My C4 -all zigbee- is so stable that I've forgotten how to code HE. I run the auto-reboot once a week.
Ain't no way I'm touching that box until it blows.
8 Likes
My C3 (not numbered) is rock solid 99% of the time... get the occasional Alexa issue, some random light won't turn off (they always seem to turn on just fine) but that's about it
No C7 in my future unless (not until) the C3 dies, then I will also look at replacing my legacy ZWave (non plus) switches/outlets...
Thanks HE 
3 Likes
Just about finished converting my C-4 (voted as such) to my new C-7 with a few Z-Wave devices left. Was tedious but worth going through my network with some cleanup and am now fully protected via the Hub Protect program.
3 Likes
Same here.
3 Likes
I am still running my C3 no label as my main hub, why? Because life is busy.
I have managed to move a lot of devices to two other C7s, but I have another C7 waiting to move the critical items off the C3.
Someday...
C4, C5 and a C7. All running different things. C7 is the main one though.
1 Like
C-4 here with a C-7 on the shelf. Can't muster the courage to migrate my Z-Wave devices.
I have a C4 installed in 2 separate locations. Both are still running strong but occasionally become unresponsive and need a reboot or power cycle to bring them back to life. I've been thinking about replacing them with C7s but am not looking forward to moving devices over.
1 Like
There are known memory issues that occur over time. Are you using any kind of watchdog app for reboots?
Older thread I started - things have changed with firmware updates so ymmv.
1 Like
Theoretically your devices should just continue to run until the internal drive fails or some fun electrical thing happens (like on mine). This is the "miracle" of actually owning the device you paid for and not Amazon/Google/Apple/Microsoft/Meta-FB etc.
1 Like
Thanks for the post link. I remember reading through it a while ago. I'm not currently using a watch dog app--any recommendations?
The more you watch the dog the faster it needs a kick in the butt. Sort of like the opposite effect of watching the pot boil 
5 Likes
You could use @thebearmay's fantastic HubInfo driver as well to monitor DB size, CPU Load polling, temp polling etc..
and of course @bptworld 's stuff is always awesome...
4 Likes
Still rocking my C4 which was a replacement for my C4 #16. The reason for the replacement was due to corruption of the dB in the early days so they wanted it back to make sure the hardware is not the issue. In the process of moving Zwave to the new C7. Not sure what to do with the two C4 and a C5 I have sitting on the shelf. Considering moving ZigBee to the C5.
1 Like
If you know of any local non-profits you could offer to set something simple up for them.. also a good way to get rid of older devices as well. I did this for a local arts center.
2 Likes
My original C-4 is still a major part of my setup, but am slowly transitioning to 3 C-7's I have purchased over the last few years, one for lighting, one for other local devices / automations and one for cloud and more resource hungry integrations. My C-4 will eventually become a development hub, removing the need for me to develop on one of my production hubs.
2 Likes
I sold my C4 to someone in the forum a few months ago. Things have been much more stable since.
1 Like
What is the advantage of having these functions split between 3 C-7's? Is that too much activity for one hub to handle, and it's just better to "load balance" between the three?
Just curious if there is more to it then that.
Hmmm.... Interesting to re-visit this topic.... And interesting to see others posts (on other topics) about still using their C-4's as their sole setup, a testament to the product and all that comes with it (us ).
I could answer you question in two ways.... And with a lengthy response... so I will 
For me, I tend to draw on the idea / ideal of having a clear separation of duties, having Hubs for very specific purposes that make sense to the overall setup. This allows for, I feel, a clear understanding of the impact any outage for a hub may have, and what is at risk by introducing something new, like a new App or driver onto the hub. It also makes the decision simpler about where things should reside, at least for those that have multiple hubs.
In my case, at the time, one separation I wanted to draw was having my lighting managed by a single C-7 hub, including pairing of my Hue bulbs and accessories, along with the automations related directly to lighting. With Zigbee enabled on the hub to allow for my Hue devices to be paired, this meant that I also chose to make that hub my main Zigbee hub, not wanting to run more Zigbee channels than I had to. So I also pair my Samsung contact sensors to this hub, some of which factor into my lighting automations.
I'll admit I did not set out to get 3 C-7's, more likely 2, a third became available cheaply as a second-hand sale here on the Community, so I took the opportunity to get an extra one. With that being the case, I chose to then split my remaining setup across these two C-7's as either local or cloud / "intensive".
I have various local integrations, such as my Bond hub (Somfy Shades), Kasa smart plugs, EcoWitt weather station, EventGhost and other integrations on my laptop, Tasker, etc. My cloud integrations consisted of my own SensorPush Temperature and Humidity Sensors, my Mitsubishi Air Conditioner (Thermostat), Google Home devices, etc. Other "intensive" apps which I have yet to move off my C-4 are things like Influx DB instances of Maker API and a Home Assistant bridge. The idea here was to give the local integrations as much opportunity to perform at their best and to isolate the potentially slower cloud-based or intensive integrations. As you can see this part of the separation is very subjective and open for debate about it's usefulness.
Something I have not yet tackled is dashboards... For all my posts and development here on the Community, I don't actually have a HE dashboard I use on a regular basis anymore, and need to set some up, so need to find a home for these, as they do consume at least some resources, likely to be my Cloud / Intensive C-7.
So that is my (still unfinished) transition from my C-4 to 3 x C-7 setup, which is still evolving from what I set out to achieve. Just because I have posted about my experience and my reasons for how I setup my HE system, does not mean it is right or the best approach, which leads me onto the second (and shorter) answer to your question.....
It depends....
"Needing" X HE hubs is a very subjective topic and one that depends entirely on your situation and the devices and automations you run. If you run predominantly built-in drivers with built-in Apps / automations, then you are likely able to run most of your setup on one hub. Likewise, if you have a small setup with very simple automations utilising devices predominantly connected to the HE hub, then you are likely to only need one hub.
Ultimately my advice would be to start with one HE hub and expand as you need to. I initially set out to move my lighting from my Hue bridge onto a new HE C-7 so that I could take advantage of modes and my Samsung contact sensors. This quickly evolved into something much more, but it doesn't have to be the same for everyone.
I've probably given you enough food-for-thought.... Hope this helps...
3 Likes
I'm a man of little words, so please don't take my short reply as unappreciative, but wow, thank you for the detailed answer. Very informative and at least helped paint a clearer picture on why multiple hub's has advantages. Personally, I really liked the idea of splitting it up, just for the sake of troubleshooting. I work in IT l, so this concept makes perfect sense.
Thank you again.
2 Likes
