Extending network for smartthings arrival sensor?

Hey guys,

quick one:

I put an arrival sensor on my car, but my smartthings network is not able to reach it consistently. Therefore I need to extend the network. Would something like Aeon Labs Z-Wave Range Extender be the correct device to use? Or is the ST arrival sensor using a different technology to zwave?

Incidentally, in which part of the car do you guys put your presence sensors?

Cheers

The arrival (“Presence”) sensor is ZigBee, not Z-Wave.

Most mains powered (i.e., not battery powered) ZigBee devices act as repeaters. I forget how many hops… I’m sure it’s at least 3. The most common choice is outlets.

  • If you use ZigBee bulbs connected to a Hue Bridge, they will be on a separate mesh network and will not repeat.
  • ZigBee uses the same frequency range as WiFi, so there is much more likely to be interference than Z-Wave.
  • The penetration properties of ZigBee vs. Z-Wave are different (i.e., types of walls).

Search the Forum for “ZigBee channel” and “ZigBee mesh”, etc., for more info.