Any need/advantage of having Ethernet?

[Dan123]

Hi,

I recently added an Wifi Access point to my garage for the cars (updates are now more frequent and very fast). I could add a cable to the Access point and extend the Cat 6 Ethernet to other parts of the garage. Does the equipment in a Tesla solar sets up (hopefully solar roof if it matters) benefit from a Ethernet connection?

Mine is connected to by a regular Ethernet cable to a regular ethernet switch. Doesn't seem to be anything complicated to it. I think Ethernet is generally more reliable that Wifi.

 

[miimura]

My Powerwall system communicates purely on the provided cellular connection. I have never felt the need to connect by Ethernet or WiFi even though either one would be relatively easy for me.

 

[SoundDaTrumpet]

For peace of mind, I use Ethernet if a device or appliance has an Ethernet port. That said solar folks installed a dedicated conduit to my point of entry (telco box) to the inverter. The defunct phone lines used Cat 5 Ethernet cable anyways. Years later for the Powerwall install we find that there’s a spare Ethernet port on the inverter commonly used to daisy chain other inverters. I used 600V double-sheath jacketed Cat 6 cable from eBay (special cable) and run them in the conduit shared with 120VAC conductors back to the Gateway. Rule is never run low and high voltage in the same conduit or cavity without proper cable. (@woferry touched about this in an earlier post.)

 

[charlesj]

I just checked the power consumption on my cable modem and wi-fi router, roughly 60 Wh. Wow, 24/365, = 568 kWh per year, two black boxes
So now I am thinking of using timer to wi-wi and modem off 11:45 PM to 6:45 AM./
Will the Gateway switch to cellular for that time period?

 

[jboy210]

I just checked the power consumption on my cable modem and wi-fi router, roughly 60 Wh. Wow, 24/365, = 568 kWh per year, two black boxes
So now I am thinking of using timer to wi-wi and modem off 11:45 PM to 6:45 AM./
Will the Gateway switch to cellular for that time period?

The number may be big, but that was the same as my mom used by keeping a single incandescent light bulb on all the time out on the porch.

 

[bob_p]

I insisted our installers install the wired ethernet connection as part of the installation.

I was concerned that the Tesla Backup Gateway wouldn't get a reliable WiFi signal because it's outside of the house, mounted on stucco, with the house's breaker panels and our 4 PowerWalls located inside the garage on the other side of the wall.

Our installers used Chilicon microinverters for the solar panels - which came with a gateway panel that supports wired and wireless. We mounted that on the inside of the house - and are planning to use WiFi for that panel, because that device should have better line of sight access to two mesh routers, without having to go through anything other than sheet rock or a ceiling/floor.

Though if we find we have any connectivity issues, we have a "future tube" located in the garage wall near the solar gateway - and could fairly easily run an Ethernet cable from the solar gateway to the network closet.

For anyone that is building a new house, with the potential for future solar/PowerWall installation, would strongly recommend running CAT cable to the areas where the equipment will be installed, or a least running some empty tubes that could be used to pull cables in the future.

 

[jboy210]

...
For anyone that is building a new house, with the potential for future solar/PowerWall installation, would strongly recommend running CAT cable to the areas where the equipment will be installed, or a least running some empty tubes that could be used to pull cables in the future.

I wish the builders of my mid 80s house would have done that. As it is now I have had to punch holes in walls to get Ethernet to where I want it.

 

[charlesj]

I wish the builders of my mid 80s house would have done that. As it is now I have had to punch holes in walls to get Ethernet to where I want it.

In the 80s?
Mine is 93 and Internet was not on the drawing table, RG6 was.

 

[jboy210]

In the 80s?
Mine is 93 and Internet was not on the drawing table, RG6 was.

I hear you. But I would be happy if it had wall boxes with rg6 in it in all the rooms. At least I could reuse the box with a new RJ 11 faceplate.

We had one cable TV outlet and one phone outlet in this 5 bedroom house, 3000+ sq.ft house. I guess coax was worth it's weight in gold back then.

 

[jboy210]

Anyone deal with inspectors and penetrations into the garage from an inside room? I assume I have to use some sort of firestop.

 

[woferry]

Not exactly the same, but the RSDs in my garage connected to the rest in the attic before ultimately leaving the attic to the inverters on an outside wall. Where the conduit went from the garage to the attic required a fireproof caulk, which Tesla hadn't done before the city inspection. It was one of 3 things the San Jose inspector caught, and the only one Tesla couldn't fix on-site, so the Tesla lead had to hit Home Depot to pick up the caulk, and I had to wait another 2 weeks for the next appointment with the inspector as he (unsurprisingly) wasn't going to wait around while Tesla went shopping.

 

[jboy210]

Not exactly the same, but the RSDs in my garage connected to the rest in the attic before ultimately leaving the attic to the inverters on an outside wall. Where the conduit went from the garage to the attic required a fireproof caulk, which Tesla hadn't done before the city inspection. It was one of 3 things the San Jose inspector caught, and the only one Tesla couldn't fix on-site, so the Tesla lead had to hit Home Depot to pick up the caulk, and I had to wait another 2 weeks for the next appointment with the inspector as he (unsurprisingly) wasn't going to wait around while Tesla went shopping.

Sounds like buying a fire stop wall conduit and some of that fireproof caulk might not be a bad idea. And the Home Depot by me has a Supercharger, and In-N-Out, so I don't need much reason to go there anyway. Maybe the install team will give me a discount on the installation if I provide the fireproof caulk and lunch from In-N-Out.