Adding remote Zwave device with range extender

[thutchins]

I have a Znet set up in the house. Need to add 2 HS-FLS100 G2 floodlight sensors in the barn, about 150’ away. Was not getting the Znet to connect to the devices, so I added an Aeotec gen7 range extender near the lights and am able to add it to the network no problem. But I still cannot connect the sensors. Both the range extenders and the sensors are Zwave + certified so would think they should work together.
Ran full optimization on the extender and all appears fine with it, but still cannot add the sensors.
Obviously I can’t bring the sensors near to the house, so can’t try that. While I do have Wi-Fi that reaches to the barn, my older Znet does not have the wireless module so can’t take it out to the barn.

I specifically made sure everything was Znet + to avoid just this issue, but nothing seems to work together. Very frustrating.
Running HS4 on a laptop.

Any ideas?

[George]

I have the AEOTEC repeaters and they work great.

The trick is to go into the NODES screen for the sensors and manually set the path directly to the repeater. Do NOT allow optimize to set the path or it will use a non-optimal route or something that is not a routing node.

1. Do an Optimize on the AEOTEC 7 repeater so it knows all the good neighbors that it has. Hopefully it will populate with the path (in the NODES display) showing Direct to the Z-Net.
2. Do an Optimize on your sensors so it also discovers all it's neighbors and the new repeater.
3. Chose the node number of the closest repeater and put that node number into the Route field of the NODE in the sensor.

All should be hunky dory then. All my sensors and locks are setup through the active 7 repeaters and they are very stable.
Trust me, I've done this so many times, I can do it in my sleep and my ZWave network has finally settled down to not even knowing that it's there. Now that's a good thing to say compared to the mess it used to be or X-10 used to be. I don't even think about Z-Wave anymore.

Just be careful that you don't use Z-Tool or something like that as an optimize on those sensors will reset the Routing path for the sensor.

So if your sensor is node 72 and your Repeater is node 81, put 81 in the Route box in node 72.

Voilà

EDIT, the following is the example of what you put in the Set Route field. In this case node 63 is my Aeotec 7 Repeater that is in the family room right off the screened in porch that the lock is in. So just put 63 in the Set Route field and hit enter. As you can see, this lock doesn't have many good neighbors but with the repeater it works great and the repeater is also a Beaconing repeater which can also wake up the lock to control it and to poll it.

[thutchins]

Thanks! I’m pretty sure I follow you. But my problem is that I can’t set the sensor up in the first place to be able to access the node screen. Since they are fixed / hardwired spotlights I can’t bring them to the Znet or bring the Znet to them. Unless someone has an idea for that?

[JRose]

I used a USB - CAT5 - USB extender to relocate my Z-Wave dongle to the middle of the house while keeping the computer in a corner of basement. It works great. Maybe you could use something like that to temporarily move your zwave closer to the lights to get them included.

[George]

Thanks! I’m pretty sure I follow you. But my problem is that I can’t set the sensor up in the first place to be able to access the node screen. Since they are fixed / hardwired spotlights I can’t bring them to the Znet or bring the Znet to them. Unless someone has an idea for that?

Sorry, I missed where they are fixed. As JRose suggested, any change of bringing the Z-Net closer? As it's not a Z-Stick connected to possibly a fixed computer, you could use a longer Ethernet cable to get the Z-Net closer? I use a Z-Stick on a fixed server so I have a different problem. When I add a new device, even it it's hard wired and generally will breadboard it up in the basement next to the server so I know I can get it to include. Then go to where I want it, install it and rerun the optimize single device on it for it to rediscover it's new neighbors.

I'm not on a Z-Net but from what I've seen, aren't those little teeny boxes that you can add longer Ethernet cables to or just activate another possible jack in another room for a little while?

As they say, the impossible just takes a little longer!

[rmasonjr]

I have a gen1 z-net with wifi. I've used a power bank to take the z-net around wirelessly before, then go back to ethernet when done. Might be worth trying.

[thutchins]

Thanks for all the help! I took my ups with the Znet and my mesh Wi-Fi satellite with me to the barn. Plugged the Znet Ethernet into the satellite and both into the ups. Let them all power up and connect. Then added the devices, plugged in the Aeotec 7 extender into plug by house door and followed George’s directions. all working great now!

seems like it should be easier! But it works!

[George]

Barn? Now that's really remote!

Glad it's all sorted now...