I have a number of inovelli switches and dimmers all capable of repeating. In fact they are the only zwave repeaters i have. I am trying to add one in my barn. I included it in my garage beside an existing switch which is the closest to the barn on an outside wall about 30feet from the barn door where the new switch will be.
I temporarily placed it just outside the door of the garage switch and ran a zwave repair, everything went great and i could control it. BUT if i then move the new switch the rest of the way to the barn i lose it.
So I ran another zwave repair while at the barn door and it does not pick it up. Any pointers, is the inovelli in the garage not repeating as it should? its a clear 25-30ft shot (outside door to outside door). I even ran a zwave repair half way between the garage and barn and nothing.
Linvale
February 10, 2019, 6:45pm
2
is this the z-wave or z-wave plus model? The plus has longer range and might just get you there.
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All of them are PLUS versions
sys:12019-02-10 02:31:30.146 pm infoFinished Z-Wave Network Repair
dev:1432019-02-10 02:31:24.661 pm infoMaster Bath Motion: Detected motion
Node 10 is the garage switch closest to the barn and node 19 is the new switch
This is from the "good" repair when it was close to the inovelli switch (but outside)
sys:12019-02-10 02:14:38.003 pm debugZ-Wave Node 19: Repair is done.
dev:1542019-02-10 02:14:37.996 pm debugAssociations for Group 2: []
19 never finishes the repair probably because it can't talk to it. What type of siding or what on the outside of the walls?
Wood stud and vinyl siding
assuming plastic and not metal switch boxes?
Otherwise I wouldn't think that distance is too much...but obviously.
Both boxes are metal but I dont have them in the boxes, the garage switch is protruding out of the box about 5 inches in mid air supported by the wires and the new switch I have hooked to a cord until I can get it to connect to the garage switch
Is there any way to tell if they are repeating? Other than trial and error and keep doing repairs until they see one another?
If you did the mesh repair while they are next to each other that should be fine. Next step would be just to walk further and further away on your cord until it stops responding to an event (like on/off) that will get you an idea of distance. If that metal box is between you and line of sight to that dangling switch...It will still be an issue. At least this will give you some idea of what kind of distance you are getting.
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It did not take much distance to lose it, like 10ft. That seems low even with a wall and metal box?
Unless it chose to connect to another switch further away in my porch? But i guess there is now way to tell?
I did this test and got 10 feet before i lost it.
It's going to connect to the closest...if it did connect to something else...you would still be able to talk to it. The fact that it didn't mean's it's losing it. What happens if you extend the wires on the one in the house a bit to get further away from the metal box. I'll bet that helps. 10' is not very far.
Ive read that zwave can do a max of 4 hops , possibly the garage switch is the 4th and cannot be a repeater for the barn so the barn is connecting to another farther away or even all the way back to the hub
I guess i could verify that it is using the garage switch as a repeater by turning the power off for the garage switch and see if the new barn switch still operates?
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It definately is using the garage switch as a repeater since it loses connectivity when i kill power to the garage switch. So i guess the range for the inovelli switch as a repeater is just very weak
It's probably easiest way is to get an outdoor plug for repeater and using it for controlling devices outdoor at the same time. Quite decent price with this one.
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I do have an outside receptacle just outside that garage mandoor so i could give that a try. Im in canada so that one is a bit pricy. I think Zooz has one too
Just an fyi I do have a zigbee outlet out in the barn and it is connecting fine! I guess zigbee trumps zwave in my scenario, i have great luck with zigbee devices here including xiaomi
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Yeah, I am using mostly zigbee devices for my detached garage as well. Added 2 xbee pro recently and it's so much better.
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