Big building with long distances - second coordinator?

Configuration Zigbee
1

Hi there,

We have a big building and currently I have the problem, that my Ubisys S1-R Relais go offline from time to time with some strange behavior.

Before they go offline, they’ll still report power and update their LQI, but they don’t accept actions like On/Off via HA
After a few more hours, they’ll go offline. Then I need to power them off and on again and they’ll become available again.
Some of those S1-R are next to each other but only one of them has the issue.

I have it with the older and the newer ones (with and unfortunately without the LEDs)

So my thought was that maybe it is the distance.
My whole building is covered by Aeotec Range extenders.
My coordinator is a Hamgeek POE Network coordinator with a CC2652P chip and UZG-01 (ZigStar) firmware

I had the same problems with a Sonoff Zigbee Dongle E.

So now I wonder if it is a good idea to setup a second coordinator via Ethernet near those relais and connect them to it to make the travel distance shorter

Is there anything preventing me doing this or is it a really bad Idea to do so?

I already watched a vid where soemone does this by adding a second repository by adding a / to the repository URL of Z2M to be able to add a second coordinator

Thanks in advance!

2

You need more routers.

You can have two coordinators if you like, but you end up with two small networks and probably a slew of different problems.

3

Then again, if distances are so far apart and fitting routers inbetween is a no go, then two separate Zigbee meshes may be the right solution. As long as you realize they are truely separate and both need sufficient routers etc.

I did not follow the link that claimed to use two coordinators, but there cannot be two coordinators in one mesh. So you do wise to put them on different channels with different network ids etc. If you set both meshes up with exactly the same credentials etc you will definitely have problems because they will both think they own the same mesh.

If they flashed the second dongle with router firmware then it is no longer a coordinator. It will not cause trouble but it will also not use ethernet to bridge the gap. It will then be a router just like any other mains powered zigbee device.

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4

I have a router every 5 meters. And as said, some of them are next to each other. Both show an LQI of >190 and then one of them suddenly goes offline.

@Edwin_D

Yes, I want to do two separate Meshes. Add a second Z2M add-on into Homeassistant and configure the second one with the new Coordinator.

Then I’ll have “main part of the building” and the rest.
Thing is that in the Middle of the building there is basically nothing but routers to bridge the distance. Strange thing is that some devices seem to use routers that are very far away instead of the ones directly next to them

edit: This is the network. Red are the S1-Rs

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image1490×942 121 KB

5

I have a Z2M and a ZHA in the same house. Different channels, PAN-ID, key. all that. Works a champ.
I needed this to test hardware on both coordinators, but one is upstairs with a repeater down, and vice versa.

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