C4 Hub Available?

Is there still a source for the C-4 hubs? Also is the processor equivalent to the C-5 as far as performance? Thanks.

Everything, C-3 through C-5, are identical spec-wise aside from the addition of internal radios and removal of most external ports on the C-5, according to what we have been told. Last time I heard, someone was able to contact them directly and order a C-4, which they still had in stock (I'd use the "Contact Us" form on their website or PM your favorite staff member). That was a while back and I'm not sure if they still have them, but it doesn't hurt to ask. :slight_smile:

That being said, do you have a specific reason for wanting a C-4? If the appeal is external radios, you can still do that on a C-5; you just need a USB OTG "Y" cable, like this one (or lots of similar ones you can find), along with a compatible stick (in the US, it came with an HUSBZB-1 for both Z-Wave and Zigbee, but you could also use that just for Zigbee and supply a second stick for Z-Wave, as was needed--and still is--in other markets, like an Aeon Z-Stick or any of a few others known to work).

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Thank you....you hit the nail on the head. I tried to implement the Home Assistant on a RP4 and was disappointed in the interface....too techie for me. I had the HUSBZB-1 Nortech on the Pi and wanted to move it to my existing Hubitat C-5. So I think it would be just using the cable and plugging it into the USB on the Hubitat. I suppose I should exclude it from the Home Assistant Pi then include it on the Hubitat as a new device....let me know if that procedure would work. I still think the Hubitat is the best Z-Wave hub. Also using Sharp tools is the next step. Also is Hubitat eating the cost to implement the Amazon Alexa on their hub? The $5/month Home assistant wants for their cloud would more than cover my Sharp Tools monthly fee. Thanks.

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I just purchased one a few weeks ago so they should still be available.

True but why pay extra for a stick when it’s included with a C4 :sunglasses:

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I had on my Rpi4 using Home Assistant which I am abandoning and want to use an external radio to see if the performance was any better....

Thanks....I will check with Hubitat and see if they have them available.....

Personally, I'd re-set the stick and then plan on resetting/re-including any connected devices. For Z-Wave, this is often easier if you politely "exclude" the other devices (switches, sensors, etc.) while you still have Home Assistant running, though a general exclusion from Hubitat or a reset of the device (switch, sensor, etc.) should also work. For the HUSBZB-1 itself, I don't recall any physical reset procedure you can do, but I know you can do it from the Z-Wave Details (and Zigbee Details, though since nothing is really stored on the stick for that, you shouldn't need to) section of Hubitat under "Settings." Home Assistant might have a way to re-set at least the Z-Wave portion of the stick, too, but I haven't used Home Assistant for Z-Wave in a couple years so don't know. (I agree with your assessment that Hubitat handles this better. :slight_smile: )

Yeah, Alexa support is built-in. When the hub was new, they once thought about offering "premium" services for a small fee, of which this may have been one, but they have since retracted that plan. SharpTools is great if you want a dashboard solution; there is also an app called Hubitat Dashboard that is built-in and also free.

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It seems everyone keeps saying this based on info from HE. However...
If you disassemble the C4 & C5, you will see 2 different SOC's , with 2 unique application targets.

The C4 hub uses an Amlogix S905W SOC, targeted towards media boxes, streaming video, etc.
The C5 uses an Amlogix A113X, targeted towards smart speakers & audio apps, which could indicate lower processing power.
I'm not sure how much "power" is needed to run the HE environment, but I'd be curious if problem rates differ between these 2 platforms.
PS- I was shocked at how small the antenna are on the C5

Info is scarce on the SOC's, at least what i was able to locate.

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That antenna doesn’t look smaller than the Nortek stick antenna to me. If anything, it’s probably larger.

That's why I was careful to say "according to what we have been told." :slight_smile: (There were some odd issues with character encoding after they switched their Hubitat trademark symbol to the registered trademark symbol shortly after this hub was introduced, if I recall, suggesting that at least something was different.) But I think the take-away idea either way, from staff who know the platform, is that there shouldn't be other significant "power" differences between the two. There are rumors of people complaining about lockups more on C-5s than C-4s, but I'm not sure how much data there is to support that beyond a few anecdotes which I hate to risk spreading by repeating them here (and FWIW I've definitely locked up my C-3, once through a development error I made and once, or a few times really, while experimenting with webCoRE during it's earlier HE days--and of course most people on any model do not experience these issues at all) ... so I hope what I just said didn't contribute to that, but I guess it's worth mentioning.

The SOC in the C-4 (S905W) and the SOC in the C-5 (A113X) use the same CPU, ARM Cortex Quad Core. The differences between the two SOCs have to do with additional, unused circuitry. The 905W has a video processor while the A113X has an audio processor. In both cases, Hubitat only uses the CPU, RAM, Flash, Ethernet port and USB port. The CPU in the C-5 is clocked slightly faster than the C-4. Both have the same amount of RAM (1G)and Flash (8G).

The other main difference of course is the internal radios in the C-5, versus the external radio stick for the C-4. It is possible to connect an external radio to a C-5 with a micro USB OTG cable (Y cable). This is how our overseas products are configured, with an external Z-Wave radio stick connected by OTG cable, with internal Zigbee radio. When an external radio is connected, the corresponding internal radio(s) is disabled.

We still have stock of Hubitat Elevation Model C-4, which includes an external Z-Wave/Zigbee radio stick. Price is $74.95 plus $2.95 shipping (US shipping). We also will sell a C-4 hub without a stick for $49.95 plus shipping. Contact orders@hubitat.com to order.

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This kind of info is so awesome. Most companies would be very quiet and secretive for whatever reason so I really appreciate this kind of detail!

Ooohh, that would be a perfect development hub. Very tempting.

:see_no_evil:

Does this mean it would be possible to get one of the Zwave/zigbee sticks for $25.00 plus shipping?

No, we have a very limited supply of sticks, all reserved for C-4 Hubs. C-4 Hub is marked down just as C-5 is marked down,

https://www.amazon.com/QuickStick-Combo-HUSBZB-1-Nortek-Cert/dp/B0157GOEA8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=JEPTO8FUIGGW&dchild=1&keywords=nortek+husbzb-1&qid=1587079622&sprefix=nortek%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-3

Can't blame me for trying :slight_smile:

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I'll tempt you more. Since I really only need the radio stick, if you buy a full C-4, I'll buy the stick you don't need from you for $25 plus shipping and i'll throw an extra 2.95 in to pay for your hubs shipping too :wink:

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