Does reporting configuration require direct communication between device and coordinator?

[johnholman]

Tried to configure reporting (reportable_change etc) for some Sonoff temperature/humidity sensors (SNZB-02 and SNZB-02D). This was straightforward for the ones that normally connect direct to the coordinator but didn't work for the ones that connect via a router at a location where the coordinator signal is weak. However I found that it did work when I brought the device close to the coordinator even though it still afterwards communicated via the router.

Is that expected behaviour - perhaps something like a bind directly between coordinator and device, if that makes sense? Is there a better approach - these sensors are portable but other devices might not be.