I have C7 hub, previously had the C-5.
Aside from the occasional low memory issue on the c-7, it seems to be running just fine.
Is it really just a matter of matter compatibility? I don't have any matter devices yet so I guess it doesn't matter right now.
Are the c8 antennas removable? I don't need the extra range and the antennas make it harder to hide the device in plain sight. Is there such a thing as attaching wires/cables to the antennae ports and putting the antennas somewhere else?
Yes. They use RP-SMA connectors. And they can be hidden using extension cables.
The external antennas and Matter compatibility are probably the two biggest differences between C7 and C8 at this time.
There are some others under the hood, such as Zigbee 3.0 in the C8, but that shouldn’t impact most people’s experience with it since zigbee 3.0 is backwards compatible with older zigbee profiles like ZHA 1.2 (the profile the C7 uses).
The C8 also has an 800 series z-wave controller, vs. the C7’s 700 series controller. I believe that means that the C8 can work with z-wave long range devices, while the C7 can’t. But that will require an additional firmware update, with no ETA currently.
Not just that, but the devices themselves are able to be joined as mesh devices or LR but not both. For battery powered stuff, LR is wonderful. For mains powered stuff joining as LR means you’re skipping out on the device being a repeater. So depending on circumstances LR can be significantly better or significantly worse, if it leaves holes in your mesh.
I think you answered your own question. 
Unless you need Matter support (and based on its current maturity and range of supported devices not many people really do), or just want to play with new things generally*, there's probably not a compelling reason for you to update to a C8.
* A perfectly legitimate reason, no matter what my wife says.
Yeah but you gotta be careful. I do a lot of RF at work for wireless microphones and loss incurred by cables can be significant, depending on the cable used. Wireless mics usually transmit at about 10mW and receivers usually incur about 6db of signal loss per 50' of cable, and that's with a real high quality 50ohm low-loss cable.
Wait, so if I upgrade to a C8 I could theoretically upgrade my inovelli and zooz devices to direct connections instead of a mesh? I hate z-wave meshes and have really regretting buying all these z-wave devices. Every single switch in my house is z-wave and I have all kinds of mesh problems. I miss my old WIFI switches that worked 100 percent of the time.
The antenna on the C-8 really does improve the Z-Wave connections. All my 40+ Z-Wave devices now connect directly to the hub after I upgraded from the C-7 to the C-8.
I’m not sure I understand your question.
At this time, every generation of hub supports z-wave. Z-wave forms a mesh network. With the external antennas on the C8, more end devices might be able to connect directly to the hub instead of relying on z-wave repeating devices. But it’s still a mesh network.
The C8 is capable of supporting z-wave long range, but doesn’t yet. I don’t know enough about z-wave long range to comment on whether those devices are considered part of a z-wave mesh.
Potentially they may then direct connect based on proximity and the number of already directly linked devices. Your network will still be a mesh of course though.
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