How to extend the range of my HassIo network?

1

Hi,

I want to put some sensors outside of the existing WiFi range. Whats the simplest way of doing this so that I can still interact with the sensor from my Pi running HassIo?

Many thanks in advance for any thoughts on this,
Mark

2

You would need a Wi-Fi solution. A Z-Wave mesh network can have a much further reach.
I think Zigbee mesh can also reach further .

Zigbee, Z-Wave, & Wi-Fi all need sevices designed to use them though. You can get different radio options for these on the Pi. I have a USB stick that does both Zigbee & Z-Wave.

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3

Thanks @anon34565116

Do you know if the Pi with Hass.io can handle handle WiFi and Z-Wave at the same time?

4

My RPi 3B+ has internal Wi-Fi and I have my USB stick plugged into one of the 4 USB ports. It works fine with Home Assistant. It should work with Hassio too. I chose to use my Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi but either would work.

5

Thanks @anon34565116 :slight_smile: I think I get it now: The z-Wave uses the USB stick to communicate with the z-Wace components when its not using the inbuilt wifi for the wifi components.

I’m also going to look at a wifi mesh too as another option to extend the reach of the system.

z-wave certainly sounds interesting.

Thanks again,
Mark

6

Here is what I bought that does both. I have not tested Zigbee though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0157GOEA8/

Also Z-Wave compatibility is better that Z-Wave. Some Z-Wave devices still need they own hub :frowning:

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7

Sorry @anon34565116 :dizzy_face: You lost me there! is “Z-Wave Compatibility” different from “Z-Wave” ?

Thanks for the link to the USB hub you bought :+1: that really helps.

8

I mean that just because it is a Zigbee device, that does not mean it can communicate properly with your Zigbee card in your server. For instance, if you buy Hue Zigbee lights, you usually need a Hue hub to talk to them.
Z-Wave is more like Wi-Fi. The standard specifies how the devices must communicate with each other, regardless of brand. A Dell Wi-Fi computer cam talk to a Linksys router with no issues because they both follow the Wi-Fi standard.

Sorry to confuse things.

9

Got it :slight_smile: makes sense. Thanks @anon34565116
:+1:

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10

The option I bought is for the US. Other countries have different Z-Wave frequencies.

Another Z-Wave option for the Raspberry Pi could be a Razberry Board. You lose Bluetooth though.

https://www.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Me-RaZberry2-Plug-Raspberry-frequency/dp/B01M3Q764U

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