Differences Between C-5 and C-7?

47 posts were split to a new topic: Boomers, Geezers & Layabouts

@bravenel Now back to the topic at hand. C-7 Bruce? :wink:

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I wonder what the timeline is of the new C7 unit and if it is for USA market. I'm on the fence if I should get a 2nd unit to put all of my Lightify lights on to prevent the random drop outs I've been experiencing (4 devices in the past 3 days). But would had to get a second current unit if a potentially new-and-improved version is on the horizon.

FWIW, the difference between the C-5 and C-7 appears to be in the z-wave daughter board (as pointed out by @Ryan780). I do have an HE for my Lightify bulbs and strips. No issues in several months. For me, it was cheaper than replacing the Lightifys. And HubConnect makes all that transparent for my rules.

Thanks … going off track, but what is the benefit of using HubConnect vs the built in Link to Hub/Hub Link app? If instability continues I may have go the route of getting a new hub which as you pointed out is significantly less expensive than replacing all of my Lightify lighting!

These two posts by @csteele and @bertabcd1234 answer that more proficiently than I could hope to:

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Thanks … I'll check it out.

Just realized based on another thread....the change in Z-wave daughter cards might be to introduce S2 support for Hubitat!!!

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The one about about Aeotec Range Extender 7?

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Yeah, I happened to read this one first and when I saw the question about S2 for the RE7 that got my wheels turning. According to a post by Bruce, it wasn't just trivial change and involved more than firmware. So...it's possible they had to change hardware. But this is all purely speculation.

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While we're all doing that, let me throw this out there. I remember reading that implementation of S2 is required for z-wave certification. So, a 700-series controller would kill many birds with one stone.

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If the hardware change was required for S2, that would also mean that the C-5 hub most likely would not support S2. As far as C-4, I've not looked at whether the stick supports it, but that would be up in the air.

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If all this is true then I would expect a true back up to be in the works soon aswell? I know they have mentioned that the background work is being done :grinning:. So they may announce the 2 at the same time, it would certainly help with people making a decision to upgrade if the swap was straight forward. :+1:

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From what I know, S2 can be implemented in the 500 series chips. There's not a hardware limitation there.

The 700 series just has better performance for range, speed, etc. Probably handles S2 better, and maybe that's why some companies are waiting to implement S2.

For Example: the Zooz ZEN26/27 switches implement S2 on 500 series silicon. I think Schlage's Zwave Plus locks do as well.

Fibaro will use 500 series chip in the newest HC3 hub. That means they will not introduce 700 series chip in the next couple of years.

Not to mention the 700 series devices is sporting a 32bit arm core... The devices are going to get a lot smarter

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So the $1M question is when a release is planned for the C-7? I see nothing has been posted here for a while, and I can't seem to locate any other information. Did I miss a pre-release announcement somewhere else? I ask is because I'm planning to purchase a hub shortly, but the Hubitat Store still shows sale of a C-5. From what I've been able to gather, it is designed for sale in the US. And yes, I know that my post screams of a 4-year old wanting to open a favourite Christmas gift!

You didn’t miss anything. IIRC hubitat staff have never even acknowledged the existence of the C7, we learned of it from FCC filings they are required to make.

The C5 is sold to several countries worldwide with a z-wave dongle that uses the appropriate regional frequency. It appears as though you’re in Canada, so you’d want the North American version that’s sold to users in both the US and Canada.

The C7 could be released a month from now, or theoretically, never. If you’re ready to buy a hubitat elevation hub now, I’d suggest going for it.

Thanks @marktheknife. I dug into the approval application a little further online tonight after happening across this thread. I hoped that given it seems approval was granted, and it's almost five months later, that maybe it was out and I just missed the official release date. I agree, if there hasn't been even an acknowledgement of its existence, it's anyone's guess what may happen from here. I wrote software many, many years ago and from my experiences then, was torn between whether to buy it or not if it was available. I'm not the only person in the home and really need to make sure I've got a stable environment. Often new releases of the latest and greatest need a few firmware revisions to exterminate the unexpected bugs (as I'm sure you are already aware). On the other hand, I'd hate not to jump on it (if it was becoming available shortly) because I would probably just get frustrated in not having the most current technology. I'm a bit of a geek that way :rofl: Sometimes it's just hard to live with myself!

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I hear you, I bought a smartthings hub in June 2015, and then they released their v2 hub in September of that year. Not the best timing, but in the end I still would’ve switched to hubitat anyway!

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