Are these paired directly to the C-8, or are they paired to a Hue Bridge (not sure if Innr can be or not...)?
Welcome to Hubitat!
The Tuya contact sensors have worked well for me. I have one on each door going to the outside,
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqP0iNw
These are the Tuya repeaters I use.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0x9Biu
When I bought my first device (Kwikset 914 lock) to pair with HE, it was flaky, even though it was less than 6 feet from the hub. Once I added a repeater, the lock functioned correctly.
My hue bulbs go via the hue hub then an integration on the C8.
The scenes/groups are added to my C8 only not the individual bulbs because I have a lot of them. I have 2x hue hubs (upstairs and downstairs) and these do their job fine. (most of the time)
I'm gradually integrating the C8 and using the Alexa boxes in the house as an end point for things like announcing stuff and turning on and off the light groups (via the C8 Alexa skill)
The contact sensor is my first device that is paired directly to the C8.
I will get some repeaters even though I am not really having signal issues with anything running through the C8 other than the Sonof contact.
Oh - and I'm in the uk.
I can recommend this device as a Zigbee repeater/extender, if you don't need actually any Zigbee plugs :
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Your earlier comment then is accurate...
The bulbs and any other devices paired to the Hue bridges form their own Zigbee mesh separate to the one setup by the HE hub. So if the contact sensor is the only Zigbee device paired to HE, then it will be communicating directly with the HE hub, and the lights will play no part in the communications with HE for the contact sensor, nor will the Zigbee setup on HE affect any interaction with the bulbs on Hue (apologies if I'm explaining something you already know).
But to contradict that last statement .... 
One other thing to keep in mind, which may or may not be playing a part (more likely the device from @kkossev 's comment earlier).... When running multiple 2.4GHz networks, including different Zigbee mesh networks as well as any 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks, it is important to make sure the channels used do not interfere with each other. There are some posts here on the Community or you can lookup online more generally for some recommendations on channels that you may want to use.
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It may be what Simon says - a WiFi interference with the Zigbee channels that you may need to find and resolve (by changing the Zigbee channels).
Philips Hue bridges usually have rock-solid performance - I have one Hue hub controlling probably 20 bulbs all over the house and it never misses to switch a bulb on or off.
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This also caught my eye.
Is it going to be problematic? Can mount it higher up and run a usb extension to it.
Deal of the day: SONOFF Universal Zigbee 3.0 USB Dongle Plus ZBDongle E Gateway with Antenna for Home Assistant, Open HAB etc, Support Data Flow Control https://amzn.eu/d/4sU9e0j
Can that act as a repeater? I'd expect it is only a coordinator...
It is good (maybe even better than the tiny Tuya repeater), but requires re-flashing ..
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Ok, cool, I've got one myself that I'm not using, but don't have a need for it as a repeater. The flashing was a little painful for the other one I am using as a coordinator for Z2M (one's a P and one's an E variety from memory), but once you get the hang of it, it's ok...
It's never simple is it!
I dont have a windows PC or Pi/Linux so it's back to the other ideas!
So to sum up - I need possibly a new constact sensor (not the sonof) BUT the sonof may work ok once I have a repeater in place?
what about this sensor?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/THIRDREALITY-Automation-Assistant-SmartThings-Required/dp/B0BVFNG84L?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
it seems the plugs with Zigbee are cheaper than a dongle - but would a dongle be better because it's a dedicated repeater?
This repeater is sold via amazon - so would benefit from the testing grace period to see If it works
https://amzn.eu/d/0YEhaZg
Then this one - which looks very similar too..
The last 2 Amazon links are for the same Zigbee repeater at a much better price - get at least one of these. When installed in between the contact sensor and the HE hub, it may turn out that you don't need another sensor.
The Third Reality contact sensor is used by many HE users (mostly in the US), so it is a good choice also.
The Woolley plugs (rebranded Sonoff) were reported by one user to have some issues in Hubitat, although they worked with a custom driver.
Perfect thank you - I'll get one of the USB dongles - use it with an extension cable and power from an old USB iPhone plug and mount it in the room below my hub.
Are these best mounted high up - or possibly as close as I can get it to the contact sensor?
There is no need to mount the Zigbee repeaters high up - there are a lot of reflected radio signals around, so the height is not important, but it will be good if there is some free space around...
The Zigbee repeater (Zigbee router) is better to be positioned in the middle distance between the HE hub and the battery-powered device.
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IIRC some people here have had some issues w/the "E" version of the dongle, vs. the "P/Plus" version. I haven't followed it closely as I only have the Dongle P version. You might want to check the thread that @kkossev linked to see the discussion regarding the "E" version.
Actually maybe I'm remembering a non-issue. 
This post in the dongle flashing thread shows successful flashing and joining of an "E" version, and there is more info on the E version in the second post of the thread.
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There is at least a different process for flashing the E vs P singles, from memory.
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Yes that seems definitely correct.
With these usb dongle repeater things, are they set and forget or do I need to add them to the C8?
The Tuya small USB dongles must be paired to Hubitat hub, so that they join the HE Zigbee network.
That's all, there is no need to use a specific driver for them, although such custom drivers exist - that are used just for diagnostic / health check, but no driver is needed for the repeating/routing function to work.
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