Re: Another ZigBee convert

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

Joerg <notthisjoergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Hello Dave,
>
>> Crestron has introduced ZigBee based wireless lighting controls.
>
>I wonder how well that stuff holds up in practice. Many houses have
>in-wall insulation using fibers on an aluminum foil backer and this can
>include some inside walls. When I walk into our garage with anything RF
>such as a cordless phone or LAN it often quits.

That type of insulation is usually only in exterior walls. Interior walls,
when insulated, tend to use batts with either no backing kraft paper
backing. I heven't been on a new construction site in many, many years but I
suspect most exterior flashing which once was foil based is now Tyvek based.

That said, I have seen more reports of RF problems from Canada than from the
US and have wondered whether their insulation practices might be a factor.

Crestron is very high-end so I doubt they would introduce something that
isn't reliable or that requires excessive service calls. Their customers,
dealers and installers would not be happy.

Most of the RF mesh networks require devices to be rather closely spaced
(20-25'). The devices act as repeaters so overall range is not a major
factor. It does mean that the number of devices tends to grow geometrically
with the volume needing coverage (which is a plus for the manufacturer). If
the protocol is a routed one, it also means that it may take several hops to
traverse the network which may mean delays and even missed signals if the
max hops is too low to traverse the network.