Monitoring second Classic over wireless bridge

[Powerplay]

Since last fall I've been using the Local App to monitor my Classic 150.  For a wireless bridge, I use a small Netgear Range Extender.  All is well.  When I add a second Classic this summer, mostly for input distribution, I'd like to monitor it wirelessly also.  What is the most efficient way to add a second wireless bridge?  Two small Netgear range extenders?  Would they interfere with each other?  Are there any bridge hubs that take more than one Cat5e input from different devices?  Thank you.

[TomW]

Wild guess alert!!

Plug an ethernet hub into the range extender. If the extender is just essentially a wireless ethernet "cable" it could maybe work?

Set each Classic with a different port for connections?

I don't know these range extenders but that is what I would try.

Just a W.A.G.

Tom

[Westbranch]

Look at my sig. For an option.

[binkino]

I would use these little LAN-WiFi bridges for the wall outlet, establish the connection to the nearest router you have for best singal.
But before you buy, check the reviews of other users of a product. Some adapters are a big piece of junk.

If you have a AVM router, it is recommended to use a AVM device, thats allways works.
If you have more then 1 device on one place, you need additional a lan switch, - so it is then better to use a 2nd router (in most cases has 4 ports) and couble it with the "main router"
But nothing beats a real lan cable    why I have a ~ 20m lan cable from my router down to the classic in the basement
added some ferrites to it and it works fine now (as the network card of the classic is a little sissi haha)

Best Router I ever had was the AVM 7270 v2 - the v3 was newer but gets warm and wifi was not as good as in the v2, now the 6330 (internet via television cable) is the worst wifi ever had, just the chinese crap is better... don't understand why.
In the beginning with the classic, I wanted to use my old 7270v2 or v3 in the basement to connect to the 6360.
The wifi connection again and again failed. Just have full internet with my phone beeneath my living room, where the 6360 is, but if you leave the room, wifi is gone...
Now with a 2nd classic, i would have to use a switch in the basement, so thinking about to buy some NOS 7270 and deactivate the 6330 wifi antennas. (also need a 3rd lan in the basement for the UPS (USV we say in germany), that will act as inverter for the 2nd system.

[Powerplay]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  I'll look into some options and let the forum know what I get working.

[Powerplay]

By the way.  I was re-reading the manual from my second Classic 150, which arrived a couple weeks ago, about wiring (Cat5e?) a second Classic to the first and using one of the display screens remotely, to display data from both classics.  Could data from both Classics be displayed, wirelessly, via the Local App in this same way?  What about updating settings from the Local App on both?  Also, what is the best place to get a couple of comm wires, looks like I'll need two that are not Cat5e to set up the follow me loop on the primary.  Thanks guys.

[Powerplay]

Okay, I found a couple of (technically) RJ14 4-wire with RJ11 type connector that should be fine.  They're a bit long at 7 feet but probably okay.  Today, I powered up Classic 'B' and this will be a follower once it gets some PV, currently Solar mode is Off for B.  My original Classic has the battery temp sensor and whiz bang Jr.  I noticed my new Classic 150 is at FW 2079 & the original FW 2056.  Should I update the original to 2079 to begin follow-me charging or can they work together at the stated FW level?  The one at 2056 has been doing well for the last 4 months.  Also, all my mobile devices (a netbook) run Ubuntu right now.  We only have Windows 10 on a desktop tower as a dual boot.  I hope I don't have to lug that thing down stairs and over to the Classics to update FW.  Its monitor is a TV set & very heavy.   .  Will the FirmWare updater work with Wine or maybe native Ubuntu?  I hope I can implement follow-me while leaving the FW as it is in both Classics anyway.  Thank you.

[CDN-VT]

I got sour news .
Recommended to have all the same firmware in both units when in follow me modes .
As with W10 & firmware upgrades PITA as some of had . MYSELF I have a dedicated  USED laptop W7 for all solar files & firmware's etc. It has all the movies & anytning  worth keeping . String size to Voltage drop files also. 
This keeps all the windoz  junk out of any of the power info I have.

I keep a copy of the classics settings in its folder after all is setup , for each classic & season .

VT

[dgd]

...  Could data from both Classics be displayed, wirelessly, via the Local App in this same way?  What about updating settings from the Local App on both?

I used two running iterations of the LA, each displaying its own statically defined Classic
Auto detect off, when first LA shows its Classic then go to the hidden dir for the LA running data file, remove it and start another copy of the LA, again static define its Classic
Did this on W7 and W8, no W10 back then a couple of years ago
Can't remember exact sequence of events but some faffing about should get it to work,  don't use LA anymore since mid 2014

dgd

[dgd]

Now to monitor two or more ethernet connected Classics I use an html5 page(s) executed by local web browser  on my laptop.
To extract data from each connected Classic there is a Windows background program running. It uses tcp modbus polling each Classic nearly every second for about 80 modbus register values and updates an XML file that is used by the HTML5 web page
Similar to ZB's Blackbox code its writing data collected to a log database for future analysis/reporting
Its only a data display/reporting system at present and still needs a few gremlins extracted
I'm looking at a separate web based config program for setting Classic registers etc..

The html5 gauges display is same one I used with the Arduino and Cubie web servers with rs232 connections to Classics

dgd

[binkino]

dgd, that looks nice, great!

Can you describe more about it? Examples for us? pleeeeeeaaaasssssssseee
Wich program is used?

The App from Graham is the best, no question! I love it!

But sometimes in some situations it would be good, to have the ability to display more datas in one screen.
Looks like it would be possible to arrange the websit, so it displays all needed datas at ones?

So you run the program on your server and you can access to it from any web browser.
That makes things more easy

As known, you can only access to the classic with one app.
But if your server can serve the datas to any device connecting to it ... wonderfull!

[Powerplay]

I've got both Classics displaying on the Local App now & updated settings on B from LA. Also, ran #8 4-conductor UF to a sub panel from my recently constructed Power Center.  We had just varnished some plywood panels so I was standing in the fumes while wiring.  What a trip! 
Back to the DC (dark) side and on to synchronizing FW.  So.

I got sour news .
Recommended to have all the same firmware in both units when in follow me modes .
As with W10 & firmware upgrades PITA as some of had .

What if I put Wine on the Net book and try to run the earlier Win version of the installer?  I could try (monkey around with) that and dump Wine after/if it works.  I'd hate to lug my tower down to the Classic only to have Win 10 mess up the install.  Actually, Win 10.1 has been less trouble than other releases for me anyway.  Not that I ever let Windows do any thing important, as a rule.  What sort of issues are cropping up with the Win 10 installer?

[dgd]

AFAIK its not absolutely necessary to have identical firmware in both Classics for follow-me to work.
So long as the versions in use support follow-me and in your case with two fairly late but different FW there should be no problems.
I didn't see any modbus register changes concerning follow-me between your FW versions.
So you should try it and see.
I also seem to remember that the loopback connection is not necessary if you really want the first Classic to be the master and the other(s) follow its charging state, also the master has the WBjr and the battery temperature proble connected.

dgd

[Powerplay]

AFAIK its not absolutely necessary to have identical firmware in both Classics for follow-me to work.
So long as the versions in use support follow-me and in your case with two fairly late but different FW there should be no problems.

Great!  Yesterday I downloaded Wine to the Ubuntu (Netbook) and it appears to be able to run the earlier version of the Win (like 98) installer very well.  But my motto is try the least complicated thing first and that is definitely to leave the two firmwares as they are and set up follow me to see how it works.  I'll leave the installer running on the Netbook as a plan 'B' or in case I need to install FW for some other reason down the road.  Now to put up the first 800W of panels for B and pull the starter cord.  Thank you for the advice.

[Powerplay]

Okay, The second Classic has 800 Watts of PV now so I'm running through a charge cycle.  Everything was fine through the bulk part with both using the temp sensor on the Master Classic.  The system is set to roll over to float based on Wzbjr amps set at .01 * C (5.1 amps in this case).  In the absorb phase, the slave follower (doesn't have the batt temp sensor) kept driving the wattage down somewhat faster than the master for about an hour and finally it went to resting with the master still in absorb throwing (Resting 38:Unknown) message.  Does this sound like normal behavior?  The master is still in absorb but will probably go over to float in 15-30 minutes.  I'll see what it does then.  Slave has produced about .5 Kw before going to resting.  Master has more PV and produced nearly 2 Kw so far.