I’m currently using a few cc2531 sticks as routers and tbh I’m not that happy with the range.
(one is out of box, the other has 2.4GHz antenna hack)
Can anyone recommend any standalone routers that have good/better range?
What about Ikea signal extenders? They are cheap at £7 each (inc usb charger)
I am also taking other approach to reduce 2.4ghz interference.
Since I currently have wifi and 3 zigbee networks (z2m, hue and linktap for irrigation) I have a lot of potential interference.
I am considering to migrate my hue bulbs to z2m now it supports groups and binding.
Also making sure for as much channel separation between wifi and z2m zigbee channels.
Depending on the firmware, there’s a limit of between 5 (source routing firmware) and 20 (default firmware) direct connections. You’re unlikely to need significant range out of the coordinator itself since you need a number of powered devices (routers) to extend the mesh anyway.
My CC2531 with antenna has a usable range of about 10 meters, and in that range I’ve got a few routers (one CC2530 with antenna mod, two lights, and two Ikea routers currently, more things to come). Those provide coverage over almost the entire house - just the garage is currently out of range.