Hey guys , I have a big house and have to extend BOTH zwave and zigbee… it’s been a major pain dealing with repeaters that havent worked well. Since smarthubs are only $50 right now , can I buy 2 more (so 3 total), and connect them via ethernet on the same network, to extend my zwave and zigbee wireless range? thanks
PS: all are V2s
PPS: i know this topic was visited a few years ago, but perhaps things changed - also i think others were asking for non-ethernet solutions…
nope. you can set them up as their own locations, but can’t extend the same network.
Which devices are you using as repeaters? What’s not working “well?”
Agree. The inability to have multiple hubs in the same location is a shortcoming that has yet to be figured out. It would solve distance limitations as well as device limitations.
If you are in the US, I’d recommend the Iris plug in outlets as they are Z-Wave plus and ZigBee repeaters. You get on/off plus energy monitoring and they can run locally.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Iris-120-Volt-White-Smart-Plug-Works-with-Amazon-Alexa/999925330
Distance limitations are usually easily solved with the use of repeaters to form a good mesh network.
Most people are able to position wired zigbee and z-wave devices (e.g. a switch, dimmer or outlet) in a way that prevents the need to rely on a device that only acts as a repeater. Although in some cases that might be necessary.
Device limitations is a different issue. But even then, that’s one that I would imagine affects a very small % of users.
It is at my house. I have a detached garage I cannot put Zigbee devices in because the distance is too great.
You may find this post helpful for other ideas.
Already went down that road.
How far is the garage away from the house? Are you saying you couldn’t put in a Z-Wave Plus outlet/plug on the outside wall of each and not make the connection? Are you in a location that doesn’t get too cold? If so you could probably put in a outlet outside in a weather proof plastic box.
Or just add another hub…they are on sale for $50.
lights have issues repeating. aetoc zwave repeater didnt work, despite a lot of trouble shooting (and i doesnt have a zigbee anyway - am trying to extend both). smart plugs is a no-go for me , because i have a US smartthings in a 220v region. etc… there really should be a wifi or ethernet way to spread the smartthings network… i wish i can buy a few of these $50 hubs and plug them around…
it should be such a simple thing to do too… and its the only ethernet-based way to extend the network…
i am using ST US version in a 220v region… any other ideas?
I also have the same issue… my garage is a seperate building, and i do not have power outlets between my home and my garage to make “multiple hops” to get to the garage. But I do have ethernet/wifi in my garage building
read above… seems like multiple hubs don’t extend the smartthings network…
They dont but it can be a seperate location.
I just stumbled upon this which shows the best way to orient the SmartThings v1 hub for improving zwave performance…
not sure if there is an updated image for gen2
In another topic I posted about a z-wave siren, WA105DBZ-1, that can act as a repeater when power supply is attached. Key point is that the siren uses 12V DC power, not 120VAC… more on that in a sec:
https://www.amazon.com/GoControl-Z-Wave-Siren-Strobe-WA105DBZ-1/dp/B00MNYSEKY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505213733&sr=8-1&keywords=WA105DBZ
https://www.nortekcontrol.com/pdf/manuals/WA105DBZ_install.pdf
My thought was to use this siren in a weather proof enclosure, and one of two low voltage ways to power it:
1- A 12V battery with solar panel to keep it charged
2- 12VDC power adapter (included with siren), connected to buried landscape light cable , connected to the WA105DBZ-1 halfway to garage. You could test this above ground by cutting the included 12V adapter’s cable and inserting the long landscape cable inline, you could probably even do 2 hops if needed.
DISCLAIMER - I haven’t tested any of this 
can different locations trigger each other to do things? for example, location 1 detects an “arrival sensor” and tells location 2 to turn on a specific light ?
I don’t think so. Not without a in between. Whcih I imagine is possible, a cloud service that polls one site for presence and sends it to another site. Maybe the ActionTiles guys can answer that @tgauchat
With that said that’s why I was asking about the distance. Aeotec makes a Z-Wave plus repeater: https://aeotec.com/z-wave-repeater. With some creative outdoor enclosure (again…depends on temperature ranges) I’m sure you can get something to work.
I WISH they made a Z-Wave and/or Zigbee over Ethernet range extender. I actually trenched a second conduit with Cat-5e and Coax between my house and garage when I pulled the 60-amp service. My problem is putting a hub in there would kill it over the winter or summer because the space is not heated or air conditioned. I can get wireless access points that work under the temperature swings all day long.