I have deleted all Things (5 ST door sensors, 2 ST motion detectors, 1 ST outlet, 1 Philips iQ bulb, 1 ST water sensor, plus the GE Z-Wave wall switch, and a Z-wave siren.)
It’s my understanding that the Zigbee powered items are the repeaters and I need to add them first. The Philips iQ Bulb is in the same room as the hub and the ST Outlet is 2 rooms away.
Does the Philips bulb count as a “zigbee repeater” and should be the first thing added or should I add the ST Outlet first?
TIA!
Generally speaking yes… if it’s plugged in or wired into house power, it’s typically a repeater.
Order doesn’t really matter all that much. It’s probably a good idea to work out from the hub… that is, install the closest devices first, then add the more further away ones later. But again, that’s just a general guide.
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@KnittingFits Zigbee repeats Zigbee and Zwave repeats Zwave, not each other. I doubt the bulb is a repeater, but I don’t have one to confirm. Here’s what I did that helped a lot:
Regardless if you have a Zigbee or Zwave device, start with either one that uses your house’s power and include it closest to the hub. Work out from there and build on your mesh networks. Add battery powered devices afterwards.
Huge Thanks!!
Those are the only 2 powered (zigbee) Things that I have…all the others are battery.
Less than 5 minutes before I started the migration, I had the living you-know-what scared out of me!!!
All of a sudden the siren goes off and all the lights start flashing, my phone chimes…then rings with a notification that a “water leak was detected.” Our water heater has been in hospice mode for about 6 months so we got a moisture sensor.
I ran to the garage, and, sure enough…water everywhere!!!
I love my ST!!! Especially today!
(Although I might get a little less thrilled as I go back and add all the Things and then all the integration. ~sigh~
So far, so good, though!
Thanks again, chrisb!
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How would I find out if it’s a repeater?
This is what I have Sylvania Dimmer Bulbs and ST
Most bulbs don’t act as repeaters (GE’s and Cree’s), so I would assume these don’t either. That thread didn’t touch on the subject, and the Lowes specs didn’t specify. I would assume it isn’t a repeater, especially since it can be turned off, which defeats it acting as a repeater.
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That’s what husband and I I tossed back and forth…would it be a repeater because it shuts off.
However, SOMETHING must stay on all the time or it wouldn’t respond when we tell Alexa to turn it on.
That’s what’s stumping me on this one.
Also, we never use the physical lamp switch to turn it off…only through the Hub (via Smartphone or Echo)
Could the “always on waiting for command” deem it a repeater?
Your logic is sound, and it does stay on like the GE and Cree, but just enough to listen for commands. Devices that repeat have more to them and constantly draw power even when off (that’s why you see many switches with air gap switches to completely power them down), and because of that are more reliable as repeaters.
Even if you don’t use the physical switch, you don’t want your mesh relying on a device that could potentially be turned off and throw off routings and commands into nowhere land cause the route expects a device there to pass along commands to the next device.
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