Let me set the table a bit…I am using it in a shop about 50 yards from my house. I am using a powerline WIFI extender which seems to work very well. I also, have Wyze outdoor cam in the shop which also connects to the exented powerline WIFI network.
I have about 4 outlets in my shop. When I insert the plug into any outlet, it will not connect…it simply times out (and yes I am getting power…it will start with a slow blue blink but eventually a fast blue blink). Here is the weird part…if I plug in an extension cord and then attach the Wyze plug to the end of the extension cord everything connects great! Then, if I remove the extension cord, it all stops working and the Wyze app says it is offline and will not even allow me to remove it (I cannot remember the name of the error).
I know this is pretty strange and a search certainly doesn’t turn up much. Any help would be great…I kind of want my extension cord back!
Oh, not that it should matter much but I have a pair of flood lights plugged into the Wyze plug.
I kind of thought the same thing. I spent all morning checking and correcting any ground problems I was having (I actually had a loose ground connection) but the problem continues. The supplemental antenna is not such a bad idea, but the Wyze plug is connected to the Network Extender SSID, not to the house SSID so I wouldn’t think it needed an antenna to reach the house.
The extension cord is wound up for storage…I wonder what would happen if I unraveled the cord. This might be an interesting test of the antenna.
Enclose the extention cord in a shielded metal box. If the Wyze plug doesn’t work, might confirm the extension cord is acting as an antenna.
What is the make/model of the powerline WIFI extender?
Great idea…maybe I’ll wrap it in foil as I don’t have a metal box to use.
The Powerline Extender is a TP-Link TL WPA 4220. It seems a bit strange though, if it is acting as an antenna since the access point for the Extender is only about 6 feet away. Also, a Wyze Outdoor Cam base station is also connecting to the same TP-Link network and it works fine.
Just brainstorming- it does sound like it wifi related. Does your house Wifi broadcast 2.4&5.0 both? Any chance that your plug is trying to connect to the 5.0 if it does? Then the cord as an antenna helps it pick up the 2.4?
If your router supports a guest network try turning it on to broadcast 2.4 only and install just your Wyze devices on it to see.
Wonder if the coiling of the extension cord might be creating a magnetic field when the current flows??
All great thoughts…however, in the Wyze app under Device Info, it is reporting that the plug is connecting on the WIFI out in the shop (the TP Ling Power Extender) and not the WIFI in the main house. So basically, without the extension cord the plug won’t connect at all to any WIFI…with the extension, it connects to the closest WIFI (about 6 feet away) and the iphone that is used to make the connection doesn’t even see the WIFI in the house.
The extension cord antenna theory is all I could think of and I don’t even know if that would be the reason your plug is malfunctioning.
Let’s see what the other Mavens say.
What gauge and how long of an extension cord? Have you tested the power output in the outlets compaired to at the end of the extention cord? I wonder if the outbuilding is to “hot” and that’s throwing the plug for a loop except when connected to the cord and the loss in the cord brings it back to normal. I am not an electrician and that’s the only thing that came to mind other than what you folks have covered already.
I was actually going to recommend trying to connect the plug in your actual house to your actual router not the extender if it works normally as it should in the house then you can rule out the plug itself as the issue.
At least that would narrow it down to something in the other building and or the extension cord theory
My initial thought is that somewhere in your shop the neutral is being used improperly and somehow the extension cord fixes that but why would it ? I’m not sure.
You say it won’t connect, what I’m wondering is where did you set up the plug?
Did you set up the plug on your router in the house and then move it to the shop?
if so you might try plugging it in, in your shop to set it up after you have removed it from your account
But because you say it won’t connect it might not work to do the initial setup there either,
I hope rainman lets us know the outcome on this. It’s a good stumper.
Does it work with a very short extension? @HDRock’s neutral theory is interesting. What about a 3 prong extension versus a two wire polarized extension?
With the power line extender you need to be sure that both the power line sender and the power line receiver are on the same “hot” phase.
I just installed a power line and it works great.
Have you done a speed test yet? If not , do a speed test at both locations house and building you are using it in before installing the power line extender. Then power up the power line extender and check speed.
Check the ping, download and upload.
Do you have a separate Circuit breaker panel in the building or is the circuit run to the building from the house?
If you have a CB panel in the building does it have its own meter or is the panel fed from the house?
These are important factors to help troubleshoot the issue.
As I stated you must be on the same hot phase in your panel for this unit to work properly.
A good step in isolating the problem.