Signal Repeating (Hopping) with Echoflex Controllers

Question

What is signal repeating or single/dual hopping in regards to Echoflex and how do I use it?

Description

Signal repeating, otherwise known as hopping, is a feature in Echoflex where receiving devices retransmit incoming wireless telegrams (messages). This is useful if you have a transmitter (switch/sensor) and receiver (controller/interface) that need to communicate but cannot be installed within reliable wireless range of each other. If there is another controller within range of both (or you can install one solely for this purpose), it can retransmit the transmitter's telegrams for the out-of-distance controller to pick up.

There are two levels of repeating/hopping:

• Single hop: receiver repeats telegrams from original transmitter.
• Dual hop: receiver repeats telegrams from original transmitter AND telegrams that have already been repeated once.

Of note:

• Repeating devices must be powered by constant current, solar/battery-powered devices will not support this feature.
• The device will repeat ALL telegrams it sees, not just ones coming from switches or sensors specifically linked to it.
• When the device repeats the telegram, it tweaks the message a bit so the devices that see it know it is a repeated telegram.
  • This assists in the functionality of dual hop, and can also be a useful note if examining telegrams via software like Garibaldi or DolphinView.

How to Enable/Disable

Single repeating can be enabled or disabled for a device via the device's buttons or Garibaldi. Older devices that support Smart Click can also use Smart Click to enable/disable repeating, reference this article to see if your device supports that feature.

Via Garibaldi

1. Launch Garibaldi.
2. Unlock and find controllers if working in front of Echoflex system and have the USB Serial Interface set up, or add controller manually if working offline.
3. Select the controller in the project tree view window.
4. Select the 'Configuration Parameters' option in the transmitter listing window.
5. For 'telegram repeater function', select 'disabled', 'single hop', or 'dual hop' under the value column.
6. Select 'write' if actively connected to the device, otherwise save the configuration if working offline. 

At the Device

Configuring signal repeating at a device varies by each device, not all will have or use the same buttons. Referencing the device's installation guide is recommenced for this, but the most common method is described below (as well as in the referenced video):

1. Press and hold the [CLEAR] button.
2. Quickly tap the [LEARN] button X times depending on how you want to configure.
   1. 1 tap: disables repeating.
   2. 2 taps: enables single hop repeating.
   3. 3 taps: enables dual hop repeating.
   4. Release the [CLEAR] button. The green learn LED and red power LED will blink the corresponding number of [learn] button presses the device registered.

Related Links/References

Video Walkthrough