I've tried to read as much information as I could in the forum about mesh, repeaters, etc., but I'm still not sure if I understand everything correctly. I thought I could give it a try by starting a thread about my specific case.
I have the Hubitat c8
Platform version 2.3.8.134
I have a complex of three buildings with a total area of 107m²:
Building A: 45m²
Building B: 45m²
Building C: 17m²
The Hubitat hub is located in Building C, positioned in the middle of the other two buildings and close to the router. It's directly connected to the router via Ethernet. In Building A, I've set up TP-Link mesh repeaters for the main router (not for the Hubitat). Building B is capturing low signals from Building A's mesh. Additionally, all buildings have Ethernet wall plugs directly connected to the router.
I've started adding Zigbee devices to all buildings. Some devices, especially those far from the Hubitat hub (due to thick, straw-insulated walls), aren't capturing the signal.
I'm trying to figure out the best strategy to extend the network without having to modify all devices if I add a mesh or repeater for the Hubitat (I read about this in a forum thread but didn't fully understand it).
So, my questions are:
Would adding a Wi-Fi repeater for the main router in Building B help with the devices connected to the Hubitat hub?
Should I install a repeater specifically for the Hubitat hub in Building B? Or are we talking more about adding a second Hubitat C-8 as a repeater? If so, is there a recommended setup for this?
Thanks so much for your help in advance!
All the best
Yiannis
Zigbee is a mesh topology protocol. The Hub doesn't have to directly communicate, as long as there are Zigbee devices (always on/AC Powered) along the way. Jumping between buildings is certainly a challenge to get ideally placed Zigbee devices installed. It's pretty common in the Hubitat world to add another Hubitat Hub to manage the devices in a physical area, and using Ethernet to connect hubs. If you added another Hubitat Hub in building B, then a WiFi repeater MAY be the solution you need for interconnecting the hubs... which means a Yes to 1)
Okay, I understand that I need to install a Hubitat device in each building. So, the only kind of "extender" for Hubitat is another Hubitat itself?
What about this thread, for example? Harmony Home Hub Extender – doesn't it also extend the Hubitat network?
And regarding what I wrote earlier, "I'm trying to figure out the best strategy to extend the network without having to modify all devices if I add a mesh or repeater for the Hubitat (I read about this in a forum thread but didn't fully understand it)," does that ring a bell? Will adding a Hubitat in each building also solve this problem?
Thanks so much for your kind help!!
All the best,
Yiannis
You need to get one or more devices that are too far away to communicate, right? You have two clear solutions:
Build a mesh that extends that far. Each device has a radio with a 'clear air' distance of 30m. Thus if you can get two devices close enough that they communicate, the mesh gets extended. Add one device to the outside wall of Building C and another device on the outside wall of Building B and The hub will send a message to the device in Building B and it will get there via the device on the outside of Building C.
Add another hub that builds another mesh and use Ethernet to enable Hub Mesh between the hubs. Hub Mesh will 'mirror' devices on one hub to another allowing Automations to use any device as if it were connected to a single hub.
Either way can work. It's all dependent on your specific environment. Maybe outdoor devices won't work because of inclement weather or the actual distance is too great. Or if you put the devices inside each building, the wall materials attenuate the RF signal too much. That eliminates 1) and you are left with only 2).
I have 4 hubs in my home... so I'm obviously a proponent of more hubs the merrier... but I do it, not for distance reasons but for responsiveness reasons. I just really like having near instant response and I've decided that after spending hundreds on in-wall devices another hub is not a giant cost adder to the total. It also means that when there's a Platform update, I don't shut the whole house for those few minutes.
wow @csteele thanks so much for your detailed answer!! I understand everything now.
Perfect I think I will copy you as we will add another building in the future. Like you say I am an instant response proponent as well so it would be the best solution.
Thanks again for your kind help
i really appreciate it!
Just a question that came up now.
Each time you buy a new hub, do you install and set up everything just like on the previous one? For instance, I'm currently installing the Hubitat Package Manager on this hub. Will I need to install it on future hubs as well?
Thanks so much for your help, @csteele!
Yes. Each hub is independently set up. Hub Mesh is a bit of a misnomer as it doesn’t extend the zigbee or z-wave mesh, but allows you to share devices across multiple HE hubs as if they were all connected together. You decide which devices to share to each hub, and can create rules on each hub or have them all on one main hub if desired.
Like Ken says, two or more hubs can be interconnected and share(mirror) devices, in a mesh topology. In other words, if you have, for example, 3 hubs, you can 'mirror' a few devices from Hub A to Hub B, a few other devices from Hub A to Hub C, and from Hub C to both Hub A and Hub B. You have to setup Hub Mesh identifying hubs, then devices and where to share them. Once it's all setup, to each individual hub, there's no distinction between real physical devices and the 'mirrored' devices. Any (all) devices will show in the drop down lists when creating automations.
I understand everything now.
