C7 with external USB zwave stick?

Can you use a USB stick with the C7 as a replacement for its internal 700 series zwave radio? I'd like to test a migration from ST using a 500 series USB stick. If not, are there any plans to perhaps make this possible?

Thanks!

Can't speak to any plans (though I doubt it), but the C-7 does not work with external Z-Wave or (I think) Zigbee sticks.

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:frowning_face:

Thanks for the info though. It might be a nice feature in the future.

Not sure why..... That said you can pair one as a secondary controller to HE

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I'm sure you've noticed by now that the Platform code downloaded is different based on the model. Java 32 bit vs 64 bit is but one example. The code for a C-7 only has the code modules for the 700 series chip, and does not use the serial path, which would be needed for USB (S in USB is "serial" ) as far as I understand.

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Adding support for a 500 series chip via USB seems doable. Only one could be enabled at a time of course. Supporting both the internal and externals would be a big feature enhancement.

Again I'm not sure I see the point. The 700 series is backwards compatible with the 500. Yes the SDK is more rigorous in the 700 (As it should be). So having 2 different chips seems pointless. I guess I'm not seeing your view point.

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The point is that the 700 series (or the SDK) seems to have a lot of bugs that cause excessive ghost devices, needing a separate stick to clear up. Constant questions/complaints here.

I'm using a 500 series for my main hub and it has none of those issues. All with most devices on S2. Those same issues don't seem to appear on hubs with 500 series controllers (including C5's).

You get a lot of ghost devices with the C5 (trust me on that) and they can be much harder to remove than the C7... The worst thing with the C5 is you can think the ghost is gone but if you hook a z-stick up to it you can see them floating around. With the current version of the 700 SDK updated back in 2.2.9, it's much easier to get rid of them without a stick. The unfortunate thing is that if corruption is present in the z-wave database prior to the update, it will stay there until a z-wave reset. Now what I really wish they would do is put a note on the z-wave pairing page that says something like, "If you have a failed pairing, STOP. Check your z-wave details page for empty device and remove before attempting to pair again" This would do a lot in terms of helping people out, especially those new to the platform.

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