💬 Advanced Gateway Options

[mntlvr]

Thru the plugin just like mt Ethernet W5100 did.

[dbemowsk]

@mntlvr I think you're missing what I am asking. How does your ESP8266 PHYSICALLY connect to your vera, or doesn't it? In other words, is there a wire that connects your gateway to your vera?

[mntlvr]

I think you are miss-understanding me the Mysensors Plugin for Vera does all of the connecting to Vera. I have nothing connected to my Vera directly except the Vera address and the Ethernet Address which is applied to the plugin that you use to create the Icon for Mysensors. Whether I use the WiFi version or the Ethernet version the use the same plugin.Wireless except for the Address each unit has on the network

[dbemowsk]

@mntlvr Sorry, I don't have ethernet or WiFi gateways, so I wasn't sure if or how they connected to the Vera. When you go to the properties on the MySensors plugin, is it that you have the start and stop buttons for inclusion, or do you not have the buttons?

[mntlvr]

Yes the inclusion buttons are under properties no need of having button on gw.
How does you serial gw talk to your Vera ? Do you have a plugin that is used to create your Icon.

See when the icon is created on my Vera Plus it shows the plugin version but not the library version so I know just by that issue the plugin is not configuring to any gw.

[mntlvr]

@strixx said in 💬 Advanced Gateway Options:

@mntlvr said in 💬 Advanced Gateway Options:

So what is the finial solution to using the Led's on a ESP 8266-E gateway are they of any use if using a Vera Controller?

I have had a lot of help with the leds. I have noticed that you get a lot of errors (in some positions it is impossible to communicate with the nodes at all) if not the radio is positioned to close to the ESP. It seems to me that the radio on the NodeMCU interferes with the NRF24L01+PA+LNA that i am using on my gateway. I found I thread on this forum about it but can't find it again.

So thanks to the leds I have been able to build a box where i have no transmission errors due to interference.

Strixx
You have a WiFi gw up and working , right? What version of the MYSensors are you using? Also what type of Vera are you using. I am using a Vera3 and a Vera Plus? Also which plugin are you using for your Vera. I have built both WiFi and Ethernet and the sensors talk wonderfully to the gw's no matter which I power up but neither of my Vera's will configure and use the plugin that are the latest available from git-hub.

[dbemowsk]

@mntlvr I believe the plugin is similar, if not the same for the serial gateway also. Did you enable the inclusion mode?

// Enable inclusion mode
#define MY_INCLUSION_MODE_FEATURE

If you do a port scan of the IP address of the ESP8266, what ports does it show as open? Do you have this in you sketch?

// The port to keep open on node server mode
#define MY_PORT 5003

[mntlvr]

Oh yes I mentioned that several days ago.
My vera's have port 3480 and 80 opened

[dbemowsk]

@mntlvr But do you have port 5003 defined in the gateway sketch that you have on the ESP8266? You should be seeing a port 5003 open. If not, you will need to check the sketch and find out why? What happens if you open your web browser to port 80 at that IP address? Does it bring you to a configuration page?

[dbemowsk]

@mntlvr Also, It's not the Vera's IP that you want to scan ports on. It would be the IP of the ESP8266.

[Strixx]

@mntlvr

Strixx
You have a WiFi gw up and working , right? What version of the MYSensors are you using? Also what type of Vera are you using. I am using a Vera3 and a Vera Plus? Also which plugin are you using for your Vera. I have built both WiFi and Ethernet and the sensors talk wonderfully to the gw's no matter which I power up but neither of my Vera's will configure and use the plugin that are the latest available from git-hub.

I don't use Vera. I use Domoticz.

[mntlvr]

okay thanks

[mntlvr]

@dbemowsk
No the gw is the like the host and the Controller is like the client so If you look into the Ethernet or WiFi sketches it will explain that you must use the Controller's ip address so the gw knows where to send the information to and the Vera is the one that is listening so it has to have a port open not the gw. the sensors send the info to the gw and the gw acknowledges it received the message then passing that message on to the controller thru the plugin

[Nick Willis]

What does the red error LED indicate? I'm seeing reds on my gateway sometimes.

[mfalkvidd]

@nick-willis it indicates an error ;-) The list of possible errors is available at https://github.com/mysensors/MySensors/blob/121648f34bb45ab0e21fc4b4835959d27b28a9c6/core/MyIndication.h#L49
Most common reason is probably transmit failure.
The gateway debug log will provide more details.

[sundberg84]

Hi all!

Im building myself a network rack which will house all gateways and other network equipment. This is a steal frame (ie true faradays cage). I will run the antennas outside with a magnetic base and these antennas with "extension" has worked fine for my 433mhz equipment.

For the main 2.4ghz gateway im lookning at this:

I guess its just a matter of buy and try, but I know there are some antenna nerds in here so a couple of questions.

• Even if it says wifi, i guess it works just as great for MySensors since its the same freq?
• Will the extension cord impact the performance in any way?
• It say 5dBi, what does this correspond to setting MySensors setting? (Ie. how would you config the gateway settings?)

From MyConfig:

/**
 * @def MY_RF24_PA_LEVEL
 * @brief Default RF24 PA level. Override in sketch if needed.
 * - RF24_PA_LOW = -12dBm
 * - RF24_PA_HIGH = -6dBm
 * - RF24_PA_MAX = 0dBm
 */```

[mfalkvidd]

Even if it says wifi, i guess it works just as great for MySensors since its the same freq?

Exactly

Will the extension cord impact the performance in any way?

Yes. There will be some attenuation in the cable. Cables have different attenuation at different frequencies, and there are different cables. Hopefully this cable works well with 2.4GHz but it would be hard to tell without a datasheet or by measuring the cable.

It say 5dBi, what does this correspond to setting MySensors setting? (Ie. how would you config the gateway settings?)

The antenna (or maybe the antenna + cable, depending on what the specification includes) has 5dBi gain. This means that you'll have to lower the tx power by 5dB to stay within legal limits, compared with an isotropic antenna.

[sundberg84]

@mfalkvidd - thanks, very good information!
So to be legal I must go RF24_PA_HIGH = -6dBm (which is default?).

No datasheet found, i guess I have to buy and try.

[zboblamont]

@sundberg84 Further to what @mfalkvidd said, please note that most manufacturers state dBi figures as comparatives for the marketplace, rarely do they test them to verify the value and predominantly quote theoretical values instead.
A claimed 5dBi it is likely a 1/4 wave whip ONLY on an infinite ground plane, your actual gain will be less than this depending on attached surface, gain reducing as the area reduces, and the cable attenuating it further depending on the cable used.
i.e. It works, it don't, adjust ;)

[sundberg84]

@zboblamont thanks!

The "try, repeat" method was something i was expecting but always good to have the theory behind. But im still not quite understanding this with gain and the MySensors settings (which seems to be negative gain?)