Arduino Uno R4 WIFI (ESP32-S3) creates interference with garage door opener

Hardware UNO R4 UNO R4 WiFi
1

I have a ESP32 wifi app using UDP to transmit messages from my garage to house via UDP. It works great. Unfortunately it appears to be creating so much interference that my remote garage door opener has become largely unresponsive. If I boot my Ardunio WIFI the remote stops working well. Unplug the Ardunio and all is well. I have another Wifi device in the garage, right next to the garage door opener, which doesn't appear to be causing issues. Any suggestions?

2

Welcome to the forum

As you are using a Uno R4 WiFi your topic has been moved to that category of the forum

3

That sounds like EMI. Can you post a clean picture of the system and note any wired over 25cm/10". Since your garage door also has its own RF and they could be easily interfering with each other.

4

Thanks. It's a busy garage so it would take a while to make a diagram of it. AC romex throughout, a Google Wifi Mesh node, a SimpliSafe WIFI human door sensor, a MyQ garage car door sensor, my rig. The only DC wire is from garage door button to door opener and from garage car door to my rig (passes by the opener). I have moved my rig farther away from the opener and it seems to have improved things alot. Wondering if/how to provide some shielding. Would it help?

5

Start with you project, not the garage. Since moving it helped we are on the correct track. The schematic needed is for your Arduino circuit and anything connected to it. How are you interfacing the buttons? Interface to the garage door.

6

Very simple. My project in the garage is just an Arduino wifi in a plastic box with 12V adaptor in the barrel jack. Pair of 20 AWG stranded wires run to a magnetic reed switch about 20 feet away on side of garage door. One wire runs to arduino ground, the other runs to digital pin 12.

1 Like
7

That is more then likely your problem, it is a great antenna. Without a schematic I cannot be much more help. In this case the circuit is important.

8

Thanks for your help. There really isn’t anything to diagram. I’ve described the whole thing. If I unplug my project the interference stops. The wire is still there. Does that still make sense as an antenna issue?

9

In the software, you can turn WiFi on only when you need it. So when the door first opens, any time it's open, etc.

That may help you to change something so that the interference only occurs when you don't need the opener working.

Or just use 2-wire-in-a-sheld from the reed switch and make sure that the shield is grounded only at the Arduino end.