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
RF repeater/booster question
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- adafruit_support_mike
- Posts: 67446
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm
Re: RF repeater/booster question
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.
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.
- d4v1dd
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:49 am
Re: RF repeater/booster question
Thanks for the detailed response Mike! I didn’t think about the FCC rules. That’s a good call.
- adafruit_support_mike
- Posts: 67446
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm
Re: RF repeater/booster question
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.
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.