Recommendations for Zigbee plug-in repeater

[rakeshg]

@aaiyar

but one may not be enough

@Ken_Fraleigh @aaiyar I have the ST one on order so will see if that helps.

@jrfarrar

How far away are your sengled lights?

The two that keep dropping off are approximately 10 ft (horizontal) from the hub and 15 ft (vertical) from the Centralite repeater.

One of them (Upstairs Filing Cabinet) appears to be using the repeater, but it will not turn on as scheduled all the time. If I turn it off and then on manually, it will turn off as scheduled.

There is another bulb in the general vicinity that is not in the table above that has been rock solid.

[jrfarrar]

@rakeshg

The two that keep dropping off

How many other zigbee devices do you have and have they been stable? I wonder if you are having a sengled problem

[rakeshg]

@jrfarrar

How many other zigbee devices do you have and have they been stable?

I only have 7 Sengled bulbs and those are Zigbee (other devices are all Z-Wave). Apart from the two bulbs mentioned above, the others have been stable.

@jrfarrar

I wonder if you are having a sengled problem

Could be, but I originally had a Cree bulb and a Lightify bulb in the same places and they were problematic as well. Switched all bulbs to Sengled based on recommendations from folks here and things were a little more stable, but those two bulbs continue to misbehave.

[brad5]

Which xbee device are you using. Is there a pre-assembled plug-n-play one that doesn’t require I break out the soldering iron?

[rakeshg]

@Ken_Fraleigh

If they are approaching the price of the SmartThings outlet, get the SmartThings outlet.

@Ken_Fraleigh - Just paired this (paired as a Generic Zigbee Outlet). Quick question - it will function as a repeater even though it is "off", right? Just have too many little green/blue/yellow lights around the house at night, so plan of leaving this "off"...

[aaiyar]

@rakeshg

it will function as a repeater even though it is "off", right?

Yes.

[rsjaffe]

@brad5

Which xbee device are you using. Is there a pre-assembled plug-n-play one that doesn’t require I break out the soldering iron?

You can get these kits that don't require soldering. Assembly is just snapping the xbee into the carrier board, and it's very simple.

Made a set of Xbee3 repeaters in cases

I needed some Zigbee repeaters and decided to get some Xbees. I ended up with a set of repeaters and the capability to add sensors to them for a reasonable price. Since finding the right case and drilling it was such a task, I thought it would be nice to share my findings. Pictures at the end. First, the parts: XK3-Z8S-WZM. XBee3 Module Dev Kit, 2.4 Ghz ZB 3.0 by DIGI for $99 (I got mine at Mouser). This kit is a great bargain, as it includes three each of: XB3-24Z8US-J. Zigbee Modules (802.…

[Ken_Fraleigh]

Let us know if it helps. It will take a few days to know.

[jrfarrar]

@brad5

Which xbee device are you using. Is there a pre-assembled plug-n-play one that doesn’t require I break out the soldering iron?

Yes they are VERY easy in my opinion (especially compared to the steps for similar zwave tools) Visit the everything xbee page.

Everything Xbee

Since Xbee devices were taking the Xiaomi devices - are they pairing / staying connected for you? thread off track and info is scattered between here and the SmartThings forum. I figured I would create a thread for everything Xbee related. You can display Xbee zigbee network scans as a graph like this [Xbee%20graph] or a table like this [Xbee%20table] These are great little devices to use as routers to extend your network and for mapping out your zigbee network. They have made my Xiaomi…

[rakeshg]

@Ken_Fraleigh

Let us know if it helps

Well - the Centralite plug seems to have stopped routing any of the devices and the Samsung plug seems to have taken over (even though it is further from the devices and from the hub).

I have 3 other Sengled bulbs that are not showing up here, so should i assume that they are connected directly to the hub? The lights have been behaving, so that's a good thing!

[aaiyar]

The outcost on "inside zigbee repeater" is very high ...... not surprised that devices aren't routing through it.

[Ken_Fraleigh]

@rakeshg

should i assume that they are connected directly to the hub?

No. They would show up as child devices if that were the case. They are just more than 2 hops away I guess.

@rakeshg

the Samsung plug seems to have taken over

The Samsung plug has a stronger signal most likely.

[rakeshg]

@Ken_Fraleigh

They are just more than 2 hops away I guess.

That is strange - I only have Sengled bulbs that (I believe) don't repeat and the 2 plugs, so wouldn't they show up? They work as they should, so this is more of a curiosity than need!

[aaiyar]

@rakeshg

so wouldn't they show up?

That table is dynamic, Many devices will not show up at any particular moment of time. If I might make a suggestion - it is worth investing in two things:

1. A UZB3 and PC Controller to monitor the z-wave network
2. An xbee3 to monitor the zigbee network

[rakeshg]

@aaiyar

it is worth investing in two things:

Thanks - I've been thinking about this. However, I don't have a Windows PC at home (all Apple), so I'm not sure if this will work. I do have Windows in a VM on one of the MacBooks but I don't have a definitive "Yeah it will work" - any thoughts?

[aaiyar]

I'm all Mac as well.

[rakeshg]

@aaiyar

A UZB3 and PC Controller to monitor the z-wave network

Is this ACC-UZB3-U-STA the one that you are recommending? I'm guessing that PC Controller will work on a Mac with Parallels

I think I will hold off on the Zigbee stuff (can't justify $100 for monitoring 6 bulbs )

[aaiyar]

@rakeshg

Is this ACC-UZB3-U-STA the one that you are recommending?

That's the one I bought (I think from mouser.com).

I'm guessing that PC Controller will work on a Mac with Parallels

It should. If not, Sun/Oracle Virtualbox works as well.

@rakeshg

I think I will hold off on the Zigbee stuff

Someone recently posted a build to make three of these for $100. Find two others, and you can get yours for $33!

[rsjaffe]

@aaiyar

Someone recently posted a build to make three of these for $100.

Here's the info:

Made a set of Xbee3 repeaters in cases

I needed some Zigbee repeaters and decided to get some Xbees. I ended up with a set of repeaters and the capability to add sensors to them for a reasonable price. Since finding the right case and drilling it was such a task, I thought it would be nice to share my findings. Pictures at the end. First, the parts: XK3-Z8S-WZM. XBee3 Module Dev Kit, 2.4 Ghz ZB 3.0 by DIGI for $99 (I got mine at Mouser). This kit is a great bargain, as it includes three each of: XB3-24Z8US-J. Zigbee Modules (802.…

[aaiyar]

@rsjaffe

Here's the info:

Thank you! I tried finding your post earlier, but failed - so I’m grateful that you linked to it here.