Migration from C-8 to C-8 Pro - Not broke, but you keep pushing me

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Hi, I bought a C-8 in March of 2023. It’s a complement to Hubitat that I don’t think about it much, but also that I don’t know exactly what is up with it and how it operates (I have to relearn it every time I deal with it.)

Got an email ad suggesting I upgrade from C-8 to a C-8 Pro. Big plusses are enumerated as "Instant Response" "Extended Coverage" "Matter 1.5, Z-Wave 800 LR, Zibgee 3.0 Bluetooth." Among those Instant Response and Extended Coverage are the most interesting, of course they are, faster and better are common come-ons.

But my system is not broke now. Every now and then there's a hic-up and I have to power cycle to fix it, but that's about it. Like I said, I don't have to deal with it, so I just forget about it. And that's not a problem, that's a feature!

So I have a question that is the most outstanding.

If I do an upgrade, do I have to then have to configure the new hub to connect to and automate all my devices from scratch? If not from scratch, what is the process and amount of work required to replace my existing C-8?

Reading other posts, there seem to be issues with the cloud-restore of backups (I don't think I've ever done a cloud-save.)

Worst case: If the migration to the Pro fails miserably, can I just disconnect it and plug my C-8 in and expect it to work as before?

Also, disconcerting, the table of "Your Current Hub vs C-8 Pro" shows a Hubitat on the left that has no external antennas. My C-8 looks more like the C-8 Pro in this illustration with two antennas, but the underside of the box just says C-8, not C-8 Pro. Confused, Confusing, Annoying.

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Yes, the C8 started the antennas, the C7 did not have them.

You use the Migration Cloud backup to do a free migration, and that will move everything, including your devices, so you should not have much to do after migration.

You can always just go back to the C8 if there are issues.

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I'd hold fast if everything is working the way you like. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands and you like this stuff...a lot.

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Is there more information on the Speed and Coverage improvements? Like how much faster and in what processes, and how much coverage or better coverage given structures and interference, etc?

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Most of those posts probably aren’t too recent?

It’s possible for a cloud restore to go wrong but they’ve worked a lot of kinks out of the process since it was first introduced a few years ago.

In general, yes.

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The email seems fairly generic (I got it too), it's not 100% accurate for owners of C8s. There are no Z-Wave differences between C8 & C8 Pro, coverage is exactly the same. C8 UI is slow, C8 Pro is much responsive and useful if you are doing a lot of stuff in the UI. The C8 Pro can run HomeKit Controller (pair HomeKit devices directly to Hubitat) and has Bluetooth radio support that has been recently added.

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I went from a C-8 to a C-8 pro back in December. Plus switched to the JS version of z-wave. Everything went fine. Most of my device connect directly to the hub (3000sq/ft 1 story home). My battery devices seem to last longer now.

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Based on your specific usage profile/comments above, unless there is a particular feature of the C8-Pro that you want that is missing from your C8, you could easily just tight for now. Some of the main things that I can think of that you're missing on C8 vs. C8-Pro:

  • Homekit Controller app
  • BLE Wi-Fi Setup (obviously not an issue if you're not using Wi-Fi w/the hub)
  • Bluetooth BTHOMEv2 (currently new/quite limited in what it supports, at this point this doesn't mean you can start connecting a bunch of your BT devices to the hub)
  • Faster hub UI (sounds like you don't as you don't spend much time using it)
  • Z-WaveJS (unless you're having issues w/your current hub's Z-Wave devices, no reason at this point to switch from your current Z-Wave version, known as ZipGateway)

Up to you to decide if you're missing something you need/want on the C8-Pro. Answer could be no for you & how you use your hub. :man_shrugging:

Regarding above, you might just want to schedule or manually complete a reboot of your hub monthly (or whatever frequency works for you).

OTOH, if you want a new toy w/some new features to play with, go for it! :slight_smile:

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