The Wink Hub is a product by Wink Labs Inc that connects the different protocols/technologies of smart home products into one, which is controlled by Wink App. It’s compatible with Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, Kidde, Lutron Clear Connect & ZigBee, which are the leading smart home protocols found in the majority of products. The Wink hub usually works extremely well but sometimes the devices connected to it can act a bit weird. The following steps can be taken to resolve any connection issues with all of Z-Wave sensors and devices connected to the hub. But it is a good idea to restart your hub and devices before moving on.
Method 1: Refresh the Z-Wave Connection Map
Z-Wave uses mesh networking to connect all devices & sensors which means that each sensor connects straight to the hub and also, they can connect before connecting to the hub. Thus, each device transmits a better signal and the wireless range is also much wider than regular Wi-Fi. However, when new Z-Wave sensors are added over time, they sometimes don’t take out the best route possible to the hub. So, it’s quite possible that some sensors & devices are not optimally connected to nearby devices. There is a Wink hub setting to refresh the Z-Wave connection map available in the Wink app to fix this. This will reset all the connections of all the sensors & devices connected to the hub that use Z-Wave and will make them reconnect, and will figure out the best possible route automatically for the strongest signal. To do this Most probably your Z-Wave devices & sensors all have better connections now.
Method 2: Use a Device as a Signal Repeater
If the above method has not fixed the connection issues, have a careful look to see where all of the Z-Wave devices & sensors are placed. If any of the devices & sensors are at a distance than the rest, then it is possible that the distant device/sensor might not be getting a good signal from the closest device. A quick fix is to place another device halfway between the distant device/sensor & its closest device/sensor. The new device placed will act as a sort of a signal repeater, allowing the problematic sensor to finally good connection it needs. It can also be done by the use of other smart home hubs that use Z-Wave. Remember that battery-powered devices/sensors will not act as repeaters but the plugged-in modules/powered outlets & switches will work. Whatever the case, either put this new device in good use on something around or just place it & have it just been used as a signal repeater and if that’s the case, try to get the cheapest Z-Wave device or you can get an actual signal repeater. Do not forget to repeat method 1, so, that the new device could get the best signal connection.
Method 3: Stay Away from Metal
If a lot of door & window sensors (a two-part magnet sensor) & there are constant issues with few of them, which could be because they are placed near some kind of metal. Placing the devices/sensors a few inches away from metal is fine, but placing the devices/sensors right on a metal part will create issues. That’s because of the metal on the door/window will interfere with the magnet system of the sensors. Either place the sensors a few inches away from the metal or Use mount for the sensor to keep it a few inches away from the nearest metal.
Method 4: Update the Hub’s Firmware
If the above-said methods did not solve your problem then as a last resort, update the hub’s firmware if an update is available.
