Differences Between C-5 and C-7?

@JasonJoel +1

This would surprise me if it wasn't in the future roadmap. Essentially something like hub connect built in as part of the core HE code. First it would more or less encourage more hub purchases. Can't be a bad idea since that is where their money is coming from. And more robustness for us users in splitting things up like we have done with hub connect.

Especially if there is a new zwave radio (700) in the new one and it had that ability...then that would instantly be my new dedicated zwave hub.

The past hubs were all similar (or the same?) hardware specification wise. This could be as simple as a new supplier, or just a board revision for an updated ethernet chipset, for example.

What does the zwave 700 chip offer ?

S2 encryption, ability for the software to set the frequency.
I’m not sure about increased range as that is normally dependant upon antenna configuration
Lower power consumption, faster processing

Have I missed anything?

Edit: this is quite a good page with a comparison table at the bottom of the page:

Andy

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(EDIT: Just go look at the link Andy posted above. :wink: )

A number of optional features in 500 become mandatory in 700.

Aside from the radio/antenna differences (10 dB higher transmit) and frequency filtering (one sku) changes, the main draws for 700 (in MY opinion) are the backend ones - it is much easier to program/develop firmware for - that should yield more features faster for zwave 700 devices, more memory, and it has longer battery life (up to 10 year).

The programming changes I've seen from a developer actively working on both 500 and 700 series devices are substantial and meaningful... Programming a 500 series device is like using assembly language, and a 700 device like C. (that is a generalized comparison, not the actual languages used)

EDIT: I knew that analogy sounded familiar as I was typing it... Although pretty sure I wasn't supposed to talk about the gecko at the time.. oops.

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2014: having a cluster of Raspberry Pis was cool
2021: having a cluster of Hubitat Elevations is cool

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Hey.... I just built this. That hurts! I thought I was gonna be cool for once. :wink:

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This stuff is neat.

I just don't know what all the fuss is about really. I have an ESXi server running at home and I spin up VM's when needed.

I guess expense ?

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Totally agree with you here.. I'm excited for the devices that will be coming out .. Our "smart" devices are going to be a lot smarter!

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Probably. I used to run one also then got on a mission to reduce the amount of "servers" I had running because maintenance we just not fun and quite honestly my electric bill was more for my computer rack than the rest of my house.

My main "server" now is a qnap NAS and I can run VMs in there if needed. Much less maintenance for me but the qnap wasn't cheap either...but a lot easier to do backups and maintain.

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Since we're speculating with no basis in facts, could it be:

C-5 = Z-Wave 500 chip
C-7 = Z-Wave 700 chip

How much does Apple charge third-party manufacturers to put their HomeKit security chip into a product, and can Hubitat afford it? Integrating into the Apple ecosystem either natively (or with some embedded version of HomeBridge) would certainly be the proverbial HA coup d'état for a hub manufacturer.....

No C-7 for me then. :wink:

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No. The C-3 and C-4 have the same z-wave chip that the C-5 has.

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I know from working with another similar-sized company's product, the manufacturing logistics at the China electronics job-shops have been all sorts of messed up since COVID hit there before us. They were three months delayed in getting their first batch out of the factory, and then have to factor in the Amazon backlog because they didn't accept incoming warehouse shipments for a month or so to focus on shipping emergency supplies.

Whether the incoming is more C-5 or the new C-7 is the $64,000 question.....

Many years ago I was an audio equipment salesman on the side. Back then audio was my hobby.
There was a gentlemen who would come in every few months and talk about what is coming out and that he might wait for it. As with any retail product, there is always something "coming out".
In the 5+ years I was there, he never purchased anything. I think the saying here could be....."Tomorrow Never Comes"

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nailed it @JohnRob If you are waiting for the next thing... Especially in tech.. You will never have anything..

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Well, they could do what another hub vendor did .. produce a cost-reduced version with less performance and fewer features, and implicitly encourage people to upgrade to it.

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People were shocked when I mentioned that on the Reddit Wink forum.

"V3 HAS to be better than V2, it has a higher number."

Nope, dumbed down, less memory, and cheaper. Less than 5 minutes in your favorite search engine brings up the comparison between them. Few bothered to look.

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But but but but ..... it has WiFi, so it must be better.

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