Hi, I have a Homassistant Setup on a Raspberry Pi in my flat and most of my devices are connected via Z2M.
Now I want to install a smart plug in my basement, where neither wifi nor Zigbee can reach. I have considered the following options:
-Getting Wifi repeater (or powerline) to the basement and a Wifi smart plug
-Getting Wifi repeater (or powerline) to the basement and extending somehow the Zigbee to there, so I can use a Zigbee plug.
Now to my questions: what is the better option here? Is the Zigbee extension even possible, either extending the network somehow via wifi or creating a second network in the basement, that is also accessed by Homeassistant?
Additionally, I have the Zigbee Smart plug and an old Tuye Zigbee router already laying aroung. Still, i would not prefer to go over the Tuya server but would like to keep it local.
Does someone see a sense making option, or should I go for the obvious Wifi extension and Wifi plug?
Greetings
You can expand your Zigbee network reach by adding a mains connected device (i.e. a smartplug) in-between…
If you have a stable ethernet connection down to the basement (powerline?) you could use one of the ethernet based zigbee coordinators and create a second network just for the basement.
I partially address your question. I live in a condo building on a high floor. I also have a private garage in the building’s parking area. My wifi does not reach the garage but there is the building’s “public” wifi. I wanted to include HA in my garage (lights and motion sensor) and I resolved it with Tuya devices which are included in the Tuya App on my phone and connect to the “public” wifi. These show up in my HA with the Tuya Integration, using the same Tuya account. Voila…
Thanks for your suggestions.
@koying unfortunately there are other flats in between and I cannot place any plugs in between my flat and the basement.
@EndUser thats a good solution, but sadly there is no public wifi available.
I have made some research and hacking the tuya coordinator to work local seems not as easy as i thought… probably wifi extension/poweline and one wifi connector is the way to go, since i dont plan for any other devices down there…
If you don’t have access to any plugs in between, I don’t see how a wifi extender would work. At the end of the day, they are both similar devices.
Don’t even think about powerlines in this situation.
any wifi will do
When I am in the basement, sometimes my phone has very bad wifi reception but still sees the network. So my hope was, that placing a repeater with powerful antenna would work, since i dont need much speed or bandwith…
Do you have any outdoor lighting that you could use Zigbee bulbs in? I bridge the gap from my garage to my house that way.
Wifi and zigbee use the same underlying technology, 2.4 GHz waves. If you have even limited wifi, there is a chance it will see zigbee, possibly by adding a smartplug as as a repeater in your basement at the location of best reception.
I would look at Yolink(or other LORA) devices or zwave long range. 99% sure yolink would work easily. Z-wave LR seems like it should per specs, but I have no first hand knowledge.
WiFi might extend, but is probably more prone to interference if a unit between ends up changing their wifi channel overlap with yours.
I doubt a zigbee extender would work just because it is 2.4ghz. Zigbee is much lower power.
Another vote for Yolink (or equivalent). LORA technology is amazing, and is exactly suited for your use case.