Hi everyone, I’m currently facing a challenge with expanding my Zigbee mesh network in my home, and I’m hoping for some insights or solutions from the community. My house is part of a compound with thick concrete walls reinforced with steel bars for earthquake protection. This structure is proving to be a significant barrier for my Zigbee devices, especially when trying to connect devices across different floors connected by curved stairways without nearby wall sockets or junction boxes for additional routers.
I’ve tried various solutions, including using USB routers, wall plugs as routers, bigger antennas, and even relocating the coordinator, but the issue remains: devices on the same floor communicate fine, but there’s no connection between floors. Hanging antennas near the stairways isn’t practical, as it’s both unsightly and potentially disruptive to daily life.
One idea I’ve considered is installing Zigbee lamps in the built-in stairway lights, but this seems fragile since a child could accidentally turn off the light, disrupting the mesh. I’m also exploring the possibility of using multiple Zigbee coordinators or routers that communicate with my Home Assistant through LAN, but I’m not sure how to implement this. I’m currently using a Futro S720 thin client for HA and have a few Raspberry Pi Zeros lying around that I could potentially repurpose.
I’m curious if anyone has successfully tackled similar challenges, especially in homes with thick concrete walls. Any advice on hardware configurations, software solutions, or creative workarounds would be greatly appreciated. I’m also open to suggestions on how to integrate multiple Zigbee coordinators or routers effectively. Thanks in advance for your help!