Hello everyone, I wanted to share my recent journey into home automation and seek some advice from the community. I’ve recently built a new pole barn man cave and decided it would be the perfect place to start my home automation journey. I’ve set up a SmartThings hub along with some Z-Wave switches and sensors, and I must say, it’s been a fascinating experience so far.
One of my main concerns is the distance between the barn and the house. The barn is about 40 feet away from the closest inside outlet, and I’m wondering if I can expand my home automation system from the barn into the house. Currently, everything is on the same network, and I can control my devices from inside the house. I have Cat6 wiring running between the two buildings, which I believe could be useful if I need to add another hub or extend the network.
I’ve heard that Z-Wave networks can be expanded, but I’m not entirely sure how to go about it. Would adding another hub in the house be the best approach? Or is there a way to extend the range of my existing setup? I’d love to hear from anyone who has successfully integrated devices across multiple buildings or has experience with Z-Wave network expansion.
Another thing I’ve been curious about is the stability of Z-Wave compared to Wi-Fi devices like my Wemo switches. While the Wemos have been a bit buggy, the Z-Wave devices seem more reliable so far. I’m excited to see how this project evolves and how I can continue to expand my smart home setup.
Thank you all for your time and expertise. I look forward to learning more from the community and hopefully contributing my own experiences in the future!