I am in the processing of re-selling my old C-7 hubs now that I have migrated to the C-8 model. I need help to ensure I have adequately "wiped" them of all data and they are back to "factory defaults".
Other than removing any subscriptions, deregistering them, and doing a soft reset (all done at this point) is there anything else I need to do?
Obviously I want to make sure any data has been removed but also want to make sure their new owners have fun experience with their hubs.
You don't mention resetting the Z-Radios.. Settings ZWave Details and Settings: Zigbee Details both have a section to reset the respective radios. You should swing by both those pages.. unfortunately, if you haven't done that, you'll have to go through the initial setup (after a soft reset) then do another soft reset to delete those initial setup values again.
There are two Databases involved with the proper operation of our Hubs. The "platform DB" which is what is involved with local Backup/Restore/Soft Reset. That's the DB that's shown when you look at Devices in the left menu, for example. (Everything that's unique to your hub that you added after plugging it in from the first time, is in the Platform set of files and DB.)
The Z-Radios also have their own DB, they are after all, systems on a chip (SOC) with a CPU and memory. In a normal working hub, the ZWave/Zigbee Radio DB and Platform Device DB are matching. A soft reset clears the Platform but does NOT touch the Z-Radio DB. This is ideal 99% of the time because right after the majority of Soft Resets comes a Restore, which once again makes a matched pair of DB. If the ZWave Radio DB mismatches the Platform ZWave portion of the DB, then we call those mismatches "ghosts".
If you don't clear the Z-Radio DB sometime during the "resale" process, then you begin life with a zillion ghosts. The ZWave SOC will start handing out "next " node numbers with what comes after the last item found in it's DB. So if the previous owner had 30 Zwave devices, using node ID 6-36, then the you begin life with 30 ghosts and the first Node number you receive will be 37.
Zigbee is different and the non-empty DB will have a far smaller impact. Node numbers for Zigbee are hard wired at the factory and never change. Migrating a Zigbee network is largely just convincing each device to start using a new network number (PAN).
Ah! The worry is that there was old data in the Z-wave and Zigbee radio databases.
In my case the hub was clean when I got it; both showed no devices there (possibly the prior owner had reset them). And I did a Hub Protect migration onto the hub, so both databases were copied over from my other c-7 hub and reset that way.
Thank you both for your feedback (and so quickly)!!
Sounds like I covered the "data" portion but missed the clearing of the radio databases.
As usual, I am so glad (and appreciative) that I reached out to this wonderful community. Not receiving this guidance would have resulted in the owners not having a positive end-user experience (something I definitely wanted to avoid)
The only way to tell is with a z-wave stick and the si-labs software. A soft reset will make it look like there isn't anything there but the z-wave chip can be full.
