After switching my lighting away from Insteon to RadioRa2, all that's really left for Insteon to do for me is handle a bunch of door sensors. However, lately reliability has been brutal.
I've replaced my Insteon interface a couple of times (seem to fail a lot) and even when it does work, some sensors suddenly exhibit spotty reliability. I can't get them to show up and re-sync for anything it seems.
I've got a Z-Stick in my system currently interfacing with only a lock. But it's been bulletproof so far, so I just want to swap out these few Insteon sensors for Z-Wave and get rid of the interface entirely which leaves me with 2 questions:
1. Is there a preferred sensor? I see some from Fibaro or Aeon that look good. The Sensative strips look nice too. Just wondering which one has been the most reliable for most people. I don't really need bells and whistles. Just install, sync and change out batteries when required.
2. Z-Wave Networks: I dont' know a lot here, but it seems when you include a device, it has neighbors and such (probably how the 'mesh' works). Does that mean I should install a door sensor in position before syncing (as opposed to syncing at my desk and then going to hang it)?
3. Range: I don't have a full buildout of Z-Wave light switches to make a nice robust network. My Z-Wave Network is basically going to consist of Door Locks and Door Sensors. Are there range concerns with these things? (My current single lock is about 10 feet from my Z-Stick).
Thanks! I appreciate any insight or advice anyone has.