Wireless Connection keeps dropping

[Late2theGame]

I have 2 Powerwalls since the beginning of the year. They are connected through my wireless network and everything worked without problems.

About 5 weeks ago the gateway started dropping the wireless and is not reconnecting no it's own. I have to log in over the teg-xyz and click on the wireless to reconnect manually. If I am away from home and can't do it fast enough (within ~ 20 hours) I start loosing data for some of these times. Once I reconnect it might work from a few hours to almost a week. I have not made any changes to bridge or router locations or to my home network setup at all. When I am logged in through the teg-xyz network I see the home network with 4 bars, so it does not appear to be marginal.

Does anybody else experience something like this?
Any ideas what to do?

BTW: The little wireless bridge box from Tesla is close to my main router. Not sure that matters and not sure why I need to have that in the first place?

Thanks

 

[gpez]

I had the exact same problem: Tesla Gateway and Enlighten Gateway literally next to each other, Enlighten connected to wi-fi no problem and Tesla had big problems connecting and staying connected. I found that physically opening the Tesla Gateway's metal enclosure helped the signal substantially but obviously that's not a long term solution. I even went as far as to get Tesla to ship me out a replacement antenna (the black rubber/plastic nubs that poke out of the top of the gateway enclosure) because I was certain the installer put it in wrong. The new antenna helped a bit but not enough to make the wifi 100% reliable.

The only two solutions I found were:

1) Get a wifi signal booster
2) Run an ethernet cable

I ended up just running some indoor/outdoor cat5e ethernet cable under the crawlspace and out to the back yard where the Tesla Gateway sits. Haven't had a problem since.

 

[gpez]

Should add that if nothing has changed with your wifi network and this is a new problem there were other reports of 1.39 firmware having wifi difficulties. Update 1.40.1

 

[SoundDaTrumpet]

I have had experiences with Wi-Fi devices around the house going offline when new neighbors moved in. I recommend outdated wireless router & extender combos towards the mesh type networking devices.

Best solution--> I installed a "600V high-voltage protected double sheathed Ethernet" cable running between the empty Ethernet port on the Solar Inverter to the Gateway's Ethernet port (no extra switch/hub or crossover cable required) thru the conduit (3/4" EMT). It is the best straightforward solution for "qualified home electricians." I am overly descriptive in the cable for good reason (use Belden 7953A). Wired is best. Ethernet + WiFi backup + Cellular backup backup all running well. The hardest part was terminating the Cat 6 cable to Cat 5 plugs (don't do this get Cat 6 plugs or stick with Cat 5 throughout). Of course, ground the sheath shielding too.

 

[Late2theGame]

Should add that if nothing has changed with your wifi network and this is a new problem there were other reports of 1.39 firmware having wifi difficulties. Update 1.40.1

I notice it first on 1.40.1 - I am now on 1.40.2

 

[Late2theGame]

I have had experiences with Wi-Fi devices around the house going offline when new neighbors moved in. I recommend outdated wireless router & extender combos towards the mesh type networking devices.

Best solution--> I installed a "600V high-voltage protected double sheathed Ethernet" cable running between the empty Ethernet port on the Solar Inverter to the Gateway's Ethernet port (no extra switch/hub or crossover cable required) thru the conduit (3/4" EMT). It is the best straightforward solution for "qualified home electricians." I am overly descriptive in the cable for good reason (use Belden 7953A). Wired is best. Ethernet + WiFi backup + Cellular backup backup all running well. The hardest part was terminating the Cat 6 cable to Cat 5 plugs (don't do this get Cat 6 plugs or stick with Cat 5 throughout). Of course, ground the sheath shielding too.

I did not see interference with neighbors for a while but you never know - I let the router pick the channels automatic, that might contribute to this as well. I switched away from fixed channels because of new neighbors a while ago ...

I am considering wired if things do not change.
My PW are inside the garage but I assume you recommend shielded cable due to proximity to power - not the outside elements?
I am hesitant to open the gateway all the way - that's where your "qualified" comes into play, right?
BTW: Do they have any 'temper' alerts when you open?

Thanks

 

[Ulmo]

Consider a wired connection (click me).

That's what I have (click this too).

I set mine to a manually assigned fixed IP address, and I think it just pulls that off my DHCP server, but if I had access to any settings, I'd assign a manual IP address too. The connection has never failed for me ever. (Of course, other components of my network have failed, such as the WAN gateway, etc., but that's not PowerWall connection failure within my LAN.)

Of course, I plug that into my garage ethernet switch which plugs into my garage home ethernet port which goes to my home communications closet where it terminates into a patch panel which is connected to my home communications closet ethernet switch, which I installed in 2003 (gigabit Ethernet, >cat6 cable). Typical wired home network installation. (My garage ethernet switch has the usual garage network devices: a UniFi wifi access point, the PowerWall gateway, and my SolarEdge communicator, leaving me only one spare port.)

Maybe someone can enlighten me if the more recent Tesla gateway models have wired connections still. If not, that's a loss. (If I was the engineer, I'd always require a hardwired laser fiber connection, but that's me (no wireless, and no electrical communications connection).)

I also very strongly recommend MidNite Solar Inc. Renewable Energy System Electrical Components and E-Panels (available through distributors) and all appropriate products on MidNite Solar Products (available through distributors) on both the utility meter panel and the off-grid panels and the solar input panels (basically, to trap any lightning regardless of ingress point). Basically, a good solar+powerwall install would have at least 3 (utility AC, PowerWall AC, and solar DC). (You mainly want to catch strikes coming in the utility panel, and you want to catch strikes that happen anywhere else when your gateway disconnects the utility panel, so that is a minimum of 2 just to the logic of the gateway, but really, you have a lightning antenna on your roof called solar panels, so that makes 3). Be sure to follow the installation video instructions carefully (including the part about the short no-sharp-bend wiring). In addition, in lightning-prone areas, lightning rods are very highly recommended, and probably already installed (check).

Ideally, you would put an electrical isolation between the garage ethernet switch and the main house LAN, such as a fiber connection (with a few cheap ethernet<->fiber modems). If you could somehow cause lightning not to backfeed across the garage ethernets to all the garage connected devices, that would be even better.

 

[SoundDaTrumpet]

I did not see interference with neighbors for a while but you never know - I let the router pick the channels automatic, that might contribute to this as well. I switched away from fixed channels because of new neighbors a while ago ...

I am considering wired if things do not change.
My PW are inside the garage but I assume you recommend shielded cable due to proximity to power - not the outside elements?
I am hesitant to open the gateway all the way - that's where your "qualified" comes into play, right?
BTW: Do they have any 'temper' alerts when you open?

Thanks

Yes it is due to the proximity of power. There is a NEC requirement saying to keep low voltage cables away from high voltage. Same reason one should not run power cables for their TV in the same wall cavity as their AV cables when trying to hide/tidy-up cables inside a wall.

When opening the Gateway, as warning labels clearly state triple tri-source power, ensure all power sources are off. Flip the utility breaker feeding, de-energize the solar inverter, and shut off each powerwall, and you should be okay. Also verify the conduit fill is <40% using conduit fill app from Southwire. You'd have to estimate the equivalent wire diameter from the Belding.

As @Ulmo did, I also took opportunity to add a SECOND surge protection downstream to protect the home panel as extra insurance against surge caused by the Powerwall (more surge protection the merrier). I did get Tesla to add the FIRST surge protector for me as a courtesy. Bless their hearts for I have a main lug only service panel and did not want to pull the meter to pull that off. I chose to go with a circuit breaker style surge protectors throughout because although the surge capacity is less, having shorter conductor/wires to ground provides better response time to send surge/spikes to earth. Straight forward and really easy to install, and source from Home Depot.