Do all wired Z-wave devices function as repeaters?

[JDRoberts]

@etbrown

Thanks for the added updated on Zigbee lightbulbs as repeaters. Is the reliability based on personal experience, or was there another article/post you are referring to?

Community reports, including verification from SmartThings engineering:

FAQ: Are Smart Bulbs Repeaters? (Updated 2019: the new answer is yes, but may be inconsistent)

Hue Bridge Lightbulbs connected to a hue bridge are repeaters–but only for other devices attached to the same bridge. They essentially form their own mini network. So they won’t help with nearby sensors. Zwave bulbs Zwave lightbulbs like those from Linear and aeotec typically are repeaters – – but only for Z wave. These can actually be very useful in some specific use cases like getting zwave signal down basement stairs or across a garage. zigbee bulbs connected directly to the ST hub Zigbee lightbulbs like hue or Osram if connected directly to the SmartThings hub without using a bridge shift from the ZLL profile to the ZHA profile and then do typically act as repeaters for other ZHA devices. Or if they are Zigbee 3.0 devices, they will connect to the smartthing…

For your other question:

Is there a different spec to look for that indicates a Z-wave device supports beaming?

It would be great if SmartThings maintained a list of these devices.

As far as SmartThings maintaining a list of beaming devices? Not necessary. Every certified Z wave device has a conformance statement on the official Z wave alliance products website which shows whether it supports beaming or not. Better to just check the official listing then to try to keep a duplicate list up to date.

http://products.z-wavealliance.org

The community-created wiki does have a partial device list just for people wanting a quick answer, feel free to add to that at any time:

http://thingsthataresmart.wiki/index.php?title=Repeaters