tr> <td> Pin 1: RS232 to PC pin 2 (Rx) </td> <td> cross </td> <td> Pin 8: RS232 from PC pin 3 (Tx) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 2: Not connected </td> <td> </td> <td> Pin 2: Not connected </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 3: TTL output (from PLM) </td> <td> </td> <td> Pin 6: TTL input (from PLM) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 4: Not connected </td> <td> </td> <td> Pin 4: Not connected </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 5: Not connected </td> <td> </td> <td> Pin 5: Not connected </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 6: TTL input (from PLM) </td> <td> </td> <td> Pin 3: TTL output (from PLM) </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 7: Common ground </td> <td> straight </td> <td> Pin 7: Common ground </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Pin 8: RS232 from PC pin 3 (Tx) </td> <td> cross </td> <td> Pin 1: RS232 to PC pin 2 (Rx) </td> </tr> </table>

Thank you all for the clarification and safety guidance. I'll be sure not to introduce any such risks when I try this. To repeat it back, I plan to run #12 THHN from my house panel to the barn via a spare, dedicated conduit. On the barn-end, I'll terminate the THHN to a single receptacle near the barn panel and I'll label the enclosure accordingly. I'll do this all above ground to make sure the signal actually propagates that far. I'll report back in the coming weeks (can't do it any time soon)

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'll try the "extension cord" route. It'll be a few weeks before I get into it, but I will report back to this thread with results.

Hello, I have a whole-house Insteon deployment with a single ISY994i 1024 IR (works great) that I'm now trying to extend to my barn, about 600 feet away. The barn is fed from a separate panel that is split before the house panels. Although I have many Insteon devices distributed among three panels in my house, I suspect the dual band feature is allowing everything to talk seamlessly. Since my barn is 600 feet away, I need help trying to extend the network such that I can link keypad buttons and maintain ISY monitoring/control. I have a working Ethernet run to the barn feeding a WiFi Access-Point. I purchased two Range Extenders (Model 2992-222) but it's not apparent how I'm supposed to install it for my situation, if it applies to me. Can someone offer ideas to help me extend my Insteon network to the barn please? These are my ideas so far: - Run a 14-2 circuit from one of my house panels to the barn and connect a Range Extender on both ends (one end in the house, and one end in the barn). It would be a 600+ foot run, is 14-2 sufficient to carry the signal? - The 200-amp breaker feeding the barn is within RF range of the home Insteon network, similar to the first option above, I could maybe install a receptacle inside the panel to plug in the Range Extender on both ends. Extending on the above, the signal would run across a 4/0 cable, maybe a more reliable signal medium? - Since I have ethernet in the barn, could I buy a second ISY controller and have it act as a repeater (?). or are there any Insteon-Ethernet bridges to serve that purpose? or any 3rd party devices? - Can two PowerLinc devices do something for me? I could run a dedicated Cat-5 between the buildings and use a PowerLinc on each end? If so, which PowerLinc and is the wiring straight or "null-modem"? Can you think of any other options? And if not, which option above would be my highest probability of success in your opinion? The panel that feeds the barn is not climate controlled, only weather-tight. Also, the barn is not climate controlled either, but does stay below 95 degrees on the hottest days (central Maryland). I have a software engineering background, so if a second ISY is viable with some programming, I'm willing to give it a try. Finally - I am just starting to play with Home Assistant and HASS.io. There may be a solution to my problem in there, but I'd rather try to solve this more with as much "purity" as possible. How can I learn about the signalling of the dual band Insteon? Maybe there's a 3rd party RF modulator/demodulator I can purchase to capture the Insteon signal, xmit over ethernet, and re-emanate it in the barn.... I'm impressed if you've read this entire post - it shows you're committed to helping others...so thank you especially just for that. Thanks in advance for any advice. Take care...