Problems with UK wireless plugs and gateway

[PGale]

I'm having a hard time trying to get my UK wireless plug dimmer adapters working.

I have two WPA2D1 adapters and have had them for about 2 years. One has been plugged in and working fine. I decided recently to get the other plugged in and working again after it had been unplugged for at least a year to 18 months.

I just couldn't get both to appear on the network at the same time - it either one or the other.

I've not performed a factory reset on the gateway and the plug adapters several times. The gateway was reset from toolkit and the plug adapters from both toolkit and by performing the manual reset (both buttons 10 secs - double press top button - double press top button - both buttons 2 secs) - they seem to reset ok as a scan doesn't find them. (both plug adapters factory reset).

I then add one adapter by pairing it to the gateway (both buttons 10 secs - wait until it's slow alternating flash of both LED's - press learn on gateway - hold bottom button and double press top button on plug adapter - press both for 2 secs - gateway seems to recongise as it then flashes led briefly - both buttons on adapter again for 2 secs - solid led's showing). Scanning the network recognises the new unit. I change the address to something unique and save and copy to the database.

So far, so good.

I then plug in the second plug adapter and repeat the above - learning appears to go well.

Scan network finds the new adapter BUT not the one added earlier!

Change address of the new one and save it to the database anyway.

Re-scanning many times and I only see the adapter added last.

If I unplug the last (working) adapter and then re-pair the first one again, it sees that in the network scan but then forgets the other one - and keeps on doing this as I re-pair.

Pulling my hair out now :(

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Paul.

[Newman]

With the workflow you describe, you are moving the Wireless Gateway back and forth between the two plug adaptors, hence you can only see one plug adaptor at any given time.

A Wireless Gateway cannot form a wireless network, it can only join an existing network. As such, each time you send the command from the plug adaptor to the gateway the gateway is switching which plug adaptor it is talking to.

The factory resets you have performed have also ensured that the plug adaptors are operating on separate networks, not the same network.

What you need to do is link the 2 plug adaptors together first. Then, add the Wireless Gateway. In future, if you want to add more plug adaptors, you need to link these additional units to the existing plug adaptors. The gateway will automatically see them.

[PGale]

Excellent - many thanks :)

I fundamentally misunderstood how wireless works.

If the two plugs are fairly far from the gateway - now that they're happily joined - can either be the closer one to the gateway (and relay commands to the other)?

Paul.

[Newman]

Both plug adaptors need to be within range of the Gateway. There is no repeater function in wireless.

[PGale]

Ah ok, many thanks.

Is there a repeater device available - or would I have to create a new network and add an additional gateway to access it?

Thanks,

Paul.

[Newman]

There is no repeater device available. Ideally you'd move your Gateway so that it is in range of both devices, however there's nothing wrong with having 2 Gateways and 1 plug adaptor talking to each one either. Obviously, each Gateway needs to be in range of the plug adaptor it's talking to. In this configuration, each Gateway and plug adaptor is it's own independent network.

[PGale]

great thanks.

All working well now though.