Topic: Wiring Question Please

[Gulfstream650]

Hello to all on the forum!  Another new guy here.  Sorry!

I just purchased a VP2 and weatherlink serial software.  I've updated the software to the 5.9.3 version.  My problem is that I want to keep the VP console upstairs and get the information to my computer downstairs.  I have a cat 6 wire that is available from the location upstairs to the computer downstairs.  So, I plugged the VP console/logger into the cat 6 plug upstairs.  Then in plug downstairs, I plugged in another phone line to attach to the serial plug that came with the logger, this is then attached to an adapter to convert from a serial connection to a USB connection.  This is then attached to a usb port on the computer downstairs.  Now for the problem:  I can't see the console in the weatherlink software.  I have, of course, attached the console directly to the computer and confirmed that all components are working when in close proximity.  I always understood that cat 6 wiring is suitable for phone-line-type connections so I am wondering if distance could be an issue?  It's probably about 75 - 95 feet, give or take, of cat 6 wiring to get to my computer downstairs.

I hope someone out there has an idea how to solve this problem or even another suggestion of how to accomplish the same thing.

Thanks to all in advance!!

Rick

[SLOweather]

It's doable, as I have done a similar thing. At that distance, it should still work OK.

The key is to keep straight the wiring from end to end. You may need to make yourself a written map or schematic of all of the wiring to ensure that the Yellow/Green/Red/Black on the console end come out on Yellow/Green/Red/Black at the computer end.

One clue is "Then in plug downstairs, I plugged in another phone line to attach to the serial plug that came with the logger,..." Most telephone style cable are reversed, rather than straight through. Hold the ends up and look at the modular connectors. The colors should be the same left-to-right for both plugs.

If not, that's likely your problem.

I had a problem with mine originally, just like this. The cable from the console plugs into a jack, which cable runs to a 66 block on a patch panel. There it's patched over to another 66 block which runs to the wall jack in the computer room, and there a cable runs to the blue Davis adapter to the computer.

I had to make a schematic to make sure I had all the wiring correct.

[Cynjut]

I'm extremely pedantic when it comes to this stuff, so sorry if my questions are a little pointed.

When you say "phone cord", my assumption is a flat "silver satin" style phone cable.  The trick here is that, from left to right in the cable end, the colors will always be the same.  There could be 4 or 6 conductors (or maybe , but that's not really important.  What is important is that the cable is effectively straight through.

If you have an RJ-49 cable running between the two rooms, it's very likely wired as an 8-conductor network cable.  On these, the little wires inside the jack are wired in a way that makes the suitable for either telephone or network use.  In other words, wires 1 and 2, 3 and 6, 4 and 5, and 7 and 8 are wired as pairs.  

So - if you are using a "phone cord", you are using pairs 3/6 and 4/5.  The RJ-11 jack will accept a 2, 3, or 4 pair cable.

If you used the same "breed" of phone cable, then the way you've described wiring it should be just fine.

The problem is that when someone has gone to the trouble of wiring an RJ-11 jack in their house, they seldom wire it to another RJ-49 jack - they nearly always go to a terminal block of some kind.  Your installation could be different, of course, but this was one of the first things that struck me as you described the problem.

The other thing that you could be running into is that if this jack *IS* wired point-to-point, it is probably wired as a "two port hub" which means that pins 1 and 2 upstairs are wired to 3 and 6 downstairs, and 3 and 6 upstairs is wired to 1 and 2 downstairs.  Pins 7 and 8 are probably straight through, as are 4 and 5.  Note that this is how you would wire the connectors if you wanted to just hook two computers together through their network connections without buying a switch or a hub.

Without knowing more about how the two network ports are wired, it's not easy to identify the specific problem.  If your ports are wired as a "cross-over", you can undo them using a short "cross-over" cable of your own and an 8 pin extension plug (8 pin, Radio Shack usually sells them).

For more information on the wiring issues you are running into, I've found a very nice webpage that shows what I'm trying to explain:

http://cableorganizer.com/articles/network-instructions.htm

[Gulfstream650]

You guys were exactly right.  When I checked one of the "phone cords" (yes, satiny silver, junky looking) I found that the wires on one end were in one color combination and the wires on the other end came out in another color combination.  Two of the wires were crossed and therefore not straight through just as you guys thought.  Good thinking!

Now, all I have to do is figure out how I will get my data on the web and accessible 24/7 in the least costly and troublesome way.  But I guess that is for another thread.

Thanks Again,
Rick