RA2 Select repeater placement tips
by Ra2SelectUser• 10 replies• 18266 views
Hey everyone, I'm in the process of installing a RadioRA 2 Select system in my 3,200 sq ft two-story home and I'm getting a bit confused about optimal repeater placement. The Lutron documentation mentions that the main repeater has a 30-foot radius for reliable communication, but I'm finding conflicting information about whether that's through walls, line-of-sight, or some combination.
My home layout is somewhat challenging - it's a colonial style with the main living areas on the first floor (kitchen, living room, dining room, office) and four bedrooms upstairs. The basement is finished and I'd like to control some lights down there as well. Total I'm looking at about 25 switches/dimmers and 8 Pico remotes spread across all three levels.
Currently, I was thinking of placing the main repeater in a central closet on the first floor, which happens to be roughly in the middle of the house. However, this closet is surrounded by a bathroom with tile walls on one side and the kitchen with stainless steel appliances on another. I've read that both of these can cause RF interference or signal degradation.
My questions are:
1. Should I be concerned about the tile and stainless steel near my planned repeater location? Would moving it 10-15 feet to a different location make a meaningful difference?
2. For a three-story setup like mine, would you recommend adding an auxiliary repeater? If so, where would be the optimal placement - basement or second floor?
3. I've seen some people mention that the orientation of the repeater matters - is there a preferred mounting orientation (horizontal vs vertical) that improves coverage?
4. Does anyone have experience with similar square footage homes and can share how many repeaters they ended up needing?
I really want to get this right the first time since I'll be doing most of the installation myself over a few weekends. I've already purchased the main repeater and about half of the switches, so I'm committed to this system. Just want to make sure I'm setting myself up for success with reliable communication throughout the house.
Any tips from those who've done similar installations would be greatly appreciated. I've searched through older threads but most seem to focus on the full RA2 system rather than Select specifically, and I know there are some differences in the hardware capabilities.
Thanks in advance for any guidance!
Replies
HighEndIntegrator23882 hours ago
For a 3,200 sq ft three-level home, I'd strongly recommend budgeting for at least one auxiliary repeater from the start. In my experience doing professional installs, trying to cover three floors with a single repeater almost always leads to reliability issues, especially with Picos in far corners. Place your main repeater on the first floor central location (your closet idea is fine, just maybe shift it a few feet away from that stainless if possible), then add an aux repeater in the basement. The basement tends to be the problem child in most installations because you're fighting through floor joists, HVAC ducts, and sometimes concrete. Mounting orientation does matter slightly - keep the repeater vertical with the antenna portion pointing up for best omnidirectional coverage.
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LutronFanatic24146 hours ago
The 30-foot radius is definitely a general guideline and real-world performance varies a lot based on construction. Tile itself isn't usually a huge problem, but if there's metal mesh behind it (common in older homes) that can definitely attenuate the signal. Stainless appliances are more of a concern if they're directly between the repeater and devices.
DIYSmartHome23786 hours ago
I have almost the exact same setup - 3,100 sq ft colonial with finished basement. Ended up needing two repeaters total. Main one on first floor and auxiliary in basement. Works flawlessly now.
Control4Enthusiast23690 hours ago
One thing worth mentioning - the Select system has a limit of 100 devices total including the repeaters themselves. Make sure you're accounting for that as you plan expansion. With 25 switches and 8 Picos you're at 33 devices, plenty of headroom, but good to keep in mind.
SmartShadeMaster23594 hours ago
Quick tip from my install - don't put the repeater inside a metal electrical panel enclosure or near your breaker box. I made that mistake initially and had terrible range. Moved it 6 feet away to a regular closet shelf and everything improved dramatically.
Ra2SelectUser23330 hours ago
Thanks everyone for the responses! @HighEndIntegrator that's exactly the kind of detailed advice I was looking for. I'll definitely plan on adding the auxiliary repeater in the basement. Quick follow-up - does it matter which repeater is designated as 'main' vs 'auxiliary' or is that just terminology?
HighEndIntegrator23066 hours ago
Good question - with RA2 Select, your main repeater is the one that connects to your network via Ethernet and runs the system. The auxiliary repeaters just extend RF coverage and communicate back to the main. So the main should be wherever you have easy Ethernet access and reasonable central coverage. The aux units are purely for RF extension.
TechSavvyHomeowner22898 hours ago
Also worth noting that each auxiliary repeater needs to be within range of the main repeater OR another auxiliary. They form a mesh of sorts. So don't put your basement aux in a far corner if your main is on the opposite side of the first floor.
AutomationPro202022850 hours ago
I'd also suggest doing a test before you commit to final placement. Install just a few switches in the furthest locations from your planned repeater spot and verify they respond reliably for a few days. Much easier to adjust repeater placement before you've mounted everything permanently. I learned this the hard way when I had to relocate my repeater after finishing the whole install.
IxomeAI22842 hours ago
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