Hi @mhoppes. Getting devices to connect to a specific Range Extender can be tricky. That’s because there isn’t a way to choose what device connects where. Instead, our devices choose the path of least resistance. I’ll explain how they do this. Every 90 minutes, the Base Station sends out a signal known as a “heartbeat” to all of the sensors. The sensors then send a signal back. This heartbeat will update the sensors status and its connection to the Base Station.
For example, you have Contact Sensor #1 with a weak connection to the Base Station. 10 ft away, you have Range Extender #2, with a good connection to the Base Station. Contact Sensor #1 performs a heartbeat and the Base Station tells it to find a better connection. Contact Sensor #1 will now connect to Range Extender #2, then to the Base Station. But after that connection has been made, Contact Sensor #1 is now reporting an even weaker signal. The Base Station will tell Contact Sensor #1 to disconnect from Range Extender #2 and revert back to its original connection, because it was a less weak connection. 90 minutes later, it will do this all over again.
I know this is a lot of information to digest, but this is essentially how the Z-wave system in the Ring Alarm works. The way to correct this is by moving your Range Extender closer to the Base Station or moving the Base Station closer to the Range Extender. There are a lot of things happening in the environment that we cannot see. These things could be causing wireless interference, and ultimately impacting the signal of your wireless sensors. The best practices are to put your Base Station in a central location, free from obstruction and away from any other wireless devices. This gives it the best communication with all of your equipment. I hope this information helps.
