Best option for bad location of outlet

[wiegout]

One of my oldest devices is a non-plus Z-Wave GE Outlet. It has LED strip lighting in it that are on pantry shelves. This device is sometimes very slow to respond and checking Z-Wave Details I see that it is most often connected at 9.6k after bouncing around a few devices to get back to the C-8 Pro HE. Of note, this outlet is very low in the pantry, pretty much blocked on the other side of the wall by the main HVAC ductwork going up/down from the attic to the basement. So, a straight line of site to where the HE is is out of the question. Anyway now to the question: I am thinking about replacing it to improve reliability and speed. I have a good number of both Zigbee and Z-Wave devices so they are both an option. All things being equal would I be better off replacing this with another Z-Wave (this time PLUS) or using a Zigbee plugin type device for control? There are both mains-powered types nearby.

Opinions on which technology is better in routing AROUND a major signal block like this?

[ogiewon]

If you have some existing Zigbee and Z-Wave Plus plug-in outlets elsewhere in the house, you could could try one of each in the problem location to evaluate their relative performance. Then buy whichever technology gave you the better result.

In general, Z-Wave’s lower frequency should work better through obstructions. However, only a real world test will determine the best result in your specific scenario.