We have a project where we want to install 4 thermostats in various locations in an 18,000 square foot building. The alarm panel will be DSC Neo using the ADC platform. The thermostat is also ADC.
Is there any way to get these thermostats connected without having to install multiple repeaters? I was hoping to be able to use some device at both ends that we could connect via cable.
Z Wave was designed as a RF-only protocol (vs. Insteon for example, which was designed to be RF and powerline), I have not ever seen a hard-wired Z Wave extender. I have seen discussions of people using a pair of Smartthings hubs on a Ethernet network to get the effect you are looking for, but I am not sure how well it would be to manage.
Given the way the Z Wave mesh network forms, and how it can get unreliable at times, I am not sure I would go that route for such a large building and a critical device like a thermostat. You are most likely going to be very dependent on the repeaters, and the general pairing of the thermostats (which it sounds like you kind of already know). Lots of chances for various other 2.4Ghz devices to come and go and interfere with signals at odd times.
This is one of the biggest downfalls I have found of zwave. I dont use it much, but in this day and age there should be options to scale over large areas
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