Hi all,
The bluetooth key when installed on the Trekker is located very low on the stove facing the wall to the rear, not facing the room in most installations. A whole lot of cast iron may wind up between the key and the interface, potentially reducing their range. I purchased a 3 meter USB 3.0 A Male to A Female extension cable from Amazon for $6.99 in order to relocate the bluetooth key up and clear of the stove.
This helped quite a bit on its own based on the RSSI reading on the interface but then positioning the bluetooth key HORIZONTALLY made a huge difference. The RSSI reading went from -75 (when the key was attached directly to the stove) to -63 (when using the extension cable and positioning the key horizontally). The lower the RSSI number, the better.
This is a link to the cable: USB 3.0 Extension Cable
Here's a pic: (click on to increase size)
![[Hearth.com] Increasing the range of the Quadra-Fire Trekker "Bluetooth Key" / Wireless User Interface.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/257/257920-d7a1ee964174e6a96f262c6936ff6ce1.jpg?hash=Fq-YhSDcmb "[Hearth.com] Increasing the range of the Quadra-Fire Trekker \"Bluetooth Key\" / Wireless User Interface.")
By the way, this was just an experiment to see if the range could be increased by moving the key. I had no communication problems with the interface installed 18' away with the key installed on the stove in its original location with a -75 RSSI reading.
Those of you who want to mount their interface further away may want to conduct this inexpensive experiment to see if it also will work for you.
Warren Z
The bluetooth key when installed on the Trekker is located very low on the stove facing the wall to the rear, not facing the room in most installations. A whole lot of cast iron may wind up between the key and the interface, potentially reducing their range. I purchased a 3 meter USB 3.0 A Male to A Female extension cable from Amazon for $6.99 in order to relocate the bluetooth key up and clear of the stove.
This helped quite a bit on its own based on the RSSI reading on the interface but then positioning the bluetooth key HORIZONTALLY made a huge difference. The RSSI reading went from -75 (when the key was attached directly to the stove) to -63 (when using the extension cable and positioning the key horizontally). The lower the RSSI number, the better.
This is a link to the cable: USB 3.0 Extension Cable
Here's a pic: (click on to increase size)
By the way, this was just an experiment to see if the range could be increased by moving the key. I had no communication problems with the interface installed 18' away with the key installed on the stove in its original location with a -75 RSSI reading.
Those of you who want to mount their interface further away may want to conduct this inexpensive experiment to see if it also will work for you.
Warren Z
