i am setting up 10 zigbee door sensors. they are all sitting on the desk with me.
what will happen when i actually install them in my mother’s house? they will be spread throughout the 4 stories house. will they auto learn the new mesh pattern or i have to run a command to force them to learn the new mesh network?
They should probably re-work the mesh pattern, but nothing you can’t figure out afterwards.
It will mostly work.
The thing I’d be most concerned is the 4 stories… make sure there’s enough routing elements and that no device is too far from the rest or isolated by physical barriers (walls/floors).
If it are only these door sensors, they will not even create a mesh.
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yes, common doors/windows sensors. so if my zigbee hub is in the basement, then it might not even detect the 3rd floor window opening?
may i ask why they dont mesh together? only different sensors mesh together?
Only mains powered Zigbee devices create a mesh. Battery powered devices attach to the mesh, but don’t help creating one.
oh boy. i did not know that. i shoulda bought zwaves then.
It is the same with Z-wave.
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As I said above, you only need to make sure there’s connectivity.
What I do, when I put non-routing (= battery powered) devices somewhat far from the controller, is add some mains powered device in the way. A smart plug or such usually does it.
For example, to bridge some device in the shed I put zigbee lightbulbs in the garden lights: they will always be controlled by HA anyway, so have no swich and are always “on”. The shed device (a smoke alarm) and also some peripherical door sensors attach to the lightbulbs because they reach better than the controller which is inside the house.
The light bulbs can reach the controller so mesh connectivity is assured.
brilliant! thank you
I have Zigbee stuff all over the place. It’s amazing how quickly you can find a use for a mains-powered smart switch half-way between some place that has a good signal, and one which doesn’t.
You may find that one on each floor is enough, or maybe two depending on the size and composition of the house. Ideally you’d have those up and running first, then introduce the end devices. But for the most part they’ll eventually figure out the best configuration on their own.