So are the Hue ones (at least the one I have). By network based ones I meant the ones I linked to earlier.
To clarify: I have changed my strategy to just try and reach over the gap. And I think its worth a shot with a larger antennae PoE-unit on my sheltered balcony (2 meters from my wifi-router as power source), and a bulb or something in the garage.
So can I get a SLZB-06M for example, load it with router firmware, plug it in a random ethernet connection for power, and just add it to my zha-network in HA?
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Yes, this has been explained before in the thread.
The router firmware for the SLZB-06 is here.
Yes, just wanted to confirm that A) changing firmware and adding to network is trivial, and B) It works with zha and not just zigbee2mqtt
When used as a router, the slzb-06 will function without any LAN connection, correct? (Say, powered by USB).
yes, indeed
I ordered two slzb-06 units. As I see it, I have these three options.
Hopefully A will work, but i highly doubt it. That is router slzb-06 placed on outside balcony, reaching all the way inside the under garden garage:
B is also an option, but not very elegant. Will also occupy a second power outlet. That is router slzb-06 placed on outside balcony reaching another router slzb-06 in garage opening:
C would work. That is a cable going from HA/LAN via PoE injector to coordinator slzb-06 in garage. But this is more practically demanding, which I can’t see happening in my life right now:
I just scrolled the entire thread but didn’t see it. If you answered this previously I apologize.
How far is that distance - line of sight you have marked with. “?” in scenario a and b?
Goes directly to - will it work and will it be stable.
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Nice. So… how far is that in measured distance?
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Maybe 30 meters as the crow flies.
Distance ranges up to 100 m line of sight open air. It SHOULD be ok. (assuming you don’t have a lot of other interference.). That said I on purpose cut my max range by about 1/4 to ensure goo’s coverage. So 25-33m would be the farthest I’d go usually.
Zigbee range reference:
If you might consider ZWave then LR (long range) support has just been included in Home Assistant. It has impressive theoretical distance coverage well over 1 mile in best conditions apparently. Bear in mind that LR does not use a mesh so the nodes are single hop and not repeaters.
I do not use LR myself so no experience here. It’s usefulness will depend on what devices are needed in your garage.
Solution A doesn’t work, not even when I brought a router down to the future vegetable garden.
Concrete with garden on top seems to be a good shield.
I ended up doing the ethernet wallplug (tp-link homeplug) + slzb06 coordinator with a separate zigbee2mqtt network.
Which seems to work pretty seemlessly, despite circuit breakers and distance in between.
Only concern is that the equipment is not rated for outdoor use, and my garage is pretty damp during winter. So the long term stability remains to be seen.
Might upgrade to ethernet wire at some point in the distant future.
Get some conduit, pre pull a couple of cat6 cables through and start digging 
I did it the first day after we moved, in pouring rain, but glad I did!
On a side note my garage also gets very damp (I’ve seen 95%) and it hasn’t affected anything on the equipment I run there (server, switches, storage), but I don’t have the homelink plugs.
Glad you got it working!
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