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Are light switches better repeaters than lamp modules?

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    Are light switches better repeaters than lamp modules?

    My experience with z-wave stuff has left me with the impression that in-wall light-switches are better repeaters than lamp modules that plug into a wall outlet. For example, the z-wave light switch in our garage is some distance from our house. There's a z-wave light switch inside of the house that's within maybe 10 feet of a sliding glass door that faces the garage. I could not control the garage switch. So, I tried a z-wave lamp module in an outdoor wall-plug outside the glass door, which I figured would be close enough to the garage to act as a repeater. No such luck. After removing the lamp module I installed a z-wave light switch inside the house next to the sliding glass door (for the back-porch light). THEN the garage door z-wave switch started reacting to commands. So, even though the lamp module was outside and maybe 2 feet closer to the garage, it did not successfully reach the garage light switch. Yet a light switch inside the house with a brick wall between it and the garage switch is able to reach the garage light switch.

    I've encountered this before in another installation.

    Is there any technical reason why a wall-switch would be a better repeater, or has my experience just been random luck or idiosyncrasies of the devices I happened to use?
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