Original > Hot Tub Forum
Balboa Wifi Module
Letran:
I tried to actually get my Artesian dealer to send me a new module but he just said that from what he has read everywhere that a new module will not help.
When it get's warmer I'll try to bring the module inside the house via the flex tube connected to the breaker. I'm going to have my electrician do this of course. But I'm hoping that one its okay to do it that way, two that it is not against code. Well and three that the wifi module cable is long enough (which it should be the breaker is less than five feet from the tub)
Once the module is inside my basement wall, I pray that I doesn't drop signal any more.
emichael:
The replacement Balboa WiFi module made is 16 days without disconnecting. This is 2-3 times what the original module did. Keep in mind, this is with a WiFi access point mounted inches away from the Balboa module inside the hot tub.
Curiously, I noticed drops in connection performance. It would run a full strength at around -22dBm. Then it would slowly worsen to around -74dBm. Then it would cycle back to full strength.
I have marked this test as complete and I removed the temporary WiFi access point from inside the hot tub. The current access point it is connecting to is around 15 feet away under the eves of the house. I will see it stays on-line or whether it drops off again.
--- Quote from: Letran on March 07, 2016, 03:56:36 pm ---...ll try to bring the module inside the house via the flex tube connected to the breaker. I'm going to have my electrician do this of course. But I'm hoping that one its okay to do it that way, two that it is not against code. ...
--- End quote ---
Good luck with that. It is a big no-no to run low voltage cable in the same conduit as electrical wires. Plus this is data on the Balboa module wire - it is prone to interference from electrical wires - especially the 220v your spa is probably using.
Thanks,
-Eric
swilly1000:
Took me a while to get it working but it's up and running now with continuous connectivity from anywhere for the last few days.
You have to be diligent and orderly when setting it up. I had to delete and reinstall the app a couple of times until I got it to work but so far so good. It's definitely not plug 'n play.
I'm guessing by the lack of recent posts in this thread that Balboa has improved the app.
Anyone else?
emichael:
Original poster here....
So it works now. Somewhere along the line Balboa changed some stuff internally and now the little device stays connected to my Wifi for the most part. Once in a while it will disconnect for about 20 minutes or so and then automatically reconnect. That is relatively rare - like every 3-4 months.
As for the app.... Yeah, they made it worse in my opinion. The functionality is the same, but they put a different GUI on it. The GUI is more cumbersome than the old one - very difficult to change the temp, etc. For example the temp control is a 'round slider bar' that is difficult to be precise with. A temp number along with an up/down arrow would be much more intuitive and easier to work.
And finally.... Why, oh why, can't they remove the mandatory opening question for "Spa Mode". Why do I have to select "Connect" or "Demo Mode" every time I open the app? As a customer, of course I want to connect!!! "Demo Mode" should really be a settings option so that the retailers can turn it on when needed and it is pretty much buried for the rest of us.
Thanks,
-Eric
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