What's a cheap zigbee repeater?

[JDRoberts]

The $15 Hue White bulb connected directly to SmartThings (not to a Hue bridge) maybe the cheapest reliable Zigbee repeater in 2016.

This method is not officially recommended by SmartThings, because you may not be able to reset a Hue bulb after it is connected directly to SmartThings unless you buy another device to do so. However, a number of community members are using Hue bulbs for this, and it’s worth considering if you just need an inexpensive zigbee repeater.

@JohnR may be able to say more about this.

Edited to update that as of mid 2016, it appears that these bulbs are not reliable repeaters, regardless of brand. They work some of the time, but other messages are lost. Unfortunate, because they are so cheap.

FAQ: Are Smart Bulbs Repeaters? (Updated 2019: the new answer is yes, but may be inconsistent)

Hue Bridge Lightbulbs connected to a hue bridge are repeaters–but only for other devices attached to the same bridge. They essentially form their own mini network. So they won’t help with nearby sensors. Zwave bulbs Zwave lightbulbs like those from Linear and aeotec typically are repeaters – – but only for Z wave. These can actually be very useful in some specific use cases like getting zwave signal down basement stairs or across a garage. zigbee bulbs connected directly to the ST hub Zigbee lightbulbs like hue or Osram if connected directly to the SmartThings hub without using a bridge shift from the ZLL profile to the ZHA profile and then do typically act as repeaters for other ZHA devices. Or if they are Zigbee 3.0 devices, they will connect to the smartthing…