Can DCS Wifi Explorer be used in "passive" mode

No it is not able to be used in passive mode.

If you do a Google or Duck Duck Go search the results point to this forum.

I suspected so.  Thanks, MartyE.  Looks like a separate loop for the MTH stuff or I set up a TIU.

I run my MTH explore on the same loops as my TMCC.  I just have to power my explorer and refresh the app to get power to the track. Then I start up the TMCC engine. I have the Explorer wired to tracks and the TMCC base wired separately to the track.

Mark W.

Got them all covered Ron, Legacy, TMCC, and DCS.   Lose the Explorer and hook up a TIU, I run them mixed on all lines.

What are the 3 square boxes above the 180 bricks?

@amtrack5899 posted:

What are the 3 square boxes above the 180 bricks?

Those are the DCS-RC boxes that have the Perpetual Barking Watchdog Board in them.  They generate continuous watchdog signals on the three associated tracks, note that they're wired to three channels of the TIU.  This keeps DCS engines quiet when you switch siding power on, otherwise you have to kill the whole power district and switch it on to get the TIU go generate a watchdog signal.

Please excuse my ignorance but when you say DCS-RC boxes , are those from the remote commander set 50-1033?  I am not familiar with this set. Are  you just using the empty box with the banana plug like a project box to hold the watchdog board or does it serve an additional purpose?

Yes, they're the 50-1033 DCS Remote Commander units.  They've been repurposed into a simple watchdog generator box by adding the board described in the Perpetual Barking Watchdog Board thread.  The board is simply connected to an existing connection point on the DCS-RC PCB, we just added three pins to an existing unused location at J2.  The board on the right is the circuit that continually resets the DCS-RC to force the generation of the WD signal every second.  The DCS-RC units are then just connected to a power district in passive mode and do their thing whenever power is on.