# Does Homey Bridge acts as range extander or repeater? **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions & Help\ **Tags:** homey-pro, homey-bridge\ **Created:** [November 13, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547 "2023-11-13T20:53:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 6:41am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/62 "2023-11-15T06:41:48Z")
Does Homey log in the background? If so, how the logs can be accessed? Maybe it logged an event that made it crash. ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:36am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/63 "2023-11-15T08:36:43Z")
> [@How to clear logging (diagnostic reports) on Homey pro 2023?](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-clear-logging-diagnostic-reports-on-homey-pro-2023/78548/6): > > All this points to other issues. I checked and it looks like diagnostics reports aren’t saved locally at all (at least I wasn’t able to find any), so there might be other (internal) issues that are filling up the system logfiles (which you can’t remove). Do you have a USB-made backup that was made before the issues started? ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 9:04am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/64 "2023-11-15T09:04:56Z")
No, only a cloud backup through subscription. I can access the site where the backups are listed but I cannot download and it is also impossible re restore a backup through the USB Tool when it is saved in the cloud. When I try to restore it asks me to choose a local file. ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 10:12am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/65 "2023-11-15T10:12:25Z")
It also says “no log files”. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 10:47am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/66 "2023-11-15T10:47:40Z")
I finally requested help from support. I have two Homeys, one at home and one at the office. The office Homey works after the update as expected. No issues so far but it only has few devices included and same for the scenes. Anybody else experiencing issues after the update? Maybe it makes sense to start another thread for the update problems. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 11:42am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/67 "2023-11-15T11:42:24Z")
Got a reply from Athom suggesting to update the WiFi information through setup mode. Will try it later but as the connection can be established (even when it goes later), I dont think that this will help. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/68 "2023-11-15T12:25:29Z")
Udate: Now my second Homey gone offline as well. Different space 20km away. Now I´m sure it is about the update. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/69 "2023-11-15T13:15:52Z")
Update: Got a reply from support. They now know about the problem from other users as well. The think it is about 5 GHz WiFi and that the new firmware doesnt work well with it. Unfortunately it doesnt explain why it crashed, why no scenes are running and why I´m not able to access the setup mode. So, there is much more than just the WiFi issue. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/70 "2023-11-15T18:13:04Z")
As the update issue is reported to Athom and they are working on it, lets get back to previous discussion. At home I have only wired zigbee components, no battery powered ones. At work I have both. From what I see at work´s Homey, only battery powered devices act as nodes. All wire powered devices are shown as routers. Am I correct thinking this way? To me it makes sense that no battery device should be a router as it is offline most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/71 "2023-11-15T18:32:57Z")
Right. To be more precise, all ZigBee devices are nodes, but powered devices full fill an extra function, that is do routing. So it’s end node or (in between) router. A router needs to be active all the time, listening to network messages, forwarding or answering them. A motion sensor, can be sleeping, until motion has been detected, and then wake up to send a message. So it takes less energy. So routers extend your network. As there are limitations to the allowed transmission power for radio senders, there are no ZigBee extenders doing a better job then ZigBee routers. A real ZigBee extender should exist of 2 units, like powerline adapters that send Ethernet over your power network. I have not found any for ZigBee. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 6:34pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/72 "2023-11-15T18:34:31Z")
Ok. Got it. It is the same for Zigbee as for Z-Wave in this term. ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/73 "2023-11-15T18:56:27Z")
Yes, Here I found a clear overview in Dutch, for Z-wave. > **[Doe-het-zelf-domotica: het nieuwe tweaken](https://tweakers.net/reviews/3911/5/doe-het-zelf-domotica-het-nieuwe-tweaken-z-wave.html)** > > De mogelijkheden van doe-het-zelf-domotica zijn eindeloos, van simpelweg licht schakelen met een bewegingsmelder tot en met het beveiligen van de thuisbasis met een ring van laser-traps. And here for Z-Wave > **[De eerste stap naar een smarthome - Wegwijs uit de populairste platforms](https://tweakers.net/reviews/9492/4/de-eerste-stap-naar-een-smarthome-wegwijs-uit-de-populairste-platforms-radioprotocollen.html)** > > We bespreken de populairste smarthomeplatforms van dit moment: IKEA Home Smart, Google Home, Apple Homekit, Homey, Home Assistant, Domoticz en SmartThings. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_S1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alex_s1/32/79236_2.png) [@Alex\_S1](https://community.homey.app/u/Alex_S1)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/74 "2023-11-15T19:12:21Z")
Thanks 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 7:42am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/75 "2023-11-16T07:42:06Z")
@Alex_S1 FYI 5 to 10m for Zigbee, see second link. > [@\[HOW TO\] Plan and setup your Zigbee network](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-plan-and-setup-your-zigbee-network/94770): > > This post is concerning The order of adding Zigbee devices to your Homey Pro/Bridge (AKA “Coordinator” or “hub”). Know that there is a best approach to in which order you connect your devices. You have at least three major category of devices. Which to connect when, that’s what I will dive into in this article. What are the issues? So, cutting right to the chase: The most common issues you will run into with your zigbee devices, is either unreachable devices or you’ve added the maximum of devi… > [@\[HOW TO\] Plan and setup your Zigbee network](https://community.homey.app/t/how-to-plan-and-setup-your-zigbee-network/94770/3): > > Thanks for the nice article! There are some remarks to be made, though: The “15 device limit” doesn’t apply to the Homey Pro 2023, only the older Homey Pro’s. The new hardware has a higher limit, either 32 or 64 depending on which firmware Athom is using. I know you explain this towards the end of the article, but that’s not until you already elaborated on how to build a network and that 15 devices is the limit. Also, you say that there’s a limit to how many devices “you connect to Homey”. R… ---
**Author:** ![Tarek\_ElRaey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/tarek_elraey/32/90766_2.png) [@Tarek\_ElRaey](https://community.homey.app/u/Tarek_ElRaey)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 9:13pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/76 "2023-11-23T21:13:31Z")
hi @Rmb i am back to using my Homey Pro as i couldn’t resist the beauty of the app and web interface i decided to buy some Zigbee power plugs to extend my network to my second floor but i have a question : does it also have to be aqara same brand or i can buy any other brand and connect it to homey and it will work as extender ? I mean can any zigbee powered device will act as a router / zigbee extender or it has to be the same brand ? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/77 "2023-11-23T21:45:24Z")
Any powered Zigbee device wil act as a Zigbee router, even a Zigbee/Hue lamp. If you have a choice, I would stick to the same brand, just to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Tarek\_ElRaey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/tarek_elraey/32/90766_2.png) [@Tarek\_ElRaey](https://community.homey.app/u/Tarek_ElRaey)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/78 "2023-11-23T22:11:46Z")
Excellent. Thank you so much 🙏 ---
**Author:** ![Tarek\_ElRaey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/tarek_elraey/32/90766_2.png) [@Tarek\_ElRaey](https://community.homey.app/u/Tarek_ElRaey)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/79 "2023-11-23T22:12:48Z")
And do I have to repair the devices again after adding the power plug or they will automatically reroute their signal through the extender ? ---
**Author:** ![Rmb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/rmb/32/79135_2.png) [@Rmb](https://community.homey.app/u/Rmb)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 10:19pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/80 "2023-11-23T22:19:13Z")
They will automatically reroute,which may take a while. It could be you have to force rerouting, by switching of one or more routers. Problem is that the developers tool does not show ZigBee routes. ---
**Author:** ![Tarek\_ElRaey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/tarek_elraey/32/90766_2.png) [@Tarek\_ElRaey](https://community.homey.app/u/Tarek_ElRaey)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547/81 "2023-11-23T22:31:07Z")
With the new firmware 10 you can see the homey bridge acting as a router. Well , I didn’t test a power switch yet ![PastedGraphic-1.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/d/f/df42640816aed1ddfe4e76c17e79008fee34cd84.png) [Previous page](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547.md?page=3) [Next page](https://community.homey.app/t/does-homey-bridge-acts-as-range-extander-or-repeater/94547.md?page=5)