HS to OmniPro II HW link

[hdblair]

My computer room is located some distance (50 feet) from the room that houses my OmniPro II system. I understand that I can communicate between the two using a serial port. Two questions: (1) Can a serial cable work over 50 feet? (2) Since I have ethernet install in the house, can I control the OmniPro II over my LAN? Thanks, Harold

[bhenderson]

hdblair

I use Cat5 to connect to my panel and a pair of RJ45 to DB9 adaptors from radio shack. You can do this for runs up to ~ 300 feet. I've gone about 100 without any issues. The Cat5 ends are standard but as I recall (it has been a few years) I had to have the wiring diagram for the serial connection to jumper the adaptors correctly.

And no you can't use the ethernet connection due to lack of support for developing the connectivity. See Network Connection Discussion for more.

bhenderson

[JLehnert]

hdblair,

Since you are in thunderstorm country, you might want to invest in a surge protector for RS232. I lost 4 com ports (2 each at two different times) earlier this year to lightning induced surges through the alarm system. I don't know if the length of the 232 wire makes a difference (mine is around 35'), but better safe than sorry.

[hdblair]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JLehnert:
Since you are in thunderstorm country, you might want to invest in a surge protector for RS232. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have been looking at surge protectors. Can you recommend one? How about a protector for the whole system as opposed to just the RS232. Thanks,
Harold

[JLehnert]

Absolutely! Protect the whole system! I was just pointing out an area that most people miss. I did and it bit me big time.
You should have a whole house surge protector for the electricity, and one also for the telephone (upline of the Omni). The Leviton 51110-PTC or 51120-PTC are a good choices. I also prefer to protect the cable/sat lines coming into the house, but some people have reported troubles with cable modems and surge protectors. For RS232 I used an APC ProtectNet 9-DTE.