Should I upg from C5 to C7?

Pardon my naivete but I don't quite grasp the need for C7 when C5 seem to be working mostly fine?

I like my C5 alot mainly due to so many good Sam's work of drivers and apps and not the mention the awesome forum peeps!

but even after going through mountain of talks regarding C7. I don't read any obvious benefits for the upg. And if I want to greatest compatibility, wouldn't it be best to stay on C5?

Thanks.

[EDITED] So I guess one key question not yet answered and I'm still wading through the forums is: Is the backup file from C5 insufficient in restoring it onto C7 with Zwave devices?? I'm little confused about needing a cloud service which is the single key reason why I came over to HE. So I guess I get the service to "upg" and restore C5 onto C7 then cancel and rely on local backups?

Only benefit would be the series 7 z-wave from my understanding. I'm in the same boat and I wont be upgrading until the z-wave issues are sorted and a migration tool is available.

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@djashones Thanks for the comment. But now the 2nd obvious question then; what are the Z-wave issues? I'm using Zooz 4-1 temp/motion sensor and using the driver for it. They seem to work? Although I am having iffy result with monoprice garage door sensor where it registers phantom open/close that's driving me nuts. Little unnerving to get a garage door open notification in the middle of the night or while not at home. Having not yet troubleshooted, was expecting to just work.

And as for the migration tool, doesn't the backup file from C5 work? I couldn't quite make out from reading forums whether that is a problem or not and don't seem to find anything on this subscription service for restore either.

Just found:

I guess I'll need to start reading up more on Z-wave compatibility and this S2 security/Smartstart.

For me it's the Fibaro dimmers and switches

I see, yeah I'm not only a newbie to HE hubs but have pretty scant setup as I'm trying to learn limits/boundaries of what is actually doable. Currently only have 6 temp/motion sensors. I'm trying to add a button but need switch 40+ IoT's to Tasmota. So before i embark on a large endeavor which I'll do anyways. Wondering if I should use C7 or stay on C5 and upg to C7 at a later time but after incorporating all the IoT's. Hopefully painlessly.

Fibaro looks interesting.

I want to be budget minded since I want to replicate this to multiple homes.

The choices are overwhelming. I guess good and bad about open architecture and environment.

I only choose Fibaro and Aeotec as I live in the UK and we have limited choices for z-wave devices unlike the states and half the price!!

Yeah, we here in the States are little spoiled :wink: I don't disagree.

No way to get chinese exports like monoprice, banggood etc?
I can't see if possible but can you get to:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24259

The problem with cheap Chinese z-wave devices are the configuration parameters are rather limited, very basic operation. So for most of my sensors and buttons I go for zigbee i.e. smartthings or HUE.

Roger that. I guess my needs are rather simple at the moment and I'll need to replicate so again unfortunately budget is paramount for me. But thanks for the insight. will need to heed that if I need something more reliable and parameterizable in the future.

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Hey @Gimbop

I have a C-3 and often play with this topic and since I am always arguing with myself, I always loose

IIRC

  1. FW updater only works on C-7
  2. Better Z-Wave tools such as individual repair, better routing info...
  3. 700 series z-wave chip

Maybe there are others that can be added to also help convince me it's time to upgrade

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Longer battery life on locks because they can use S2 security rather than S0. S0 has 3x the packets because of how the encryption keys are done. I was having to replace the batteries in my Schlage locks every 3 months. I changed the electronics modules to Z-Wave Plus (and thus S2), and it looks like the batteries will last over a year (now at 99% after several months).

At this rate, the C-7 will pay for itself in 25 years due to fewer battery replacements.

Edit: The price of the C-7 is worth it just for the Device Firmware Updater, even though the current release of the DFU has a few rough edges that, I am confident, will be resolved in the next few releases.

I have 2 boxes of European devices from 2 other manufactures that will be getting drivers in 2.2.5 :wink:

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Do tell, which manufacturers?

Quibino and Heatit <- I may have butchered the spelling of either of these

I use the qubino shutter but Heatit is very expensive, nice but expensive

I have a C4 that has been really good. However, between the sale price right now, and the new mesh inspection app that @tony.fleisher is putting together, I'm super tempted to order a C7. Really the only thing holding me back is the effort to move my devices over.

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It’s really not that hard if you use @bravenel’s migration procedure:

Migrating a Z-Wave Network

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Migration has become more WAF friendly with the addition of Hub Mesh..

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C7 ordered!

C7 coming in later this week so I'm planning my C5 migration path and your comment hits upon how I'm thinking of approaching it. Something along the lines of what @jtmpush18 talked of in the Migrating topic except using Hub Mesh instead of HubConnect. @bcopeland does this match what you have in mind?