ADT device range extender?

I have a challenge in that my ADT/smartthings hub intermittantly looses connection with devices in the detached garage.

I have good enough zwave connectivity as I put some smart outlets in strategic places to boost the range.

I have not seen a similar device range extender for ADT devices.

Has anybody else figured out a way to extend the ADT devices? I would even go with a wired or wifi as I have a WAP in the garage along with a switch, etc…

If you mean the dual logo smartthings/ADT devices that work on a proprietary protocol, there is no way to extend them, it is not a mesh network. That’s why they have a much longer range and are more reliable.

You can look at environmental issues, in particular moving the devices in the detached garage close to a clear glass window if possible, trimming bushes, stuff like that. Moving the panel indoors so that it has a path through a clear glass window on the side of the house towards the garage. But other than that there really isn’t anything you can do directly.

( garages are always tricky because they tend to have lots of metal, lots of concrete, sometimes extra insulation… If it works when the garage is empty, and doesn’t work when there are cars in it, you can try placing the devices so that they have an unobstructed line of sight to a clear glass window. )

What some people do is set up a proxy system. Put whatever devices you can that do work in the garage in the garage. When they trigger, have them trigger something inside the house that will then trigger one of the devices that can activate an ADT alert.

For example, if there is motion detected in the garage, you could turn on a fan in the house which then triggers a dual logo motion sensor in the house. But then your system for the garage has all of the vulnerabilities of the non-ADT devices, so you have to take that into account. If you can set up something that runs locally, that would help.

I’m not saying that’s a good solution, I’m just saying some people do use these kinds of proxy setups for outbuildings as being better than nothing.

I was told by Samsung techsupport that ADT devices run on zigbee. They suggested buying samsung outlets to extend the range. I did not seem to resolve the issue. My ticket has been escalated still wainting for responce

If they were referring to the dual logo devices, That’s incorrect with the exception of a single device, the leak sensor. The motion and contact sensors use a different proprietary protocol on 900 MHz. It is neither Z wave nor zigbee. That’s why these devices only work with the ADT model of the hub, because it is the only model that has that particular radio.

On the other hand, the ADT model of the hub includes multiple radios, including one for zigbee and one for Zwave. So you can use other SmartThings brand zigbee devices, or some zigbee Devices from other manufacturers, with the ADT model hub, but they will only be able to be used in Home Automation rules, not to alert the ADT monitoring center.

So it sounds like there was just some confusion as to which specific devices were being discussed.

@Brad_ST @tpmanley

I was very specific. They were even able to see which devices were going off line thru IDE this is very dishearting. The installation is in a large home 4800 sqft two floors and a garage 35 devices installed and still need to add five more to complete the installation… ADT has been non responsive as far as support goes always refering me to contact Samsung. Looking for help here

The IDE is the web interface to your smartthings account and shows all your devices, regardless of protocol.

I’m sure you were very specific, but first line smartthings support is now handled by the general corporate Samsung helpline and they are just working off of scripts. (For example, a few weeks ago a support person asked one community member where they had purchased their virtual switch. :scream: )

If they can’t find the answer in the script, the problem gets escalated to a specialist who is more familiar with SmartThings.

Anyway, zigbee repeating devices, including the SmartThings plug, can’t help with the dual logo ADT devices.

The dual logo devices have a range of 350 feet (a good clue that they are not zigbee, since that has a range of less than 100 feet).

https://support.smartthings.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003710523-ADT-Door-and-Window-Detector

Take the ADT Door and Window Detector to where you intend to mount it after setup. Make sure you are within 350 feet from the ADT Security Hub. (Exact range depends on your home’s construction, the environment, and the position of the ADT Security Hub.) Also make sure your ADT Security Hub is disarmed before connecting a new device.

So it may be that your home is just too large for the system. :disappointed_relieved:

If support does come up with a way for you to extend coverage, please post and let us know. I just wanted to save you from the cost and aggravation of buying additional zigbee devices that were not going to help.

Is there any follow up to this? I am working on a house that might have a similar situation. I would love to know if there is a fix for it. Thanks!

No, there isn’t a fix unless you want to run a 2nd ADT hub which is not advisable

I ended up removing my ADT devices and using regular Smartthings compatible devices. I found that the ADT devices were not as reliable as the smartthings devices and that if a ADT device goes offline it makes the hub beep and I never figured a reliable way to disable that. The specific issue I found was the short battery life of the ADT motion sensors.

Then what I did was add a second hub out in the detached garage and paired intrusion, smoke, and water sensors to that.

I really like the current setup and with actiontiles as the human interface, via a dedicated panel, and smartphones I am Very happy