Hey everyone, looking for some advice here.
I’ve been slowly turning my whole house smart with Aqara sensors and switches. Love how they work with HomeKit, but I’m hitting a wall—literally. The signal just doesn’t reach well into the back rooms or upstairs. Some sensors randomly go offline or lag like crazy.
My hub (M2) is in the living room downstairs, but stuff in the attic or garage barely works, if at all. I read that Zigbee creates a mesh network, so in theory the more powered devices I have, the better range I get. But I’ve mostly got battery-powered sensors, so I’m guessing that’s part of the problem?
Is there a good way to boost signal without buying a second hub? I’d rather not juggle multiple hubs if I can help it.
Would adding a few smart plugs or wired switches help bridge the signal? Any of you tried that in a bigger house setup?
Appreciate any tips from those who’ve been there and figured it out. Don’t want half my house acting dumb in this smart home setup 
@SmartHomeGeek It sounds like you’re experiencing some of the common challenges when expanding a smart home system across a larger space. You’re correct that Zigbee forms a mesh network, which does indeed improve coverage with more powered devices. Battery-powered sensors don’t act as repeaters, so adding powered devices can definitely help extend your network.
From the reference information, adding Zigbee repeaters, such as smart plugs or wired switches, can indeed relay the signal and expand the coverage range, which can be especially useful in larger homes. This would likely enhance the connectivity to your sensors in the attic or garage. Ensure that the single-hop distance between devices doesn’t exceed two walls to maintain a stable connection.
Also, consider distributing the powered devices evenly throughout your home to create a more robust mesh network. This setup helps minimize the risk of any sensor going offline or experiencing lag.
Your approach to avoiding multiple hubs is understandable, and using powered devices as repeaters is a wise strategy. I hope this helps improve your smart home setup! Don’t hesitate to share your experiences with us as you make these adjustments. 
I have a similar issue but not to the same extent. From what I read adding additional hubs will cause the sensors to connect to one hub or the other and not increase the zigbee mesh network. Adding wired components will increase the zigbee mesh at least that is what I read. I am installing two Aqara smart plugs to see if it makes an improvement.