I received my second hub. Both latest C-5, without external antennas.
I just want to use the second one as a pure backup, in case the first one fails.
I understood that keeping a backup file of the first unit is not enough because all the radio links (Zigbee and Z-Wave) are not saved.
What should I do now ?
plug the second one, after shut down the first unit, and discover all Zigbee/Z-wave devices ?
keep the first one running and discover all Zigbee/Z-wave devices on the second unit (Hub with another IP address) ?
another option ?
For now, I set a static IP address in my router for both hubs.
If I need to start the backup hub after the right setup (depending of your answers) and reload my latest backup, may I expect that the backup unit will run my system as usual (except the IP address to reach it) ?
With the older model you could move the Zwave USB stick from one to the other. I don't know what the process is for the C5 hubs, or if there is an easy one.
i read somewhere here that I can put an external one instead of using the internal one (and swap the usb stick in case of failure), but this is not my first scenario. I'm looking if it's possible to obtain a backup unit with the C-5 hubs, without going external.
From what I’ve read the answer is no. You can only join devices to one radio at a time, so if you join your devices to the new hub, they will no longer work on the old on, and the backup won’t work either because the devices will all have different addresses.
You would have to discover them one by one and then recreate all rules and integrations, since their zigbee addresses will be different on the new hub. Name isn’t important, address is.
that means recreate everything in fact... I think I'll purchase external zigbee/z-wave antennas to redo the work just once. Seem a flaw to me. if you can't fully backup an important device like a hub, you're in trouble.
I'm not sure that this is correct.
If you load the database from your old hub onto the new hub it will contain all the information of the zigbee devices. When you re-pair these I think they will keep the same zigbee device info and they will work. All rules containing these devices will also work OK. Z-Wave is a different matter of course.
I stand to be corrected of course but that is my understanding.
It is true that would have to re-pair all your z-wave devices. But you can recover zigbee devices on a new hub by restoring a backup from the old hub on the new hub. Another reason to go with a zigbee-biased setup.
I believe you are correct, bobbles. It's Z-Wave that's the big problem. I think a backup and restore would get your Zigbee devices back "fairly easily" (from someone who has never done it).
But us peeps over the pond do have an advantage.
As we use an external z-wave 'stick' we can just move it to the new hub, c3, c4 or c5, and we are in and working OK. I hope.
