Radios?

I have heard from a few users that Hubitat's Zigbee/Zwave radios have noticeably less range than SmartThings hubs (V2/V3).

Is this indeed the case?

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This is not true at all. I have noticed no difference moving between the platforms. Z-wave has issues but it is with protocol not the hub. You have the same issues with SmartThings.

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I didn't notice a difference between the radio performance of my SmartThings v2 hub vs. my Hubitat C-7.

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I agree. No difference that I can see. However, repeaters are our friends.

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No difference that I've noticed. Sounds like a couple of bitter fanbois..

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I don't think anyone has done a head-to-head comparison or any objective measurements. (Hubitat has some stats you could use built-in; not sure about ST nowadays.) It is a claim I've seen made a few times, but it's hard to say anything for sure without real data. (FWIW, I've used both ST--v1 and v2--and Hubitat, and range has never been a concern for me with either.) Every hub/controller is likely to be a bit different--even when located in the same location, given differences with antenna orientation, the exact components used, etc.

In any case, Z-Wave and Zigbee are mesh networks, so range from the hub is ultimately not a huge concern for most people. I'd recommend at least one repeater for each protocol regardless of how many devices you have or how far they are from the hub (and certainly more if your network is larger). Most people are able to make their networks work just fine with Hubitat--or any hub--as long as the hub and devices are properly located.

If you're asking because you're having problems, I'd suggest sharing more information about your setup and the issues; if you're just curious, I don't think I've seen any more than the above. :smiley: And if you have a new hub that seems to be problematic, I'd recommend checking here first, but there are also warranty options you could pursue.

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I initially had some issues with an Ecolink sensor on my C-7 back in the early release days. I kept having issues with exclusion/inclusion not working properly. To be fair, that sensor had inclusion issues when I first set it up on my ADT SmartThings hub, so it's likely just the sensor being temperamental.

While it's possible that you may see some issues, it's likely going to be more likely due to differences in antenna positioning in the hubs than radio power. If there is a difference, it's likely very minor. Any issues with range likely mean that it was probably marginal on the ST hub.

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Simple bottom line.....

Perceived short range is far far more likely to be bad mesh. That's entirely on the user. Extensive documentation covers how to avoid that

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Range of Z-wave matters. One hop devices always work the best in Z-wave mesh networks.

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