I have a large steel table that is very convenient to my router and centered in the house. Instead of buying a tower antenna to improve my z-wave, could I relocate the existing z-wave antenna wire to the table instead of the piece of tape antenna-thing inside the hubitat box? Or would it be better to attach the table to the ground plane. (Or perhaps this is a terrible idea to begin with?)
This is a terrible idea. 
An antenna is not a slab of metal. It is tuned to resonate at the desired frequency. Your HE hub even being near that metal table is a bad idea. At best it will alter the radiation pattern of the HE antenna and at worst it will completely block the RF signal from the HE antenna. Perhaps you could lobby Hubitat to release a hub with an antenna better suited for an RF-centric device.
4 Likes
Right now, I have my (unaltered) hub on that metal slab, but turned 90deg balanced on its side. It works much better than I would have expected. I was wondering if I connected the antenna wire to that slab directly if it would function as a very large antenna instead of a barrier.
It will not function as an antenna. Please drive this foolishness out of your consideration.
5 Likes
At most it can function as a ground plane, directing the signal straight up, likely not the direction of your equipment. But this depends on the antenna spacing from the reflector.
Best is mounting with the antenna vertical, the emission pattern is a torus around the antenna, with the max radiation to the sides, and the least straight up and down.
A proper relaying network will do more for your system than the orientation of the box, as long as it isn't shielded.
Ref: Extra class Ham operator.
4 Likes
Is it feasible to replace that table instead? Sounded like you have a nice location but the table is the problem.
1 Like
If what I read is accurately interpreted, this is the antenna inside the Hub RF radiation pattern:
Since that "pcb" strip is adhered to the lid of the hub, it implies that you'll get better Upstairs/Downstairs numbers. The weak direction is Front to Rear, which would probably be made worse by the power and Ethernet wires (and most importantly the metal that surrounds those connectors internally.)
Many have mounted the Hub to a wall with the wires flowing downward... probably improving their horizontal RF radiation as a result.
(above is a copy/paste of a message I wrote almost a year ago...
External Antenna - #279 by csteele
in a topic regarding the benefit of adding an external antenna.)
2 Likes
This makes logical sense. Thanks for the explanation.
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
