[Topofthehill]

I am in the process of getting things in place for the arrival of my E-Niro 4+ in mid November. I have had a quote for the installation of an Anderson A2 wall charger but the best position for this has a very weak Wi-Fi signal. It is possible to run an Ethernet cable into the house but this is an extra cost and quite a bit more disruption. I could possibly try a Wi-Fi booster, but I’m not convinced that this would improve matters sufficiently ? I believe that some wall chargers use a SIM card to connect but it’s not that easy to find our which makes / units take this approach and if there will be longer term costs involved in paying for the sim? Any advice on this would be welcome. Thanks.

 

[Topofthehill]

Sorry - should be Smart Chargers ! I’m blaming autocorrect 😬

 

[dk6780]

You could use a powerline adapter to enhance the WiFi signal or provide wired ethernet at the charge point. After all, you are cabling to there anyway .......

 

[Edd Beesley]

You're able to start, stop, monitor and schedule charging from the niro dashboard, and the app. I don't think you need a "smart" charger as well.

 

[championc]

Just get a Zappi instead. You're future proofed then too for installing Solar PV

 

[GMat]

On MG forum Power line adapters have been the issue for non charging ZS EVs apparently they can put a lot of interference on the lines.
Ethernet would be most reliable. I have to reboot my extender every once in a while because it drops out
What about a cable/extender hybrid system to cut down the cable run. I am sure I have run an laptop from an extender with a cable at some time.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

For such a low speed connection, and the many wi-fi extenders on the market, why don't you think it will work?

Gre

 

[dk6780]

You're able to start, stop, monitor and schedule charging from the niro dashboard, and the app. I don't think you need a "smart" charger as well.

No OLEV grant without a connection, and the eNiro doesn't support tarrifs like Agile?

 

[dk6780]

On MG forum Power line adapters have been the issue for non charging ZS EVs apparently they can put a lot of interference on the lines.

Poor quality Chinese electronics can be a problem. A quality extender is unlikely to cause an issue, and the OP may not be getting an MG.

 

[Topofthehill]

For such a low speed connection, and the many wi-fi extenders on the market, why don't you think it will work?

Gre

Thanks for all the helpful advice - what a great group . I will give a WiFi extender a try but unfortunately the car has to be parked some way from the house so the signal may be too weak.

 

[jgwozdzicki]

What’s the distance from where the car is being charged to the house/nearest WiFi signal? Powerline adaptors are ok but they can do create a lot of noise on the line and WiFi extenders always drop out without fail after a while but will work, assuming the range isn’t too far and walls etc aren’t too thick. Safest bet would be an Ethernet cable but as you say, adds a little more faff to proceedings. My zappi seems to cope ok with its WiFi connection to the hub but it does get more flaky when the weather gets colder and more wet as that reduces the signal strength somewhat.

 

[Topofthehill]

At present, the router is about 30m from where the charging box will be. I reckon I can get a WiFi booster to within 15m of the charging point and hopefully that will give a strong enough signal - although our walls are very thick. I have had conflicting advice from Anderson as to whether their A2 charger can communicate via an ethernet cable - an email from them said it could but I was then told in a phone call that this was not possible. .

 

[dk6780]

The older Anderson's did have an ethernet connector but IIRC it was dropped about 18 months ago and it is now WiFi or Bluetooth only.

 

[IRadiate]

Thanks for all the helpful advice - what a great group . I will give a WiFi extender a try but unfortunately the car has to be parked some way from the house so the signal may be too weak.

There are WiFi extenders and there are advanced mesh systems that cost more. Do some research on mesh systems and see if they might work for you. WiFi 6 enabled mesh routers run into several hundred pounds but if you're not bothered about WiFi 6 then there are cheaper alternatives.

 

[dk6780]

If you have continuous line of sight (i.e. the car isn't parked in the way) from the house to the Anderson you could use a dish to project the signal, but it is a more expensive and vulnerable solution.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

All he needs is a simple extender, once parked, the car is not moving around, you have low data requirements, and remember wi-fi automatically changes the data rate when the signal is iffy.

overthinking this.

 

[Topofthehill]

I seemed to have solved the problem by installing a WiFi mesh system - Now all I’ve got to do is reset my CCTV system and Sonos speakers! Still that’s the wonderful world of technology..... solve one problem & create two . Guess it’s keeping me busy whilst I wait for the car to arrive! Thanks everyone for the helpful advice

 

[Chickster]

Do you have to get the Andersen? The Ohme wall charger has its own sim card and works great.

 

[Topofthehill]

It will be first thing you’ll see as you approach the house and, according to Mrs Topofthehill, the Andersen wins on looks. Life can be unfair!