Seeking Range Extender Opinions

I have a C7 hub now on 2.2.6.140.

Except for on Aeotec Smart Switch 7 and a Philips Hue bridge and 2 bulbs, all of my devices are Inovelli switches (24 Red Dimmers, 5 Black Switches and 5 fan+lights).

After adding in all my devices a few of them started reporting they were now out of range. So I moved the hub about 5' closer to them and now they are in range.

But since that 5' made all the difference I'm thinking that means they are right on the edge of being in range, and so a range extender might help. I've seen some posts about the Aeotec Range Extender 7 ("ARE7"), but some say the person might have placed it too close to the hub and it should be further away, others that say you should get 2; 1 for the hub room and then another further out, etc,

So I'm looking for anyone who has used one or more extenders to get their opinions on if I should get one, if the ARE7 is a good one to get, should I get 1 or more and where should I place it, etc,?

Thanks,

I think mine are the previous generation of Aeotec repeaters, but they work great. I have always installed them in pairs (I have a pair in each of two buildings), each tied to a different hub. Many here also recommend the Ring range extenders. My hub sits at the far end of each building, in the middle of the far wall. I tried to place my extenders about 30-40' from the hub, on opposite sides of the building. Works like a charm.

I don't know what the official word on this is.. there are differing opinions. I would probably place repeater(s) 1/3 to 1/2 way between hub and farthest device on your mesh filling in any "gaps" around the hub. The switches etc should also be acting as repeaters. If you have any Z-Wave locks then placing a repeater near those may be helpful if you are experiencing any kind of lock instabilities. Also keep in mind the 3d nature of this - a repeater on another floor can be close to the hub so may be helpful in getting through walls/ceilings etc.

What type of repeater to get? The Ring Alarm Range Extender is inexpensive and comes with a battery backup so you can detect power outages..

Pairing can be a little bit of a pain - you may have to set classic inclusion mode. Here's an older thread post that discusses how to do it:

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Thanks for all the device. The one time I tried to do a Smart Start was with the Aeotec Smart Switch 7, which came in kinda funky. (He seemed like it hung up, but then was there - and I think was causing problems until I did a factory reset and a classic include.)

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I have several Sonoffs Zigbee Mini scattered around the house, they are cheap, useful - they convert a dumb switch into a smart one! - and works very well as repeaters.