Aeotec Range Extender Zi is designed to control devices using the Smart Home Hub or other Zigbee hubs over a wireless connection. It is powered by Aeotec Zigbee technology.


Aeotec Range Extender Zi must be used with a Zigbee hub that supports Zigbee 3.0 to work.


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Familiarize yourself with Aeotec Range Extender Zi


Package contents:

  1. Aeotec Range Extender Zi
  2. User manual


LED States:

  • Fade in and out: powered but not connected to any network.
  • Flashing Rapidly: attempting to connect to a Zigbee network.
  • Solid ON/OFF: connected to a Zigbee network.


Important safety information.

Please read this and the guide(s) at support.aeotec.com/rez carefully. Failure to follow the recommendations set forth by Aeotec Limited may be dangerous or cause a violation of the law. The manufacturer, importer, distributor, and/or reseller will not be held responsible for any loss or damage resulting from not following any instructions in this guide or in other materials.

 

Range Extender Zi is intended for indoor use in dry locations only. Do not use in damp, moist, and/or wet locations.

 

Contains small parts; keep away from children.




Connect the Aeotec Range Extender Zi


Aeotec Range Extender Zi can be connected to only a single Zigbee hub at a time, below are steps of various Zigbee hubs that have been tested.


1. Aeotec Smart Home Hub / SmartThings.

  1. From the Home screen, touch the Plus (+) icon and select Device.
  2. Select Aeotec, touch Repeater/extender, and then Aeotec Range Extender.
  3. Touch Start.
  4. Choose a Hub for the device.
  5. Choose a Room for the device and touch Next.
  6. While the Hub searches, move the Range Extender Zi within 15 feet of the Hub and plug it in. It should automatically pair.
    • If it does not automatically pair, tap the Action Button once.


2. Home Assistant:

  1. From Home Assistant dashboard, select Configurations.
  2. Select Integrations.
  3. Under Zigbee, tap Configure.
  4. Select +.
  5. While the Hub searches, move the Range Extender Zi within 15 feet of the Hub and plug it in. It should automatically pair.
    • If it does not automatically pair, tap the Action Button once.


3. Hubitat:

  1. Select Devices.
  2. Select Discover Devices.
  3. Select Zigbee.
  4. Select Start Zigbee Pairing.
  5. While the Hub searches, move the Range Extender Zi within 15 feet of the Hub and plug it in. It should automatically pair.
    • If it does not automatically pair, tap the Action Button once.


A. Hubs that are not listed:

If you do not have any of the hubs listed above for their steps, you will need to refer to your manual on how to set your hub into Zigbee pair mode. Below are general steps for all hubs:

  1. Ensure the LED is fading in and out on Aeotec Range Extender Zi. 
    • if it is not and the LED is solid, press and hold its action button for 10 seconds to factory reset it. Then ensure it is fading in and out.
  2. Set your Zigbee 3.0 hub into Zigbee pair mode.
  3. Tap the Action Button on your Aeotec Range Extender Zi. Its LED will flash rapidly while attempting to connect.


 



Using Range Extender Zi


Range Extender Zi is now a part of your network. It will appear as a generic repeater device (or any other random device type) in your network. This doesn't matter, as long as it is a part of your network, your hub will optimize your network with the Range Extender as a repeater no matter how it shows up.


There are no options for control, but you would be able to check which Zigbee devices are repeating through it depending on the hub that you have. 


1. Home Assistant:

  1. From Home Assistant dashboard, select Configurations.
  2. Under Zigbee, select Configure.
  3. At the top right, select Visualization.
  4. This will give you a virtual view of how all your devices are communicating with each other. It is one of the best tools for seeing what devices need a repeater for better communication. 


2. Hubitat: 

  1. Find out what the IP of your Hubitat hub is
  2. Open a browser and input: http://[ENTER YOUR HUBITAT IP HERE]/hub/zigbee/getChildAndRouteInfo
    1. Replace [ENTER YOUR HUBITAT IP HERE], with the IP address of your Hubitat hub. 





Toggle Range Extender Zi LED on or off


Aeotec Range Extender Zi once paired, the LED will default to a permanent ON state. If desired, the LED can be turned on or off.


Steps.

  • Quickly double-tap the Action Button on Range Extender Zi.
  • If the LED was ON, then it'll turn OFF
  • If the LED was OFF, then it'll turn ON.






Factory reset your Aeotec Range Extender Zi


Aeotec Range Extender Zi can be factory reset at any time if you come across any issues, or if you need to re-pair Range Extender Zi to another hub.


1. Aeotec Smart Home Hub / SmartThings.

  1. Find Range Extender Zi in your SmartThings app, then select it.
  2. Tap More options (3 dot icon) located at the top right corner, and select Edit.
  3. Then select Delete.
  4. Range Extender Zi should be removed from Smart Home Hub / SmartThings and be factory reset automatically. If the LED on Range Extender Zi is not fading in and out, use the manual factory reset steps below.


2. Home Assistant

  1. From Home Assistant dashboard, select Configurations.
  2. Under Zigbee, tap Configure.
  3. Select Integrations.
  4. Under Zigbee, it show should how many devices you have. Click on X devices (ie. 10 devices).
  5. Select Aeotec Range Extender Zi.
  6. Select REMOVE DEVICE.
  7. Select Ok.
  8. Range Extender Zi should be removed from Home Assistant and be factory reset automatically. If the LED on Range Extender Zi is not fading in and out, use the manual factory reset steps below.


3. Hubitat

  1. Select Devices.
  2. Find Aeotec Range Extender Zi and select it to access its page.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and press Remove Device.
  4. Click on Remove.
  5. Range Extender Zi should be removed from Hubitat and be factory reset automatically. If the LED on Range Extender Zi is not fading in and out, use the manual factory reset steps below.


A. Manually factory reset your Range Extender Zi

These steps are best used only if your Zigbee hub is no longer available. 

  1. Press and Hold the connect button for (10) seconds.
  2. Release the button when the LED becomes solid.
  3. The LED of Range Extender Zi should be fading in and out.




Next page: Aeotec Range Extender Zi technical specification