Re: Outdoor satellite blinking yellow amber when weather drops below 30F

WineGuru · ‎2021-01-28

I have a RBS50Y installed outdoors and it has been stable (after much testing and moving and re-testing and finally finding a spot where it works) during the summer and fall and most of the winter. However, now that winter has set in, when the temprature goes below 30F I notice that the satellite will blink yellow (or amber, I guess) for 20-30 seconds then stop. Then it will start again very soon after and continue blinking intermittently. I read that the Orbi will "warm" itself when the weather gets cold, but the temp is nowhere close to the lower limit of -4F. Is my unit more sensitive to the cold than the listed norm? If so, is there a way to turn off the blinking light when it warms itself so it is not distracting and/or attracting unwanted attention?
Setup: RBR50, RBS50, RBS50Y

WineGuru · ‎2021-01-29

@FURRYe38 wrote:
However I believe that 30F falls below and outside the recommended temp of the RBSY range.

I expected it to work fine down to normal winter temperatures, the manual reads: "The recommend temperature range for your
satellite is 4°F to 122°F (-20°C to +50°C)." It obviously needs to be unplugged or removed in the cold, I was not anticipating having to do that. Elsewhere I discovered that it says the light will blink when it goes below 40F as the unit is warming up, which I must have missed when I was first looking.

At least I know it is functioning as expected, and I can re-think my mounting stratgies to make it easier to remove when the weather gets cold as you recommended. I do the same with my outdoor patio and umbrella, so this will just be another cold-weather prep I do from now on.

At least it should work fine as before when the warmer weather arrives this way.

Thanks again, I appreciate the guidance.

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FURRYe38 · ‎2021-01-28

So why not turn OFF the RBSY or bring it inside and leave it until you need it outside. Do you need wifi outside when its cold?

FURRYe38 · ‎2021-01-28

FYI: - Temp range: -20°C to +50°C

WineGuru · ‎2021-01-28

I suppose I could, and given the -20C (-4F) range, I knew I might have to do that if the weather was going to be abnormally low. And I don’t go outside when it’s 25F but I do when it’s 45. It could be cold one day and warmer the next and we want to be outside by the fire pit as much as possible.
Could I leave it on the mount and simply unplug it when we are not outside? Will low temperatures harm it if it’s not being used? If not, then that is the solution to it being too cold.
But the question is still there: why is it blinking yellow? Is it ‘warming’ the way I’ve seen on other posts? Is 30 the threshold for me to unplug it and either bring it in or leave it outside unplugged?
Thanks for any help and answers anybody can give.

FURRYe38 · ‎2021-01-28

Yes you could leave it on the mount. However, I might bring it insde and box it up during the winter season to help prolong its outdoor exterior casing and seal. If your not really using it, then might as well keep it in good shape and in box during the winter months.

WineGuru · ‎2021-01-29

I spent much of the summer trying to find the right placement (which, @FURRYe38, you were helpful with- thank you) and once it was in the right place I mounted it more permanently. I think I will unplug it and leave it outside since it's rated for temps down to -20C and then plug it in when the weather warms and we want to be outside again, whether that's a week or 3 months from now. To me, that is the right balance of function and not having to constantly meddle with it.

I appreciate the advice and the information. I wish the satellite could withstand the cold better since it's supposed to be able to handle it, but I guess this is better than not having the extension in the first place. Thanks for the help and advice.

FURRYe38 · ‎2021-01-29

However I believe that 30F falls below and outside the recommended temp of the RBSY range.

alokeprasad · ‎2021-01-29

@FURRYe38 wrote:
However I believe that 30F falls below and outside the recommended temp of the RBSY range.

30 F = - 1.1 C

Barely below freezing. The unit should easily be able to handle that.

WineGuru · ‎2021-01-29

@FURRYe38 wrote:
However I believe that 30F falls below and outside the recommended temp of the RBSY range.

I expected it to work fine down to normal winter temperatures, the manual reads: "The recommend temperature range for your
satellite is 4°F to 122°F (-20°C to +50°C)." It obviously needs to be unplugged or removed in the cold, I was not anticipating having to do that. Elsewhere I discovered that it says the light will blink when it goes below 40F as the unit is warming up, which I must have missed when I was first looking.

At least I know it is functioning as expected, and I can re-think my mounting stratgies to make it easier to remove when the weather gets cold as you recommended. I do the same with my outdoor patio and umbrella, so this will just be another cold-weather prep I do from now on.

At least it should work fine as before when the warmer weather arrives this way.

Thanks again, I appreciate the guidance.

FURRYe38 · ‎2021-01-29

Ok, I didn't see the (-) dash before the 20 and saw that as temp range - 20 to. So my bad.

Then you should be fine.

I would try to keep it mounted so that there is a external roof or covering the unit to help avoid direct inclimate weather conditions as much as possible.