Can I trust Code Release 2.2.9?

🛎️ Get Help
1

I really like the Hubitat platform, but am starting to get worried and not sure what to expect anymore. 2.2.9 appears to have been troubled:

  • 18 releases in 2.5 weeks
  • 3 releases within past 24 hours

I really like the Hubitat platform, but when I see these sorts of things, it makes me worried.

Home automation on this platform is a hobby for me. I really do not want to have to worry when I see a release as to if it is a "good" release or (worse) if it will break something.

I am a UniFi user, and have adopted the strategy of waiting for the rest of the world to BETA test a "stable" release before I risk it. I am hoping I won't have to adopt this strategy for Hubitat.

I appreciate the hard work, but I know you guys are better than this!

2

You can always roll back. Look at the fixes. There have been releases with more bug fixes than this one. No matter how much beta testing you do, you can't always account for every iteration out there. Try it for a few days, roll back if it doesn't work for you. Read all the release notes though.

5 Likes
3

You can always leave updating to when you feel more comfortable that things have settled down.

7 Likes
4

I just updated most of my C-7 hubs.. and so far so good. Am still waiting with my C-5's though.

2 Likes
5

I manage 3 home automation setups:

  1. My Test setup - nothing depends on it and I keep it to the latest release all the time
  2. My Home setup (C7 + C5) - I typically keep it up to date, but will sometimes wait a day or so after a release to update. I have rolled back when required and keep a good set of local and cloud backup handy in case something goes terribly wrong.
  3. My Father’s setup - I only update later. Between 1 - 3 weeks following an update, and typically only if there are items in the release that might benefit him.
6 Likes
6

As @bobbles said, if frequent updates make you feel like you are on the cutting edge, then hold off updating unless there is a must have you need right away.

7 Likes
7

Make sure you read the release notes posted in the community forum. The release notes that are displayed on the HE interface prior to downloading an update cover the initial release but not further "dot" releases.

4 Likes
8

I think it's great and view it as a positive! That means things are being worked and fixed.

6 Likes
9

I know this would be quite unusual for most products, but there are some things to keep in mind:

  1. Software engineers working remotely around the world and bringing additional improvements (not just bug fixes) in these point releases.
  2. Fast response to customer input/issues.
  3. Take a backup prior to updating and one can always roll back to the previous version.
  4. I have installed almost all of these releases back to the first beta and nothing noticeable has broken on my two C-5s.
  5. I never update anything when it’s time for bed.
10 Likes
10

Haha - a true mantra to live by!

5 Likes
11

#4 ftw!!!! That is great advice AND I wish I could follow it... my SO just loves it when she can't turn on the lights in the morning.

2 Likes
12

"SO" or "S0" , both are trouble, lol.

2 Likes
13

Unifi firmware has definitely made me weary of upgrading. I've become more of a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" type now, but the frequent updates are not a concern. Typically when a major firmware is released, the team will do their beta testing, but obviously can't find everything. When users report the bugs, they work swiftly to fix it, hence the minor updates.

A HUGE difference between Hubitat and Unifi is the staff is actually present in the forums. They're transparent as much as they can be (can't give away proprietary stuff/NDA topics), but they are able to provide quality answers in a timely manner, and not just leave the forums to fend for themselves.

3 Likes
14

It's actually a brilliant and highly effective strategy for Hubitat. They've managed to more or less crowdsource L1 support (maybe even more than L1). Someone should write a paper on it, if they haven't already.

3 Likes
15

for Hubitat, yes. the forums are amazing. the interaction with the community, one of the best. a lot of well versed folks, but having the staff there with that final stamp of approval also helps the credibility of the individuals

Unifi isn't like this

4 Likes
16

Cause both are chatty? (Showing myself out now)

7 Likes
17

Or before leaving for work!

2 Likes
18

I wouldn't say that. My take on it is that:

  • There were some big changes, and they required a fix here or there.
  • Some bugs surfaced with some particular setups and use cases that required bugfixes.
  • There were some late breaking additions and updates that they apparently didn't want to wait for 2.3.0 to add.

They could have waited and just done one huge bugfix. But the team is very responsive, wants things to be great for the users, and felt it would be good to just release a small update rather than sit on it.

This topic comes up regularly (there was a long thread a week or so ago about "do you update regularly") and there appear to be two or maybe three groups of users.

  • Bleeding edge, risk takers who have their finger on the update button.
  • Those who wait a week or two and then install the update when things calm down.
  • The ones who never update, and are stuck on 2.2.3 or some older release they like.
1 Like
19

Which caused an issue in and of itself. People really should upgrade more often (my opinion anyway)

3 Likes
20

Even though this isn't critical infrastructure, I still tend to let the releases bake a while before installing. I tend to stay 30 days back, longer if I see a lot of upgrade issue posts.

Same tack I take working enterprise IT Tier1 Server and Storage. Unless there's a critical defect for potential data loss that needs to be patched, the hardware gets updated for new features required or bi-annually. Server OS's tend to get patched a little more frequently. Server firmware less so. Storage is generally one and the same so the OS updates also update firmware on all components.

On test gear or lower tier systems, they tend to get updated N-1 or N.

3 Likes