Starting from Scratch - Which switch technology? (2022)

[JDRoberts]

@helios

I’m also wondering about the range of mesh devices (like ZigBee, ZWave and possibly Lutron). Unlike my last home where I just had a ridiculous number of devices, I think now I’ll just have a few here and there. Although not a mansion, this is a biggish 2,750 sq ft house. How far apart can these devices be placed, ideally without needing any kind of bridge.

First rule of home automation applies: “the model number matters.“ there’s lots of variation in the range, and even with zwave it depends on which generation the device is.

As far as “without needing any kind of bridge“ it kind of depends on what you mean by bridge. You will need repeaters for I mesh of that size, but you can use a dual purpose device like a light switch or a plug-in pocket socket and it will also repeat in most cases. (Remembering that zwave repeats only for zwave and Zigbee repeats only for Zigbee.)

Lutron is not a mesh and you can just contact them to find out about coverage, their tech support is very good.

A “few devices here and there“ is usually not a good idea for a mesh system because each individual device has a fairly limited range. They work by passing messages along one to the next, pony express style. So you need to have enough repeaters to be able to get signal to the far edges of the home. if you want to have a window sensor on a window which is 250 feet from the hub, then you’ve got to have some repeaters in between even if you weren’t planning to put other sensors in those other spaces.

Why don’t you start with the following FAQ, it should give you the basic rule of thumb for mesh. Start with post 11, read that, then go up to the top of the thread and read the whole thing. I’ll link directly to post 11:

A Guide to Wireless Range & Repeaters

One more thought. While I understand the marketing reasons for the decision, the fact that SmartThings gives customers zero guidance on how to set up a network backbone does lead to a lot of frustration that shouldn’t have to exist. if people knew that .1) The hub should be located centrally in the home, both vertically and horizontally. Don’t put it in a garage or basement as those have concrete and pipes and metal objects which will reduce signal. If your Internet router is off in some inaccessible corner, you can use a Wi-Fi access point that has a ethernet port on the side and plug into that. Also, the hub should not be put in a cabinet. You just want to make it as easy as possible for signal to spread around your house. .2) you need one device that can repeat about every 40 feet…

If you really want to limit your devices to the ones that you are using directly, not network support, for a house that large you would probably have to go to Wi-Fi to get the range.

That may all change once we get the next generation of zwave, “zwave long-range“ since it’s supposed to have a range which will be about equal to Wi-Fi, but it’s not available yet and smartthings has not announced if they’re even intending to do a hub of that type.

So for now, if you want to cover a house of that size with zwave or Zigbee you will almost certainly have to have repeaters every two or three rooms to be able to reach the edges of the property.

The following thread might also be of interest. It’s old, but still relevant:

FAQ: Create an all-around z-wave presence in a 4,000 sq ft home?