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Z-wave Range Is Quite Disappointing, What Am I Doing Wrong?

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    Z-wave Range Is Quite Disappointing, What Am I Doing Wrong?

    All,

    I'm a bit slow in these parts, but I moved from HS2 to HS3 last month and just started setting up my Z-wave network. So far, I am very disappointed with its range. How can I improve it?

    I bought a SmartStick+ and it lives in my primary PC in a telco rack in my basement. My house is all wood frame and joists (not metal) but for any Z-wave device on my main floor to get a signal from it, it has to be almost directly above the rack. Further, after being frustrated with devices not getting signals, I bought a couple of Aeon Z-wave repeaters, put them on the network, and still find that a repeater not more that 20 feet from another z-wave appliance switch isn't getting signal. What gives? Can I not expect Z-wave to go more than 10 feet through wood and drywall? I may have to rethink my Z-wave investment for another technology.

    I am considering buying a USB extension cable to get my SmartStick+ closer to the basement ceiling, but I don't see how that can help with poor signals on my main floor.

    Any suggestions welcome, but currently I don't have many Z-wave devices and am just experimenting with options.

    Thanks!

    Mike

    #2
    Using a powered USB extension cable to get the stick away from the PC helps at times and may be worth a try. Also do you have any baby monitors in use as there are some of these that leak into the Z-Wave frequency.
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      #3
      Be aware that battery powered devices don't participate in the mesh network. Once you get a handful of participating nodes the range expands quickly.

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        #4
        Z-wave Range Is Quite Disappointing, What Am I Doing Wrong?

        I have just moved back to Homeseer and I used a simple ripple effect as the basis building the mesh from the inside working outwards.

        I also did a full optimisation at the end to improve the meshed neighbour awareness for routing.
        Last edited by brientim; July 19, 2016, 09:57 PM. Reason: temove useless info

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          #5
          Last edited by Pete; July 20, 2016, 07:10 AM.
          - Pete

          Auto mator
          Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
          Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
          HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

          HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
          HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

          X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

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            #6
            Originally posted by mhiles View Post
            All,

            I'm a bit slow in these parts, but I moved from HS2 to HS3 last month and just started setting up my Z-wave network. So far, I am very disappointed with its range. How can I improve it?

            I bought a SmartStick+ and it lives in my primary PC in a telco rack in my basement. My house is all wood frame and joists (not metal) but for any Z-wave device on my main floor to get a signal from it, it has to be almost directly above the rack. Further, after being frustrated with devices not getting signals, I bought a couple of Aeon Z-wave repeaters, put them on the network, and still find that a repeater not more that 20 feet from another z-wave appliance switch isn't getting signal. What gives? Can I not expect Z-wave to go more than 10 feet through wood and drywall? I may have to rethink my Z-wave investment for another technology.

            I am considering buying a USB extension cable to get my SmartStick+ closer to the basement ceiling, but I don't see how that can help with poor signals on my main floor.

            Any suggestions welcome, but currently I don't have many Z-wave devices and am just experimenting with options.

            Thanks!

            Mike
            I cant tell from your post, but did you optimize the network? This tells the devices and repeaters how to route traffic.

            I ask because we sell a z-wave solution where I work and people routinely forget to route/optimize devices after adding them.
            HS4Pro on a Raspberry Pi4
            54 Z-Wave Nodes / 21 Zigbee Devices / 108 Events / 767 Devices
            Plugins: Z-Wave / Zigbee Plus / EasyTrigger / AK Weather / OMNI

            HSTouch Clients: 1 Android

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              #7
              I have the same problem here, same configuration as well, the stick is in the basement with normal walls. I just replaced my CT 30 thermostat because it was dropping all the times, now the energy sensor is dropping as well. I have one repeater and I always run the suggested procedures, it helps for a little bit then goes back to drop it. My instenon are working without issues for many years, no one drop. Any other recommendations?

              Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

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                #8
                Originally posted by aldo View Post
                I have the same problem here, same configuration as well, the stick is in the basement with normal walls. I just replaced my CT 30 thermostat because it was dropping all the times, now the energy sensor is dropping as well. I have one repeater and I always run the suggested procedures, it helps for a little bit then goes back to drop it. My instenon are working without issues for many years, no one drop. Any other recommendations?

                Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
                Is the stick connected directly to the PC? If so see previous suggestion. Also do you have any other devices that aren't battery devices so your devices can route back to your interface?
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                  #9
                  Doing Z-Health here every night (morning) from 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM and have not seen anything odd in the logs.

                  Windows 10 has been doing an anniversary update. I do not have any idea if there is network throttling going on with this stuff.

                  I do see some sunspot activity which can ding RF stuff; that said I do not pay much attention to this stuff.


                  Last edited by Pete; July 20, 2016, 09:06 AM.
                  - Pete

                  Auto mator
                  Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
                  Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
                  HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

                  HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
                  HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

                  X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

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                    #10
                    Personally here I run the smartstick+ (great device btw) on a usb extension that is 12 feet long. It's connected directly into the computer though I do have a powered hub also connected, I don't use it for the zwave stick. I had slight issues with the stick connected directly, but suspect it was a location issue. My server is in the basement. I put the stick in the middle of the basement up near the ceiling (unfinished). Everything is solid. I have roughly 80 zwave devices nowadays with probably 30 of them being battery (they don't route). My devices upstairs on the second floor still hit the stick as the first nose in the route as well.

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                      #11
                      Hello
                      I installed in the home of a friend a system based on HS3 and using a smart stick + Aeon Labs as I had tried with a normal smart stick and I had trouble connecting with the nodes. With this new connection seems ok but a very strange thing happens. After connecting the last node (Smart Switch-6 Wall Plug Z-Wave Plus Aeon Labs) for about 10 minutes is all ok then the node disappears completely from the nodes list. Until now I had never seen this happen in this way. I had sometimes the routing problems of the nodes that I settled with the network optimization but I had not ever seen one of the nodes disappear completely from the list without having it deleted manually. I tried to add it again, and the system finds it right away, everything seems ok but having done the connectivity testing and network optimization the node disappears from the list. In the list of interface model I used "HomeSeer smart stick +", where is the mistake?

                      Thanks

                      Massimo-RenderCAD

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                        #12
                        I've seen the pc that the stick is plugged into block the Z-Wave signals. Try a short USB cable and get that stick away from the pc.
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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Rupp View Post
                          I've seen the pc that the stick is plugged into block the Z-Wave signals. Try a short USB cable and get that stick away from the pc.
                          +1 (and the telco rack probably isn't helping either)
                          "if I have seen further [than others], it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." --Sir Isaac Newton (1675)

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                            #14
                            PCs leak RF at many frequencies and the case will block most of the signal back in that direction. I wouldn't ever plug a z-stick directly into the PC. Even a short USB cable a few feet long to get the stick up higher than the PC will help quite a bit.

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                              #15
                              Hello
                              I have many devices on my home automation system. My house has ground floor and first floor total of 200 meters in all, here I manage every light point, HAVC control in every room, webcam control with Arduino and ADIO monitoring doors and windows have a weather station at 433 MHz and energy control EnviR (current cost) and much more .... Here I use an old smart stick aeon labs (not plus) connected directly to the pC in a small room, separated from the other bedrooms by a 90 cm wall, everything works perfectly. In another residence I have however only four devices all in the space of 10 meters where it uses a smart-stick plus (aeon Labs) but I have many connection problems. Here I had tried with a normal smart stick aeon labs but the devices were losing signal continuously then I changed with a smart stick plus aeon labs but I still have difficulty connecting or return signal from devices. I believe that the z-wave system can be disturbed by something but I did not understand from what, the only thing I realized is that the distance parameter between devices and smart stick is not the only thing that determines the good connection. Have you have something to suggest in addition to the hypothesis of the smart stick away from the PC with with a short cable?
                              Thanks
                              _______________
                              Massimo-RenderCAD

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