RF repeater/booster question

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d4v1dd
 
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RF repeater/booster question

Post by d4v1dd »

Hello friends!
I have a pool light that came with a RF remote to turn it off and on and change the colors. The remote signal is very weak due to the light being underwater and in a steel housing. I’m looking for some kind of device to boost or repeat the signal so I can either use the remote from inside the house or write some kind of integration for Alexa.

I found some options from searching but just curious if anyone has any experience with something that might fit my use case.

Thanks

Dave

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: RF repeater/booster question

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Changing the transmitter could get you into trouble with the FCC.. there are rules about the amount of power a device is allowed to emit without a license.

Building a repeater is possible, but would be a medium/advanced project. You'll need to know the existing transmitter's frequency, modulation scheme, and the messages it sends, then build a device to receive and emit copies of them. And again, you'll have to obey the FCC's limits on transmitted power. It's extremely unlikely that you'd be able to find a drop-in device that works with the system you have.

Giving the existing receiver a better antenna will probably give you better results with no regulatory hassles, but will still be a mid-level project. You'd need to find the system's existing antenna and find a way to connect a coaxial cable to it, then run the coax through a waterproof gland to an external antenna that's in a good location to hear the existing transmitter.

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d4v1dd
 
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Re: RF repeater/booster question

Post by d4v1dd »

Thanks for the detailed response Mike! I didn’t think about the FCC rules. That’s a good call.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: RF repeater/booster question

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Yeah, they're picky about things like that. We live in a world saturated with radio signals, and everyone has to follow the same rules to keep things from becoming an impossible mess.

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