I recently purchased a Sony HT CT260H Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer. It is now very clear that it is interfering with my Veralite. (Commands are not getting to the switches sometimes.) When I completely remove power to the soundbar and subwoofer, all is well again. If they are “off” but still plugged in, it’s hit and miss. I moved the veralite which was, previously very close to both the soundbar and subwoofer, and I’m still having problems. Any ideas?
This system operates in the Bluetooth/WiFi frequency range of 2.4GHz. Vera operates at 908MHz in the U.S.(868MHz EU) so radio interference is not your issue. The fact that you report that the problem persists even when the speaker system is off further proves this.
I have seen poor quality switching power supplies cause electrical line noise and interference, though not specifically with Vera. My guess is that the Sony power brick is causing your issue(pretty unusual for Sony). You might try to find another power supply(brand/model) and see if it makes a difference.
You might also have some luck plugging one of the devices into a different circuit(different breaker/phase) as that might electrically separate them enough. But, if you have a noisy power supply it will likely be a problem wherever you plug it in.
When you say “this system operates in the Bluetooth/Wifi band of 2.4Ghz” I can only assume you are referring to the Bluetooth function of the speaker system. I’m referring to the wireless subwoofer, which is always “on” in standby mode. It uses an undocumented (I assume 900Mhz) frequency to communicate between the main soundbar and wireless subwoofer. Within a second or two after sound eminates from the main soundbar, a wireless signal is sent to tell the subwoofer to leave standby and start playing the wireless sound. I’m quite sure it does not use bluetooth or wifi to handle this at all.
[quote=“scolmer, post:3, topic:178323”]When you say “this system operates in the Bluetooth/Wifi band of 2.4Ghz” I can only assume you are referring to the Bluetooth function of the speaker system. …
It uses an undocumented (I assume 900Mhz) frequency to communicate between the main soundbar and wireless subwoofer.[/quote]
I think your assumptions are incorrect. Sony details the specifications of this system quite clearly. You can see on page 39 of this manual that they are using the 2.4(Bluetooth) and 5.8GHz bands. You’ll also notice on page 6 that they detail RF interference to and from other devices, with no indication of the very common 900MHz devices. There is no mention of 900 MHz and there is no reason for them to be using any undocumented frequencies. Do you have some evidence beside your own assumptions? If you post the FCC ID from the unit I can tell you exactly what frequencies it is using. But, Sony already did.
In the end, none of this hair splitting really matters. By your statement, your wireless speaker system is interfering with your Home Automation system. Decide which is more important to you and replace the other.
Thanks for the reference to the manual specs. Unfortunately, I am heavily invested in Zwave, and also could not find a comparable sound bar setup with a wired sub-woofer (assuming that the sub-woofer was the reason…). As such, I purchases a Belkin “smart” surge protector, which completely cuts power to the soundbar when the TV is off. Most of the time the Vera is busy doing things with our devices when the TV is not on, and as such, I’ve had success with this approach for now.