Hub in Attic?

I’m going to move my V2 Hub because it’s currently not in a good enough central location. I wanted to know if it would be OK to put it in the attic? There is already a power outlet up there and I can easily run the ethernet cable from my modem. My only concerns are 1. the temperature (I live in Mississippi and it can get to 100 degrees outside in the hot summer months) and 2. If there would be any interference with the signal.

Temp is the main concern I think. You could leave you hub at the current location and maybe expand your mesh by buying more hardwired devices.

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That’s definitely what I want to do in the future but I don’t have any specific plans at this moment. My thinking is that it’s an easy solution without having to either create a new outlet or find a spot near an outlet but have to fish the ethernet cable up through the attic then back down the wall. If it would work in the attic, then its easier since I already have wires running to the old location and I can pull the ethernet cable down very easy.

Is the insulation (I have the fluff kind, not foam or anything like that) create a barrier for the signal?

I don’t think the insulation will be a problem. Maybe get a laptop cooling pad if you are going to have it up there just to have some air circulation.

Can’t help with the attic question but instead of running an Ethernet cable, if it’s not easy or practical, you could use powerline adaptors.
I use these for my hub to move it away from my router and put it in a more convenient place. Been working seamlessly for over a year this way.
Just something to consider. :slight_smile:

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Too hot and humid in the attic. (Humidity blocks signal.) Plus if there’s insulation between attic and the main house that can cause additional signal loss.

An attic isn’t central-- by definition it’s on the edge of the house.

Ideally, you want the hub located in the center both horizontally and vertically of the home.

But in any case, put it in the climate controlled portion of the residence. :sunglasses:

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Fwiw I believe the zigbee/zwave signals emit from the front and left side of the hub. Simply repositioning you hub in a corner of the room where these sides are facing towards your devices may help.

The antennas are omnidirectional. The signal does emit on one side but it then spreads in all directions. Position matters a lot if you’re trying to get past an obstruction such as A device inside a metal cabinet with only a small opening on one side, but once you get about 4 to 6 feet away from the hub, the signal is radiating all directions.

It doesn’t hurt to try repositioning, but it’s not usually a big factor unless there are obstructions within one or 2 feet of the hub

My mistake, I remember reading that somewhere but I can’t find the source. I personally experienced an improved zigbee signal after rotating my hub to that orientation, but there is probably another variable I overlooked.

It can definitely help in some situations, in particular if you have your smartthings hub very close to your Wi-Fi router, the zigbee might be getting crushed it close quarters, and just rotating might be enough to free the signal. Or if there happens to be a repeater in that direction not too far away, then again the rotation might help.

So it’s worth trying, but it’s not usually the base problem.