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Enphase Power Line Communication and Insteon


whywork

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Posted (edited)

Hi,

This is an FYI about my experience with resolving Enphase Power Line Communication and Insteon interference

Short story: Installed Enphase Solar Panels and could never get energy reporting through Enphase equipment to work - Installed PZZ01 X-10 Passive Blocking Filter in Enphase circuit panel and all (Enphase and Insteon) now working

 

Long story:  ISY controlling Insteon and Z wave devices.  Detached garage with Insteon and Z wave.  Added 24 Panel Enphase Solar Energy System on roof of garage.  Solar panels produced electricity but individual micro inverters never communicated to Enphase controller in circuit panel.  Unable to record/view solar production via Enphase App and Website.

ISY, Insteon and Z wave were still working OK.

"The Enphase Envoy™ communicates with Enphase Microinverters over the AC electrical conductors using a 110kHz communication signal (144kHz in North America). This technology is known as Power Line Communication, or PLC. It is widely used in networking (Ethernet bridges or HomePlugs) and home automation applications (X10 for example)."

Local Solar installer had never dealt with Insteon.  Enphase head office gave sparse advice.  Recommended Legrand 003609 Phase Filter 63A 400 V seems unavailable.  Toroid filters - (Ferrite) Ring Products: R 41.8 × 26.2 × 12.5 – EPCOS/TDK B64290L0022X087 or EPCOS/TDK B64290L0022X830 ,  R 50.0 × 30.0 × 20.0 – EPCOS/TDK B64290L0082X087 or EPCOS/TDK B64290L0082X830 equally hard to find.  

Months of inaction.

I purchased one  PZZ01 X-10 Passive Blocking Filter new old stock on ebay for approximately $20 shipped. Installed inside Enphase circuit panel according to instructions.  All working

Related information on ISY forums 

Enphase M250 micro inverters and insteon 

Hope this is helpful.

(Sorry, I thought I was posting this to INSTEON Communications Issues  subforum)

Edited by whywork
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Posted (edited)

Thanks for the information.

110KHz is not that far away from the X10 120KHz or Insteon 131.65KHz. So interference is very possible. Most filters for X10 have a broad enough frequency range to work fine.

The Energy Detective  {TED} also uses a PLC frequency  of 132KHz.  It can also cause communications issues with X10 and is almost the same as the Insteon power line frequency.

Edited by Brian H
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Posted (edited)

Hi

144kHz North America Enphase PLC is what I am dealing with - Installation is in New Hampshire

  • The "110kHz communication signal (144kHz in North America)" was quoted from an Enphase Communication Troubleshooting PDF

Funny you mention The Energy Detective  {TED}.  I have TED at the same location and needed to isolate the circuit with the TED Hub using an X10 PRO Wired-In Noise Filter, 20A, 3-Wire.

 

Hope this is helpful

 

Edited by whywork
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