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Thread: Auxiliary or Wireless Repeater?

  1. #1
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    Question Auxiliary or Wireless Repeater?

    I'm confused about the uses of these two products in an RRa3 system. Currently laying out a 4500 sqft house. For Type X devices, I can locate the RRa3 Processor where everything is within 75', so good there. 30' for Type A from that location does not cover the house. I think I'll need two repeaters to cover both ends of the house. Which product do I want?

    Bonus question - property has an outbuilding (hangar). If I want to extend the system there, what are my option? Type A only (switches/dimmers/sensors) is OK for that location. Wired Auxiliary repeater? I can probably get a Wireless Repeater within 60' of an existing Wireless, but it'll be two exterior walls (concrete block construction) between them.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    The RF functions of the 2 repeaters are identical. The white box (RR-AUX-REP-WH) is bigger and has a wired serial connection which may be useful for your outbuilding. The black box (L-REPPRO) is smaller and easier to hide. It could even be left on a shelf.

    These systems are used in concrete buildings in NYC so that should not be an issue. The white box has a wired serial connection which can be connected to the main repeater or another white box repeater. The main repeaters communicate via Ethernet. If you have Ethernet in the remote building you could put a main repeater in each location.
    Convergence Technologies Raleigh, North Carolina
    www.convergenceusa.com

  3. #3
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    RRa3, not RRa2. I don't think the RRa2 Processor has the wired serial connection. I'll have cables run to the outbuilding, so I could use a wired connection if it supports it.

  4. #4
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    Sorry... I was referring to the repeater link on the RA2 main repeater. It is RS485 but there is also a RS232 integration link.
    Convergence Technologies Raleigh, North Carolina
    www.convergenceusa.com

  5. #5
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    Yeah, but I won't have an RRa2 main repeater.

  6. #6
    Lutron released support for having two RA3 main processors.

    I would suggest looking at extending your Ethernet to the second location (fiber cable or wireless link like a UniFi PTP network bridge) as probably the simplest, albeit not cheapest, approach.

  7. #7
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    I've asked this somewhere before but couldn't get a definitive answer, but on Ra3, can you connect two auxillary repeaters together with a wired connection and extend their range? I know you can't connect it to the RA3 processor the way you could with the RA2 main repeater.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpivR View Post
    Lutron released support for having two RA3 main processors.

    I would suggest looking at extending your Ethernet to the second location (fiber cable or wireless link like a UniFi PTP network bridge) as probably the simplest, albeit not cheapest, approach.
    I've found with Lutron that they really like to be on the same switch or either the two processors won't find each other or your software won't find them...or find one or not the other. Everything about Lutron's networking is funky.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by SparkyCoog View Post
    I've found with Lutron that they really like to be on the same switch or either the two processors won't find each other or your software won't find them...or find one or not the other. Everything about Lutron's networking is funky.

    You just have to pay attention to RSTP/STP and mDNS broadcasts configuration. If you can keep everything on the same Ethernet switch, by default, you can avoid having to manage your network carefully.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by SpivR View Post
    You just have to pay attention to RSTP/STP and mDNS broadcasts configuration. If you can keep everything on the same Ethernet switch, by default, you can avoid having to manage your network carefully.
    The problem is that I'm usually not the one who set up the network or even has control of it or can contact the guy who set it up. With Homeworks jobs, more likely than not, they have a guy and I can make sure it work, but even then I've come in after people and discovered the network was changed a few years back with a completely different subnet setup and the only way the multiple processors were working were because they were physically connected it to each other.

    With Radio Ra 2/3 jobs, I'm finding more and more people either just kept the cable company's router and have no idea how things work or worse, they HAD the cable company's router and their nephew came and installed an Orbi mesh network and router on top of the cable company router so some parts of the house are on one router and its subnet scheme while others are on the new router and it's a mess.

    I guess in a big enough house to where you need to have the processors that far apart, they can probably afford a good network guy.

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