FilterLinc Owner’s Manual
Page 4 of 6
About Electrical Noise and Signal Attenuation
Many electrical devices in your home may cause interference with your INSTEON or other power line-
based automation devices. Such devices will cause either:
• Electrical Noise – noise on your home’s electrical wires
• Signal Attenuation – absorption of INSTEON power line communicating signals
Electrical Noise
Some devices may only emit electrical noise when operating so they can be difficult to detect. Some of
the most common noise producers are:
• HID lighting
• Motorized devices (refrigerators, pumps, electric razors, hair dryers)
• Transformer-based light that uses solid-state transformers
• Fluorescent-based lighting and ballast transformers
• Failed or failing X10 transmitters
In most cases, electrical noise is caused by an electrical device that you have recently plugged in or an
existing device if you are just starting with an INSTEON system. There may also be a device in your
home that is beginning to fail or is wearing out, thus creating noise on the power line.
Signal Attenuation
FilterLinc will also dramatically lessen the effect of non-INSTEON devices on the signal. When a signal is
transmitted, it goes everywhere in your home. INSTEON signals are like water pipes – it actually gets
anywhere it can, not just to the receiving device. Some electrical devices will have more of an effect on
the signal strength than others.
In the last 20 years, an explosion of electrical devices has invaded homes. Computers, video gear, and
other high-end electronics are more present than in years past. Some of these devices contain
complicated electrical power supplies that are designed to provide clean electricity to the devices they
serve. Engineers design power supplies with built-in traps to filter out and kill electrical noise on the AC
line. Unfortunately, INSTEON signals look just like electrical noise to these devices. The result is that a
large percent of the transmitted signal is lost. The most common sources of signal loss are:
• Television, stereo components, satellite, and cable receivers
• Computer systems, monitors, and printers
• Computer Universal Power Supplies (UPS)
• Power strips
• Power supplies for laptops and cell phones
