I have a z-wave ZSE40 motion detector in my RV out back. I have a minoston outlet in the rv as well.
Looking at the zwave routing I see the zse40 connecting to the hub via a couple hops from the hub to 2 aeotec range extenders, that was my plan. The overall distance from my hub to the zse40 is about 100ft, The minoston on the other hand connects straight back to the hub!
The plan was for the plug to route like the zse40 does and have the zse40 roiute via the plug. I have had this in place for weeks now and have rebooted the hub several times.
Why do you think the plug is not going to the aeotecs which are closer by far than the hub?
zWave routing is a complex topic and I am by no means an expert. One thing to realize is a zwave device will stick with an existing route as long as it works, even if a better route is available. Your zse40 won't pick the outlet just because it's closer and may have a better route back. And your outlet won't pick the aeotecs if it can still reach the hub. There's also very little a user can do to change zwave routing, though there are some things you might be able to do to influence it.
When you first included the plug did you do it with the plug in its final location? While a reboot won't affect zwave routes you could try excluding and re-including the plug in its installed location. That might force it to choose a new route. But it might not.
And of course the ultimate question... are both devices working?
Agree with @brad5 here -- I'd let it ride as long as everything works. My routing can change mysteriously from week to week, and I've learned not to chase it or try to fix it -- it eithers makes something worse or just drives you crazy.
The upcoming z-wave SDK update will likely help overall z-wave mesh, so as long as things work OK for now, I'd at least wait for the next HE release before going down the rabbit hole.
Generally, if a direct connection "works" (no errors or lost messages and reasonable signal), it will be preferred over a routed path (which is likely add some [perhaps minimal] additional latency).