Can members comment on Maximum distance they have achieved using HE with Zigbee Door /Window contacts

Hi
I'm looking to putting some door sensors in some washrooms. Distances to HE would be a minimum of 45 feet in corridors. Any tips and tricks - and are repeaters vital?

At those distances, repeaters are absolutely going to help. The farthest I have gone was a Zigbee bulb at the end of my driveway, about 75' from my hub. To maintain communication with the bulb, I have two repeaters (SmartThings 2018 Smart Plugs) between the bulb and my hub.

The other thing you can do is get a (or a couple of) additional hub(s) and pair the contact sensors with that. Then, then link the/those hub(s) back to your "main" hub. This is something a lot of people with bigger areas do. This is the way I would actually recommend doing it unless cost is a factor.

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The spec says up to 300ft open air, but that is nonsense. SmartThings lists a practical distance of 100ft open air (much more realistic).

In practice, it depends on antenna orientation and construction of walls between hub and device (concrete walls obviously impact signal more than plaster which impacts signal more than drywall).

At 45ft indoors through walls I would get a repeater(s).

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+1,000,000 upvotes for that.

I just tested a CentraLite/Iris 3320-L yesterday (and was wondering if we had a thread like this). It failed at 75 ft from the hub going through one exterior wall from the last repeater. I don't have xbee so that's an assumption as to path.

Supposedly the Centralite 3320-L is a lousy repeater.

3320-L

It was out on the fringe of the network, the closest wired device -which I'm assuming would be the repeater (again, no xbee)- was a Jasco/GE 45856 Wall Switch. That switch was about 1/2-way between the hub and the contact. I looked for reviews about the receiver strength of the 3320-L but didn't find anything authoritative. I'm guessing it's weak.

OTOH, the Visonic MCT-340 E had some good anecdotal reviews as to range. I haven't tried it yet.

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I'm currently testing the Ikea repeaters to see how good they are compared to smart plugs. I haven't had time to run my XBee map yet though. Still letting everything I added yesterday settle in. LOL

Good point. I activated and let that 3320-L stay in situ for about 24hrs so the mesh would reconfigure. Still no joy.

It seems to take upwards of 36-48 hours for my mesh to fully reconfigure when I add devices. Granted, I have tons of Zigbee devices, so I'm not really all that surprised. But one thing I have learned over the years is patience. :wink:

Lousy for Xiaomi devices for sure. Quite good for all other ZHA devices. Not to mention it comes with a Z-wave plus repeater as a bonus for some.

I've used the Securifi Peanuts..

Note: does NOT need the almond as far as I can tell - have 2 of them paired currently, using to repeat to my garage.

I don't have zigbee sensors but with Zwave build for robustness, not distance. If the sensors are an important part of whatever system you are implementing, make sure you map out the sensors and what is and might be between them and the hub. Think direct line of site from the devices perspective. Something may look close but what will the radio waves need to go through to get to the hub and back. If there is machinery in between, consider the possibility of interference. Use wired in devices rather than things that can be unplugged accidentally.

Well I would hope the 3320-L is a lousy repeater. After all, it is a battery powered door/window sensor that is incapable of repeating Zigbee packets.

The Iris 3210-L smart outlet, on the other hand, seems to work fine as a Zigbee repeater for my network (i.e. no Xiaomi devices :wink: )

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cough That's totally what I said. The Interwebz is lying to you. Don't believe your eyes. LMAO

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It's a good thing we have you around. Didn't even know there's also a sensor as a another bonus. :grin:

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Thanks everyone - yes I will get and try some repeaters for sure. Will post up my max distance in due course . regards Charles

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I am working through some of the same issues. I'm hoping that it's just the lack of repeaters at this point instead of a weak signal from HE.

You might also consider getting a 2nd hub.. there are a bunch of us who have done this and have seen excellent results with stability and control.

It's a bit like asking how far can a car go before it runs out of gas. YMMV

With Xiaomi, I've achieved 30 feet in some locations, but only 20 feet in others without a repeater. Really depends on the building materials, other objects and how many obstructions in-between.
Add repeaters and the range issue shrinks or goes away entirely.

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