Guys,
@Tyler @urman @scottinpollock @tslagle13 @geko @beckwith @ben @linda @Duncan @jody.albritton and all you guys!
I am trying to increase the distance between my hub and the router and looking for a decent 15-20 ft. micro-usb power cable (as the original which came with the ST hub is just 6 ft.) and trying to rule out interference in my home environment.
Will appreciate an earliest possible suggestion as I intend to order in the next few minutes.
Thanks as always.
I have had very good luck with the amazon basics cables. Cheap and they work great. I have never used a usb that long, but their 25’ hdmi cable was only 12 bucks.
Thanks. But I need a longer micro-usb power cable than the one ST comes with.
I’m not an expert but you may need a brick that can handle more amperage. I don’t think the wire makes a difference because the standard USB connector is the gating factor. However, the extra length increases impedance requiring more amperage. The existing transformer may have enough capacity, however.
Agreed but my problem is I live in a late sixties house and the way the stupid cable line from outside enters the hose, Cable modem to my my routers (Airport Extreme 6th gen bridged with a 5th gen), ST hub, Sonos BOOST, hue hub, MyQ internet gateway all are in very close proximity. Was wondering if there is some kind of interference which slows down everything. With a longer wire, I could at least move the ST hub a little more further from the router.
Here is a 15 footer. Have had good luck with their stuff.
The only thing going on over USB on the hub is power.
That’s two (red/black) of the 4 wires in a USB cable…
I extended my hub power by taking a typical USB cable cutting it in half and then extending it with some 20 gauge I had hanging around. 18 to 20 gauge should easily get you 20’
Why not just use extension power cord? I bet, it’ll cost you less than USB cable.
Thanks @jody.albritton @beckwith
@Mike_Maxwell: Thanks, I wish I was that handy. 
@geko: I have only 2 outlets there both has power strips hooked to it with no free point available. 
@scottinpollock Thanks for the Monoprice link. Ordered the same from Amazon for free as I had some points there.
Absolutely. I have repeatable situations though most don’t believe me. Generally, however, I don’t have to move them far to solve the problem (six feet maximum). 2.4 ghz can cover relatively long distances but is also so cluttered.
Sonos boost will interfere with SmartThings ZigBee. Chromecast also interferes with ZigBee. Fluorescent lights interfere with Sonos and I would thus assume with 2.4 ghz.
I could go on…
We’ve started to hone in on some very real examples of interference. Like hue works until I add a SONOS to the mix, and things like that. We also have presence tag malfunctions at times when someone turned on their Apple TV. Radio waves are fickle.
I have seen when I turn on my Samsung Smart TV, things slow down. I am going to first and foremost remove BOOST out of the mix as it is not even required in my home.
@ben just a quick question since I have you here. How far should the hub be at least from the router? I know it has been discussed several times and I have gone thru the blog about the repeaters and stuff.
I posted in another topic about similar things just now, but I don’t know that there is a universal answer. My hub has always been within a couple feet from my access point. Right now it is 6" away. If I experience any issues I will try to move it a few feet but that is all I am expecting to need.
More importantly — and you are mentioning it above — is the other environmental variables you might have. (or your neighbors might have). Anything from routers, access points, TV, and phones, to SONOS and hue, and game systems, and AppleTV’s can have an affect on wireless signals.
I’ve probably got the poster child of what not to do, yea, those at the top are external wap antennas, ST hub mounted sideways…
To be fair everything seems to be working today. Sonos’s are so called using its SonosNet network. No clue if that helps. Hues as per their app are on channel 15??, ST on 14, sonos on 6. Two ST powered zigbee devices between the distant hues and the hub (all within 20 feet). Ordered 3 more ST power outlets and the powered edition of motion sensor today! I want you to know that I am extremely passionate about ST. In fact too passionate.
I would also test this over time. Sonos uses Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) to avoid broadcast storms but it doesn’t always work and they interfere with other 2.4 ghz signals while recovering. Their latest release is much better but not perfect.
Also when it fails to turn on, it’s never the distant one for some reason.
On a different t note, another thing worth noting is that ST takes the BOOST as a Sonos play 1 too.
The hub is 5V .5Amp, so if you want to use that long of a cable you could use a 5V 1Amp adapter and it would probably work. Just make sure not to go over 5V.
Thanks. Will make sure.
