jwf Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Is there a practical limit on the length of the Cat 5 cable between the PLM and the 994? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xathros Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Is there a practical limit on the length of the Cat 5 cable between the PLM and the 994? Yes. This is a serial connection not ethernet. Length is recommended <= 15'. Some have gotten away with longer. -Xathros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 If you use CAT6 cable which is 23 gauge opposed to CAT5e which is 24 gauge you should be able to push more than 25 feet with out issues. I know two people who are pushing a 50 foot run and doesn't seem to impact them at all. But YMMV depending upon the quality of the Ethernet cable being used etc. And please don't use any of that cheap CCA cable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwf Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 Thanks Teken and Xathros. That is really helpful. I ask because I need to move my PLM away from where the 994 is plugged in to improve comms to the Insteon devices. The outlet where the PLM is plugged into is also loaded with 12vDC power supplies and my Monster power conditioner for my home theater. I wasn't sure how far I could go. That should work just fine for what I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Thanks Teken and Xathros. That is really helpful. I ask because I need to move my PLM away from where the 994 is plugged in to improve comms to the Insteon devices. The outlet where the PLM is plugged into is also loaded with 12vDC power supplies and my Monster power conditioner for my home theater. I wasn't sure how far I could go. That should work just fine for what I need. Please report back how you got on and what length of cable you used. I am sure this information will prove helpful to someone else down the road. It's great you're moving the PLM from that environment because I can't see the Insteon network being too reliable and consistent in there! ️ Ideals are peaceful - History is violent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xathros Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 And keep in mind, you can extend the ethernet side much further than the serial side. If you need to go further, move the ISY and PLM together. -Xathros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwf Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 Will do Teken. My previous setup was a 99 with SH IRlinc. The IRLinc was in the same rack as the HT gear and the 99i was over by the bar plugged into my DLink Wifi adapter. I decided to upgrade to the 994 IR version when I got a new Harmony Ultimate to replace my 1000. Since Harmony includes the IR codes it seemed like it was a better move to ditch the IRlinc now. But my fears were confirmed when I had to now plug the PLM into the 994i in the rack to be able to receive the IR from the Harmony. There went my Insteon comms. So I started to play around with moving the PLM with a 6 foot cable. It worked and now I am just curious how far I can move it because while the 6 foot cable works it does not look pretty having it stick out of the rack like that and into an outlet next to it. So the ethernet side is just fine Xathros. In fact if I could get a shorter cable that would even be better since the 994 and the DLink WAP sit right next to each other. I'll update and let you know what I was able to get away with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Will do Teken. My previous setup was a 99 with SH IRlinc. The IRLinc was in the same rack as the HT gear and the 99i was over by the bar plugged into my DLink Wifi adapter. I decided to upgrade to the 994 IR version when I got a new Harmony Ultimate to replace my 1000. Since Harmony includes the IR codes it seemed like it was a better move to ditch the IRlinc now. But my fears were confirmed when I had to now plug the PLM into the 994i in the rack to be able to receive the IR from the Harmony. There went my Insteon comms. So I started to play around with moving the PLM with a 6 foot cable. It worked and now I am just curious how far I can move it because while the 6 foot cable works it does not look pretty having it stick out of the rack like that and into an outlet next to it. So the ethernet side is just fine Xathros. In fact if I could get a shorter cable that would even be better since the 994 and the DLink WAP sit right next to each other. I'll update and let you know what I was able to get away with. Performing a few (scene tests) will help you factually determine how the system operates. If you're able to activate all your complex scenes with out delay or error. You're good to go! Ideally you should keep the run as short as possible to ensure signal integrity down the wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
builderb Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I've got about 20' of CAT6 cable between my ISY and my PLM, that includes a 36" patch cable at the ISY, and a 12" patch cable at the PLM. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlanza1054 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Hi, Finally, I found an existing thread, no need to start a new one. Whew! I need to move my ISY to a more permament place. Right now, it's pretty much next to me, so I have access to the power cord to disconnect. The 'blue' cable that came with my PLM is only about 3 feet. I need to have something like 6 - 12 feet. I'm sure that is within specs. I just wanted to double check, is the cable an off-the-shelf standard RJ-45 Ethernet cable. Is it that standard straight thru or is it wired up differently. I don't want to damage either the ISY or the PLM but plugging in something where the pins are not configured the proper way. Thank you! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlanza1054 Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Hi, Finally, I found an existing thread, no need to start a new one. Whew! I need to move my ISY to a more permament place. Right now, it's pretty much next to me, so I have access to the power cord to disconnect. The 'blue' cable that came with my PLM is only about 3 feet. I need to have something like 6 - 12 feet. I'm sure that is within specs. I just wanted to double check, is the cable an off-the-shelf standard RJ-45 Ethernet cable. Is it that standard straight thru or is it wired up differently. I don't want to damage either the ISY or the PLM but plugging in something where the pins are not configured the proper way. Thank you! Rob I found the answer. I found my ISY documentation. It stated the cable is a standard Ethernet cable. So I can use any patch cable I have that is standard. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stusviews Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I found the 3' included cables handy for a place where the run was, well, short. The ISY is connected with standard high quality 5' and 6' cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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