It turns out that it is not possible to backup and restore Zigbee with the Zigbee chip we use. So the service when it comes out will not have this feature.
As is the case now, the database contains all of the Zigbee devices, so when restored they are in the restored database also. But they must be manually re-paired. This is not difficult, but it is a manual process. They will reconnect to the database when they pair, so apps are not affected by this process.
That's a bummer... 
But still way better than having to re-pair and recreate all automations, no? 
Yes, but that been the case for Zigbee devices for as long as I can recall. Not really an issue for me, but it is still a disappointment for the functionality of the Protection Services. It would really set Hubitat apart from the rest of the market if they could make hub replacements/upgrades as trivial as a backup of the old hub and a restore to the new one.
Very true.
It was the plan.. But the chipset does not allow for this unfortunately.
Bring on the c8!!!! Take my money!!
Yeah... Seamless zigbee restore with no re-pairing would get me to move my zigbee devices from my C4 to a C8.... 
Yes. I however am not going to jump the gun this time. Lol. Will wait until its confirmed working...
It would take more than that for me to buy another HE hub.....like enough performance for my motion lighting to work properly without having to use Node-RED on a Pi!
Well if you have external sticks on your hub you could always re-purpose them with HomeSite... - I just might try this for fun.
I did the backup/restore thing from a C-4 to a C-5 - wasn't too bad although I had more ZB devices than I thought. Also with NR and the HE Nodes made it really easy to change sequences and I didn't even do a backend search and replace..
Didn’t Wink have this feature in migrating to the Wink Hub2? If I recall correctly, I connected my Wink Hub2, logged in and it migrated everything over. Maybe they got that part right!
They did. It worked well for zwave and zigbee devices. Not so well, in my experience for Caseta dimmers.
Download the Hubitat app
