Hi guys,
I’m looking to improve my Zigbee network strength. At the moment all of my Zigbee devices are working as expected. But recently i bought 2 new Aqara P1 motion sensors and tried to add one to my bathroom and although it never connected as fast as this one it doesn’t work as expected while in the bathroom. It only once and a while recognizes motion, sometimes you can stand in front of it for a minute waving before it recognizes the next motion. If i move it closer to the hub and leave it be for a while it starts working as expected. I’m assuming this is a signal strength issue?
All of the Aqara devices, other than the new P1 motion sensors, take a long time to connect to the bridge even if they are very close to it.
Info About my house:
It’s a one floor home with parking space and a bodega underneath. It’s 40’x 32’and build out of wood. The walls are insulated and both bathrooms have tiles along the walls. I’m not sure how important this info about the house is. But better too much info, right? 
I included a picture of the layout of my house.
Info about my hardware:
I’m running HA on an intel nuc 7i3 with 16GB ram and an 256 SSD
For my Zigbee network i use a NORTEK Zigbee/Z-Wave stick connected via a 3ft usb extension cable. I don’t know how to figure out on what channel it runs.
I use an ASUS RT-AC86U router for my wifi network. The 2.4Ghz network runs on channel 3
I have 13 TP-Link Kasa wifi light switches in the house and a total of 25 devices connected to my router. Most on the 2.4Ghz network. Only my laptop and phone connect to the 5Ghz network.
Both NUC’s, my TV and Hue Bridge are connected via ethernet.
I also have a Philips Hue hub with 6 bulbs and 4 hue blooms. The bridge runs on channel 15
On my Zigbee network i have at the moment 8 Aqara sensors. A mix of motion, door/window and temperature.
I have a temp sensor in the living room right by the hub
an old (version before P1) and 2 new P1 motion sensor in the kitchen (The P1’s are there for testing)
an old motion sensor by the spare bathroom
an old motion sensor and door/window sensor in the master bedroom
an old motion sensor under the house
The Zigbee stick is located as central in the house as possible.
What i’m planning on doing:
I have 4 Sonoff S40 zigbee smart switches on the way that i want to spread around the house to create a better zigbee network.
I want to place a plug in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the master bedroom and one in the bathroom. Would that be enough to strengthen my Zigbee netowrk?
When i add those smart plugs, do i have to “reconnect” my zigbee devices so the connect to a closer device, or will this happen automatically in the background after a while? Does the zigbee network optimize itself or do you need to give it a hand doing that?
What I’m also “worried” about is that i have too many devices all together on my tv furniture.
on the top shelf i have my tv, 2 hue blooms, 2 nucs, wifi router, soundbar and temp sensor
right below i have my UPS, modem and Philips Hue hub.
So i want to get a little shelf made for the right gap in my tv furniture (see included pic) and move my 2 intel NUC’s there so they are a bit more away from everything.
The NUC on the right is my HA computer and the cable hanging on the vase is the NORTEK Zigbee stick. When i move the NUC down on the little shelf below, would it make sense to route the Zigbee stick along the face board behind the vase?
Would changing the Zigbee channel from the Philips Hue bridge to something else than 15 help?
What i’m trying to get from you guys:
Confirmation that i’m on the right path
Hopefully some tips on how to even further improve my Zigbee network strength.
Solutions for quicker connection to the Zigbee network by Aqara devices?
Hopefully i gave enough info to get some useful feedback 