Radio controlled outlets

Thread Starter

ApacheKid

Joined Jan 12, 2015
1,533
I just got a pack of these, five outlets in the pack.

Does anyone know what happens if I buy a second pack? will they interfere? are we limited to a max of five devices?
 

AlbertHall

Joined Jun 4, 2014
12,344
I don't know but it does say:
" Easily pair the outlet and remote with a touch of a button. The ability to add additional outlets and remotes is endless. Quick to install with tool-free set-up and battery included. Simple and easy to operate, save your time and effort! "
 

Thread Starter

ApacheKid

Joined Jan 12, 2015
1,533
They have programmable addresses.
How? have you used them before? I'd like to take a look inside, there are no screws though so its either glued together or can be opened somehow, but I'd rather not destroy one trying.
 

DickCappels

Joined Aug 21, 2008
10,153
The transmitter transmits an address unique to it. The receiver receives and remembers the address and after that only responds to the paired transmitter.

Most likely many transmitters share the same addresses. I am skeptical about the use of the word "endless" in the sentence below supplied by AlbertHall. Not that I am questioning Albert, just the contents of the quote.
"The ability to add additional outlets and remotes is endless."
 

Thread Starter

ApacheKid

Joined Jan 12, 2015
1,533
The transmitter transmits an address unique to it. The receiver receives and remembers the address and after that only responds to the paired transmitter.

Most likely many transmitters share the same addresses. I am skeptical about the use of the word "endless" in the sentence below supplied by AlbertHall. Not that I am questioning Albert, just the contents of the quote.
"The ability to add additional outlets and remotes is endless."
Be neat to see the transmitted signal, but the RF runs at 433.92 MHz, hopelessly high for seeing on my 200 MHz scope.

I could use a 433.92 MHz receiver of some type and then see what the modulated signal looks like, but that too sounds beyond my abilities.
 

DickCappels

Joined Aug 21, 2008
10,153
I can see up to 500 MHz on my 60 MHz scope. Since it samples at 1 GHz I get zero signal at 1 GHz/2 =500 MHz but can see higher frequencies, though they are way down. This is using the FFT function.

Edit: You can can buy the equivalant SDR dongle for under $10 if you shop around.
 

Thread Starter

ApacheKid

Joined Jan 12, 2015
1,533
They don't actually modulate the carrier it's simply OOK transmission. Serial data is transmitted by the presence or absence of a carrier wave.
OK that's interesting, I've heard of all this "software defined radio" stuff for some time but taken pretty much no interest in it, but it does look
quite interesting now that I'm reading up on it all.
 

Ya’akov

Joined Jan 27, 2019
9,069
Be neat to see the transmitted signal, but the RF runs at 433.92 MHz, hopelessly high for seeing on my 200 MHz scope.

I could use a 433.92 MHz receiver of some type and then see what the modulated signal looks like, but that too sounds beyond my abilities.
Check out RTL_433. With a cheap (really cheap) RTL-SDR dongle you can decode the switch commands, and with SDR# and the same dongle, you can watch the modulation on a waterfall display.

There is also URH (Universal Radio Hacker) if you want to deep dive.
 
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