Choosing a Zigbee repeater

But which one is the better repeater??

People say the USB repeater is better

Yeah that's what I've read but is there a reason for that? More power? Better antenna?

Excellent question. Unfortunately I don't have the answer :pensive:

I believe both have the same radio.

I would love to see someone manufacture zigbee and zwave repeaters that could repeat for a period of time even when mains power is lost. It would be a boon to making these two protocols more reliable in more mission critical environments.

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I have several of mine plugged into a UPS :sunglasses:

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I have a few that are on a UPS too but unless they are all able to repeat there will be a big hole ripped in the mesh everytime the power goes out. My biggest gripe with these protocols is having no control on how devices are routing. The majority of devices aren't that critical and can route however they want but there are some that are critical they stay connected. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of people using this technology have no idea it can be a problem simply because if the power is out it doesn't matter because their lights are out too.

I must be missing something obvious. (Happens alot, ask my wife.) :wink:

What useful things are you guys able to do w/your mesh when mains power is out? All lights are dead so can't control those (unless they are UPS'd as well, which seems unlikely). I would expect doors are already locked (if closed) so not much to do there.

I have my HE hub and key network gear on UPS so I can shut down the hub gracefully if power goes out, but it doesn't seem like I'd be able to do anything useful w/my hub once the mains are gone, repeaters or not.

I suppose you could be hoping to see contact sensor status to see if you have any doors/windows open that you'd may want to close w/the power out. Is that it? But it seems like something you'd have to verify directly anyway, since I wouldn't trust my mesh to be reporting fully/accurately w/most of it down.

What are you keeping the repeaters on UPS for?

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Part of my problem is trying to use this system for much more than simple automation such as lighting. When I got into this years ago I envisioned a system that could do much more than turn lights on when there is motion or a door opens. Not only do I use my system for security but also for other helping a elderly parent by reminding them they forgot to take medication, or if they become incapacitated help can be summoned with no intervention. I have an intelligent irrigation system that knows when and how to irrigate depending on current weather conditions. Plus lots of other things not directly related to home automation. After all its IOT. Light switches and smart outlets are just a tiny fraction of IOT. The reason I have some outlets on UPS is because those outlets control and monitor certain equipment that can be turned off during a power outage giving the remaining power to devices that need to stay running. Example; routers, switches, security cameras, computers, etc.

I have four of these and five Samsung outlet plugs. They both have been excellent repeaters, but the Samsung seem to have a much stronger signal.

Question: Does HE control the samsung/smartthings plugs?

Another question, do Amazon smart plugs act as repeaters? I have gosund, amazon and smartthings plugs. Lots of gosund.

I have a bunch of them and they work well on the HE platform.

Which ones? I mentioned amazon, ST. I know it is established that ST smartplugs are good repeaters, can HE also turn them on and off? Same questions for amazon smart plugs, I think I read that HE does not ":control" them, but do they act as repeaters?

Yes

Most of those are all WiFi devices, so no they cannot act as Zigbee or Z-Wave repeaters.

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Careful. There are two kinds of SmartThings Smart plugs. There are WiFi plugs like this one:

These are WiFi, not zigbee, and will not work with Hubitat.

Then there are these:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SmartThings-Outlet-GP-U999SJVLDAA-Smart/dp/B07F96JB63/

These do work well with Hubitat and function as zigbee repeaters.

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I have the wifi type :frowning: Well, alexa can continue to control those, have to buy the other

Hubitat can control them indirectly. You can setup a virtual contact sensor on Hubitat that is exposed to Alexa. Hubitat automations can change the state of the contact sensor. At the Alexa end, a Routine can be setup that controls the SmartThings WiFi plug using the state of the virtual contact sensor as trigger.

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My SmartThings Zigbee repeater plug order was just cancelled because they're not being made any more, apparently... on the list of Hubitat compatible devices there don't seem to be many zigbee repeaters, which I find surprising given the importance of a repeater, surely? What do you guys think of the Bosch Smart Home plug compact? The other one I'm looking at (because less expensive) is the Ledvance Smart+ Plug, or the Innr smart plug or Hue one. Does anyone have experience with any of these, or you can you perhaps point me elsewhere?