Cables to Internet Bridge length

Basker

Do TADO sypply a longer cable tor the router to Internet Bridge connection.

I need a longer one. Have tried a modem/ethernet cable but they do not work.

i have positioning issues that need the IB to be further away than possible with the short one supplied.

Basker

MichielTado

It should work with any ethernetcable cat 5e or higher. Only if your ethernet cable is longer than 50 to 100 meter there might be an issue with lenght.

hugbilly

Yes, I’ve used an ordinary Ethernet cable to move my bridge further from the router and it works fine . . .

Basker

Thanks for the replies.

I bought a new 3metre one from screwfix and tried a couple of old ones with the same result…..nothing but the power light comes on.

Maybe they are not Cat 5E.

Does anyone know if TADO can supply a 3metre one?

MichielTado

On the cable itself is normally written what type of ethernet it is i.e. cat 5/5e/6/7/8. I do not think Tado sells ethernet cables.

Are you sure you “click” the connector correctly in the router and bridge?

Rob2

The Tado bridge uses only 10 Mbps half duplex. The ancient ethernet mode from 1975. When you have a configurable switch you need to make sure it allows that speed.

Any cable should work.

Andreplusplus

@Rob2 @Basker if the short cable works, and a longer one doesn't, it must be the cable or a loose connection as @MichielTado suggested.

Rob2

Yes, but he never actually wrote that. He says he needs a longer cable, not that he first tried the supplied cable.

So it can still be a problem that has nothing to do with the cable. I sure would advise to temporarily try with the original cable (and then maybe a mains extension lead or other temporary situation) to see if at least that works.

Basker

Original supplied short cable works. Longer not TADO cables do not seem to work even when clicked fully in.

Rob2

Any cable for ethernet (NOT a telephone/ISDN cable!!!) should work with Tado.

Check if there is some writing on the cable, it should say CAT 5E or similar. Also check that all 8 connections are present and the color sequence is the same at each end. When only the 4 middle connections are present and the outer 2 are not, the cable is for telephone only.

davidlyall

@Rob2 curious why you think it needs anything more than 10Mbps half duplex? The Tado network is carrying very little data and higher speeds just use more power and would need more expensive hardware. Totally unnecessary in this situation

@Basker I would check you cables carefully. I've used other cables with my bridge without issues. Perhaps a poor quality connector on cable or router/switch is causing a bad connection

Rob2

@davidlyall I do not think or claim that it needs more, I only describe the situation and a possible problem. When you have a configurable switch and have somehow configured the port for a fixed speed or have excluded 10Mbps/HD from the autonegotiation list, the Tado Bridge will not work and testing with another device may reveal no problems.

Also it is not completely true that it is never necessary to have more. A known problem is that on a network with a lot of multicast traffic (e.g. two TV receivers on a IPTV provider and a dumb switch without IGMP snooping) the 10Mbit link can be saturated and this can cause issues both for the Tado Bridge and for the entire network (when the switch starts dropping packets to all ports due to buffer management problems).

davidlyall

Thanks @Rob2

I guess we can't blame Tado for the limitations you describe but I understand where you're coming from.

Tado will just be wanting to minimise hardware costs (and increase profit!)

Rob2

Yes I understand that, and I have no problems in my personal network, but I just want to point out some possible causes of issues that people appear to have.

"when I plug in my TV box my Tado stops working". Initially you think "that cannot be true!" but actually it can.

Or "my Tado works when I plug it into the internet router, but not when I plug it into my switch in the living room, where it is closer to the thermostat". Can be true as well, when that switch does not support 10MbpsHD either by design (unlikely) or because of configuration.

MandMJH_1

I think the issue may be that Tado’s cable has a slightly thinner Ethernet ‘plug’. A standard Ethernet cable pushes against the power input and stops the unit working. Any ideas what the thinner Ethernet plug us called?

MichielTado

The RJ45 connector (‘plug’) is quite standard. A difference might be the thickness of the protective sleeve around the RJ45 connector.