Tags
battery, Iris, iris system, Lowe's iris, Lowes, range extender, smart plug
From my past post about devices disconnecting. I’ve suggested to use either a range extender or smart plug which can also acts like a range extender too.
Even though both cost the same price I can see how some people may say how the smart plug would be a better value because of the additional features.
That statement can be true but they may not know that the range extender also comes with a internal battery. So the answer really depends on what devices which you are trying to extend the range for.
Internal battery in range extender
If you’re using the range extenders for the motion sensor, siren, door/window sensor then I would suggest you get the range extender and not the smart plug. The reason for this is because if you ever lose electrical power then these devices can still work for you. While the smart plug will just stop working.
I am going to investigate the possibility of adding a battery pack to the outlet. Yes I know it will be fugly and void the warranty. There might be some tiny 3.6v batteries that will work in it.
This also brings up an interesting dilemma; if you use a combination of range extender and smart-plug, you must ensure that none of your safety devices are using the smart-plug to reach the hub because of the lack of battery backup. Sounds like a power outage test is in order once the network is optimized.