The smart home industry often treats yesterday’s hardware as disposable, at Hubitat we take a different approach. ZWave-JS will soon be released to the beta channel for Hubitat Elevation C-5, C-7, and C-8 hubs, bringing a modern Z-Wave foundation—and valuable new capabilities—to hubs that have already been serving their owners for years.
This is more than a routine software update. It is a substantial modernization of the Z-Wave experience on existing Hubitat hardware, made available without requiring users to replace their hubs or rebuild their Z-Wave networks.
ZWave-JS first became available on the C-8 Pro, providing a more modern, flexible, and resilient foundation for Z-Wave. Now that same foundation is available as an optional upgrade for C-5, C-7, and C-8 hubs.
A remarkable upgrade for the C-5
When the C-5 was introduced in 2019, it came with a 500-series Z-Wave radio and Hubitat’s original legacy Z-Wave implementation. While the radio itself is from an earlier generation, it has always been capable of more than the original software stack could expose.
ZWave-JS unlocks more of that potential. After switching, C-5 owners gain:
- Z-Wave SmartStart
- S2 security
- Improved device inclusion and interview handling
- Better diagnostics and more detailed node information
- Continued support for devices previously joined with S0 security
- Local Z-Wave backup, restore, and import tools
For a hub introduced years ago, gaining major Z-Wave capabilities it has never had before is a meaningful upgrade—and a strong example of how thoughtful software development can extend the useful life of hardware.
A modern Z-Wave foundation for the C-7 and C-8
C-7 and C-8 owners can now move from ZIP Gateway to the same ZWave-JS foundation used by the C-8 Pro.
The upgrade brings improvements to several important parts of the Z-Wave experience, including:
- Startup and recovery behavior
- Device interviews and node loading
- SmartStart management
- Network diagnostics and node information
- Device firmware updates
- Local Z-Wave backup, restore, and import tools
Try ZWave-JS through the Hubitat Beta Program
Owners who would like to try ZWave-JS on a C-5, C-7, or C-8 can enroll their hub in the Hubitat Beta Program and install the latest beta platform release. After updating, the option to migrate will be available from:
Settings → Z-Wave Details → Switch to ZWave-JS
As with any beta release, participants should expect ongoing refinement and are encouraged to report their experience through the appropriate beta channels. Users who prefer to remain on production software can wait for ZWave-JS support to complete beta testing and move to the regular release channel.
These changes will provide a stronger base for continued Z-Wave development across multiple generations of Hubitat Elevation hubs.
New hardware will always create opportunities to improve performance and introduce capabilities that depend on newer radios or processors. But progress should not automatically mean abandoning hardware that remains capable of doing its job.
Bringing ZWave-JS to the C-5, C-7, and C-8 reflects Hubitat's commitment to supporting the systems already running in our customers’ homes. Where the hardware allows it, we want to keep improving reliability, expand functionality, and give owners access to newer technology without forcing an unnecessary replacement.
The result is a better Z-Wave experience for several generations of Hubitat Elevation—and, for the C-5 in particular, a new chapter for one of our oldest supported hubs.
Sometimes the best upgrade is not replacing what you own. It is unlocking more of what was already there.
