860 PRO Series Ethernet Extender FAQ

 

ENABLE-IT 860 PRO REV D DIP

Dip Switch 2: Error Correction Mode
Interleaved Error Correction Enabled – Up / Off Position – degrades performance
Fast Channel – Down / On Position (Default)
Interleaved Error Correction works better for file transfers, where the delivered data must be error free but latency incurred by the retransmission of error packets is acceptable. Fast channel is preferred for streaming multimedia, where an occasional dropped bit is not noticeable or acceptable.

Dip Switch 3: Toggles the 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender for either synchronous/asynchronous mode for dsl transmissions. Synchronous mode will deliver better performance on distances up to 1,700ft.
(Default – DOWN) Asynchronous mode is required for all distances past 1,700ft. (UP)

Dip Switch 4: Toggles the Signal Noise Ratio (SNR). Default is set to 6dB (DOWN) which is excellent for short distance communication whereas flipping the switch to 9dB mode (UP) is recommended for long range communications. If you experience issues of noise bleeding over the line or high interference in your environment it is suggested that you switch from 6dB mode to 9dB mode and change Dip switch 2 to interleave mode. This will help clean up any noise bleeding over your wiring.

Will the 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender cause dropouts or other problems with the Cisco 2950 LRE connections?

No, the Enable-IT Ethernet extenders will look like and act like a long Ethernet patch cord. They are transparent.

Do I need to remove the Cicso LRE equipment before I install the 860?

No. You can connect the Enable-IT equipment directly to the Cisco LRE.

Will the 860 PRO REV D support a trunk link between a pair of Cisco 2950/3550 switches?

The Enable-IT 860 PRO REV D Ethernet extenders will look like and act like an Ethernet patch cord, they are transparent devices.

(Trunk using 2950 LRE switch had intermittent problems. Using two LRE ports has been much more stable.)

Can I install more than one pair of 860 PRO REV D on the 25-pair connection?

Yes, but the 860’s must be separated enough as to not cause interference. For a 25-pair this is typically on a Telco punchdown block. – Telco punchdown blocks act like antennas and pick up a large amount of noise so it is highly recommended that you pull the pair of cross connect wires off the block and bridge to the wiring reaching out to the extenders themselves.

The 860 PRO REV D kit works fine in the lab for the out of the box test, but when I placed them in the field all I get is a flashing Sync light

The issue clearly is the wiring between the 860 CO and CPE units. Check your cabling and connections. The 1-pair wire run between the 860 PRO REV D 17a Interlink ports should be a straight through, continuous run with no breaks or connections.
If you are using telephone wiring, make sure there are no telephone punchdown blocks on the wire. If there are telephone punchdown blocks connecting the wire between the 860 PRO REV D Interlink (RJ-45) ports, remove the wire from the blocks and use Telco butt clips (jelly bean connectors) to bridge the wire together.

Telco punch down blocks add interference and can introduce other electrical paths that will degrade performance or interfere with the data signal communications. The 1-pair or wire used should be terminated directly into a RJ-45 LAN jack and inserted into the Interlink port of each 860 PRO REV D unit. Also the signal on telephone wiring will only run approx. 3,000ft and 6,000ft on CAT-5e or better.

If using telephone wire and experience performance or connectivity issues, you can try to improve the signal by attaching a segment (25 – 50ft) of twisted pair (1-pair) to each end of the telephone wire before it goes into the VDSL port of each 860 unit. the Twisted pair will amplify the signal.

Be aware of other high speed communications ruining over the same CAT5e, 25, 50 or 100 pair of Telco cabling as they may bleed over other wires and cause interference/noise on your 1-pair of wiring between the Ethernet Extenders. Twisted pair wire (CAT5, CAT6, CAT3) will always give better performance than telephone wire.

We highly recommend a quick test to ensure the working order of you 860 PRO REV D units.

To do this, please use one of the Telephone patch cords provided and attach each end to the Interlink RJ-45 port on the 860 PRO REV D units. Apply power to the 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender units and you should see the Green Sync light (solid) which indicates the units see each other and have synced up.
You can further test the units by attaching a LAN device to the Ethernet Data port of each 860 unit. Test your data connectivity and LED operational status to become familiar with their operation before installing in the field. If this test fails, contact our Technical support for further troubleshooting or replacement. It is key to note that your throughput on this short distance will not be accurately reflected as these units are tuned for extended Ethernet performance – something you can’t do with standard Ethernet distances.

LED indicators will provide visual operational status of the 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender units.

Sync (Solid) – Indicates the 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender units see each other and have synced up.

If this LED fails to light Solidly, the wiring between the CO and CPE is incorrect, the wiring may have a short, too many paths (connections) or the distance between the units exceeds the specs for your type of wiring.

LNK/ACT – Indicates local LAN is visible and connected with activity.

CPE – Indicates the visibility of the CPE unit from the CO unit.

CO – Indicates the visibility of the CO unit from the CPE unit.

PWR – should be lit when 5v adapter is connected and powered.

100 – Indicates the presence of a 100Mbps LAN connection on the local side.

Can we use Telco wiring between our Ethernet Extender units, like 25-Pair or 100-Pair?

Yes, Telco wiring can be used between our Ethernet Extender units. Any wiring used has to be as contiguous as possible with no other connections like a Telco punch down block or extensions.
Telco punch down blocks add interference and can introduce other electrical paths that will degrade performance or interfere with the data signal communications. The 1-pair or wire used should be terminated directly into a RJ-45 LAN jack and inserted into the Interlink port of each 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender unit.
If using Telco wire over 300ft, add a piece of twisted pair wiring to each end of the wire connection to the Ethernet Extender. This will boost the signal strength and increase your performance.

Be aware of other high speed communications ruining over the same CAT5e, 25, 50 or 100 pair of Telco cabling as they may bleed over other wires and cause interference/noise on your 1-pair of wiring between the Ethernet Extenders.
Twisted pair wire (CAT5, CAT6, CAT3) will always give better performance than telephone wire.

Are existing Telcom circuits suitable to use between the Ethernet Extender units?

Typically No – Telcom circuits are just that – circuits (loops and many connections through Telco punchdown blocks) and not direct pair of wires without any connecting points.
Telco circuits frequently have other high frequency communications running nearby on on other pairs that interfere with Ethernet Extender equipment and signals.

I have a flashing Interlink Sync LEDs on each 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender unit and solid LAN lights, but network works slow.

The flashing Sync LED, is an indication of interference on the wire between the 860 PRO REV D units.

Check your cabling and connections. The 1-pair wire run between the 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender Interlink (RJ-45) ports should be a straight through, continuous run with no breaks or connections. If you are using telephone wiring, make sure there are no telephone punchdown blocks on the wire. If there are telephone punchdown blocks connecting the wire between the 860 PRO REV D Interlink ports, remove the wire from the blocks and use Telco butt clips (jelly bean connectors) to bridge the wire together.

Also the signal on telephone wiring will only run approx. 3,000ft and 6,000ft on CAT-5e or better.

If using telephone wire and experience performance or connectivity issues, you can try to improve the signal by attaching a segment (25 – 50ft) of twisted pair (1-pair) to each end of the telephone wire before it goes into the Interlink port of each 860 PRO REV D unit. the Twisted pair will amplify the signal.

On the 860 PRO REV D CO unit, you can change the DIP-2 and DIP-4 switch to the off position (default is ON)

This will increase the Signal Noise Ratio higher more tolerant and change the performance for better quality on your short distance.
Leave the CPE end alone as far as DIP switches.

What is the difference between the CO and CPE labeled units? And where do the go?

The CO / CPE designation are Telco Carrier terms –

CO – Central Office Equipment

CPE – Customer Premise Equipment

Our Ethernet Extenders are labeled with this CO/CPE identification primarily for our stock packaging and RMA repair. COs will only talk to CPEs.

The placement of the units are interchangeable and irrelevant to their operation or performance.

What does a flashing ACT light mean?

A Flashing or Blinking ACT (Activity) light denotes the presence of Local LAN traffic or activity. It does not necessarily confirm the transmission of data between remote ends of an Ethernet Extender.

What do the CO and CPE labels mean?

The designation of CO and CPE labels are a Telco industry terminology – CO (Central Office) & CPE (Customer Premise Equipment).

We use the designations for shipping, RMA repair only as they have no bearing on placement/performance for our Ethernet Extenders. Typically you would place the CPE at the remote end and the CO at the local end for reference only.

Customers that order several pairs of like Ethernet Extenders and mix up the pairs will need to know that only CPE’s talk to CO’s. Like units CO to CO and CPE to CPE will not sync as the programming is different on each.

How do I connect two routers together with an Ethernet Extender?

Routers or switches can be connected together easily as all our Ethernet Extender kits are transparent to the LAN.

You first need to figure out how the routers/switches will talk to each other on respective ports. Some routers such as Linksys, D-Link, Netgear have a WAN port.
Typically one router will be setup as a master router offering DHCP IP addressing to clients. Make sure the second router or others are not offering DHCP as well.

To attach an Ethernet Extender kit, on the second router, you may need a Ethernet Cross-Over cable in order to make a physical link. See example below.

SAT ——- Linksys A —–860 PRO ========================= 860 PRO—–Linksys B——–LAN

1) Figure out how Linksys to Linksys works (What ports will connect to bridge) On Linksys A the SAT internet has to be in the WAN port.

Linksys B needs to have it’s WAN port connected to a LAN port of Linksys A (The 860 kit is transparent, therefore you will need to see what patch cord will work to get an 860 to connect to the Linksys B WAN port correctly) – you may need a crossover cable to make it work properly.

2) Leave the 860 connected to Linksys A LAN port on a standard Ethernet patch cord.

SAT ——- Linksys A —–860 PRO ========================= 860 PRO—–Linksys B——–LAN

WAN port LAN port WAN port LAN port

(patch cord) (patch cord) (XXXX cord) (patch cord)

XXX= Crossover cable

Is the data bath between two extenders electrically isolated from the power supply? If not is it possible to provide isolation to say 400VDC

The 895 / 890 /820 the no the data path cannot be isolated for the internal power components. 400VDC will jump through the tightly designed components inside and damage all the chips.

On the 860 PRO / 865 PRO units, we do have built in lightning protection, however a load of 400VDC will burn out this protection and render the unit interoperable.

All the Extender Kits are designed for 5v 2W AC and if you need to power these via DC power you can purchase aftermarket 5v 2W DC adapters 2.1mm center power head.

Is there a way to run multiple 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender Kits on the same wiring, say on the same CAT5e wiring or on a 25-pair Telco wire run?

The 860 PRO REV D Ethernet Extender kit can communicate on very high frequencies and therefore by nature these frequencies bleed over into surrounding wires. We highly recommend you do not place multiple extender kits or use on lines that have other high frequency signals (such as Digital PBX or other telecommunication circuits from a carrier) on the same wire or surrounding wires. Always uses separate runs(wiring) for Ethernet extender kits as to maximize the throughput. You may be successful in isolating different pairs in a 25,50 or 100 pair Telco bundle, however this is up to your own trial and error.