For Z-Wave I did the slow migration - Paired a skeleton framework of repeaters in an outward pattern from the C-7 hub first. Then working backwards started excluding Z-Wave devices from my C-4s (had 2) and including on the C-7 - went from furthest to closest. This worked out really well so I think can be a viable option for them's that want to procrastinate.
For Zigbee since I was putting on a separate hub - I did the backup / restore / device discovery thing and did it all at once. This too worked well.
Clarification: most of my zigbee devices were on one C-4 hub which is the one I restored onto a C-5. The ZB devices on the other C-4 I just moved over directly.
Wow - all good and useful information. I do have a handful of repeaters around the house. I did manage to wire my entire house for cat6 last year and have ports in each of the rooms which may come in handy for the connecting the door locks. Overall from the feedback I gather it seems fairly stable - Ill proceed with the migration. Thank you all for your input and feedback. Looking forward to being part of the HE community.
Seem like the general consensus amongst the really unstable folks here is that the issues largely crop up during the initial setup/pairing. If you can clear that hurdle then generally you are good to go.. but fair warning - you will likely be joining the rest of us on the road to crazy town anyway.
I had some initial teething troubles with my C7 but now it’s rock solid and my lovely wife hasn’t complained once about something not working in a couple of months.
Ditching Vera for Hubitat was the best move ever for us.
I have two more folks getting rid if their Vera's over the holiday break. One was trying Home Assitant and pulled out his hair. Recommended the Hubitat C7 and his 100+ devices are being configured this weekend. He tells me most of his devices are older Z-wave and the generic drivers are doing things well when he includes them. Just need to help him with association for multiway switching. Lets just say the individual device repair feature is making his job a lot easier.
I'd gently nudge him to replace those older zwave devices to zwave plus. He'll be much happier in the end. The older devices don't update status without polling and polling can put a lot of stress on the hub.
Well the good thing is that he finished the migration yesterday. We tweaked the parameters for the switches that needed association groups. I have mentioned that Z-Wave Plus should be his next investment but it will take $$$. I have asked him to join the forums which he said he would do.
Yep the Honeywell/Jasco switches and dimmers are still selling for $49 for a two pack. I have had a couple of hiccup's with the dimmers and LED lights on these dimmers. There is a noticeable flicker on some of the "canless" LED disks used for ceiling lights that I was only able to correct with Inovelli Red dimmers. I wish the electrician would have allowed us to test our the dimming ranges of "contractor" grade lights before he installed.
But I will make sure we test out the lighting types against any new switches he plans to use.
Compatibility is an issue even for high-end dimmers. Lutron has a compatibility tool on their site. It's incomplete, but you can find something that will work with their equipment.
Sometimes setting the low-end trim works. Sometime a too-low load as @lewis.heidrick mentions is the problem. Sometimes the bulb and dimmer are really just not compatible.
LED bulbs are on at least their 4th generation. Year to year within a single brand there can be significant differences with later generations generally performing better.
With the caveats above, I find the Feit fixtures sold at Costco to work well (low end not quite as good as higher), look good (@danabw) and they're pretty cheap. Note that these are 75 watt replacement, so if you're replacing 60 watt bulbs and can't change the default 'on' level then they might be too bright.
I have not had good luck with non-smart Feit LED bulbs.. I've had several just die on me or become very dim and/or flicker only after a few months of usage - these were in a standard (non-smart / non-dimming) track lighting fixture made for LED bulbs. Am a little reluctant to use them again. Have had better experience with the "EcoSmart" brand...
I had similar problems with the first and second generation as well. They were crap. The current ones (integrated retrofit) are close to 2 years old now and working well.
Yes it varies by model and year and revision of the Led device. I have some original Phillips Led candle bulbs and they handle the dimmers just fine. The new ones on shelves glow when the dimmer is off. Solution was to put one of the old bulbs in with the new one and it did the trick.
Yup that works. I find non-dimmable bulbs will typically cause this issue even when used with non-dimming switches. The non-dimming bulbs don’t allow any current through until a certain voltage is hit.
Another alternative is the Aeotec bypass which I would never buy due to the cost. My solution is a 12k power resistor across the load.
Personally I think the sealed units are worse, considering you need to replace the entire fixture if the bulb goes. I would rather be able choose which bulbs I can put in and have it so they are easily replaceable.
framework of repeaters in an outward pattern from the C-7 hub first. Then working backwards started excluding Z-Wave devices from my C-4s (had 2) and including on the C-7 - went from furthest to closest. This worked out really well so I think can be a viable option for them's that want to procrastinate.
