I assume based on what I have read, that there is minimum benefit to going to the c7. But my mind says, that future software might require the c7 (such as the new zwave repair). So I ask the community, should I get a C7
It sounds like you C4 is working well. If you don't consider playing with the hub and code a hobby I would wait.
My thought is; Unless the C4 becomes a problem, you might get by until a C-8 comes along. Note: I have heard absolutely nothing that suggests there is even a thought about a C-8. However looking back it would seem inevitable at some point.
There's no "might" for this: it does. The C-7 has a totally new/different Z-Wave implementation than the previous hub. Feature-wise, the biggest difference is that it supports S2 and SmartStart, while on the technical side it has a 700-series Z-Wave chip. Staff have indicated that the C-5 and earlier Z-Wave implementation is not expected to receive further development, while all the new Z-Wave features you may have noted (per-node repair, route info, mesh topology) are only available on the C-7. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; if the C-4 works fine for you, there's no reason to assume it won't continue to do so indefinitely. But Z-Wave is indeed the only difference between a C-5 and C-7.
But since you have a C-4, it should also be noted that the C-5 and C-7 have internal Zigbee radios too (and Z-Wave). So, if your hub is in a visible spot and you don't like the look of the stick, that's one reason. But Zigbee is otherwise the same. The C-5 and newer also use a different edition of the operating system and support the new features like a USB Wi-Fi adapter natively if you don't want to use a wired connection. But the C-4 comes with its own advantages, like the fact that moving your backup and your stick to a new hub (though it would have to be a C-5 or older) will give you a fully working hub again without needing to re-pair any devices, assuming your stick isn't the part that died.
Personally, if I didn't have a desire to use S2 (or any other new features, but that's the biggest one for me), I'd keep using the C-4 until I either had to or wanted to migrate. Other than that, totally up to you.
C-4's also have slightly worse memory management by using the 64 bit jvc in a constrained environment - you can see this (maybe) as a slow decline in free memory over time and higher resource utilization. It seems kind of counter-intuitive to me that in this case 64bit is actually less performant than 32bit sw found in the newer hubs. Also the C-4's tend to run hotter which might impact lifespan a bit.
After the original round of Hub slowdowns and before the C-5 came out I went to 2 C-4 hubs and that seemed to calm things down. Now I'm on a C-7 for Z-Wave and C-5 for zigbee (I think it's the same ZB radio in the C-7) and one of my old C-4's has been repurposed for cloud/network devices and services - no ZB or ZW.
Staff have indicated that the C-5 and earlier Z-Wave implementation is not expected to receive further development...
I wonder if my C4 will no longer show that an update is available?
My C4 is on platform 2.2.4.158 and I'm happy with it - seems stable and is my main hub. I have 2 C5s sitting in a box along with a C7, and I have a C7 online but doing very little. I like the additional features of the C7, but not in a hurry to switch 100% I use Hub Mesh which is fantastic.
Robertgmcneill - if your C4 is doing the job, there is no reason to rush to a C7 at this point, in my opinion, which has very little value some days.
Now I will say if you plan on adding a lot more devices I would bite the bullet and make the switch before adding them.
My understanding is any major issues will still get fixed on the earlier platforms as well.. until things diverge enough where it is no longer possible I guess.
The way I remember it being characterized is that for now...
- All hub models get platform updates which can include security fixes, database improvements, back end bug fixes, app improvements (new versions of RM, etc), new drivers, and new apps/features that are not radio dependent or radio version specific.
- Only C-7 gets the new zwave features due to its different SDK/stack/chipset/radio
- Only the C-5 and C-7 are eligible for all of the features in the new Hub Protect service such as hub migration (although a subset of the full offering may still apply to all hubs)
So really, unless you want zwave 700 and/or some of the other zwave 700 related diagnostic screen improvements, or really want the full Hub Protect offering then the C-4 is a fine place to be.
No, I said "Z-Wave development," not "all development." They have indicated no plans otherwise (and honestly it would surprise me, at least in the short term)--so, basically, what JasonJoel said.
Also with the 700 chip comes z-wave LR (long range) As more devices come out for that the more support there will be
Probably so.
BUT insert warning label here - never buy an electronics product for what it "might" do in the future, or at least be prepared to accept if it never happens. Zwave LR spec, Zwave LR devices, and Zwave LR hub support is not released at this time, so any views of future use of it is purely speculative at this point.
I have C4 and stay zigbee. I also tend to write K.I.S.S. 'flat logic' rules or customize @bptworld 's scripts (Bryan thinks like I do, poor guy. So I can read his code without knowing the language.) This C4 has been a stellar performer. So you're going to have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
If your C4 hub is working well I recommend you stay where you are. Whenever you do later upgrade things will be be better and more stable. My C7 upgrade has not gone well and I had such high hopes. I still use C4 and C5 hubs.
Resurrecting a very old thread... I'm currently on a C4, and it still works great! However, on occasion I get the "new hardware" itch and contemplate upgrading. My biggest hesitation is actually the integrated zwave chip - my hub lives in a metal Leviton network cabinet (not sure who ever thought metal was a good idea for these) - so obviously network signals don't get through so we'll. As a result, I put the USB stick on an extension cable and poked it out of the cabinet, inside the wall. Is there any support for using an external USB stick for zwave on the C7, or would I have to find a new place for my hub?
The latter.
So C-4 does seem to have some slow memory degradation over time - there are a bunch of posts about it. Don't know how pervasive the issue is though.
One of my two C-4s died recently, not sure why - was on a UPS with good power. Decided it was time to move on and swapped out the other for a C-5. Was using it as a "Network Hub" with the stick removed. I had it running all my cloud stuff which was just the Alexa skill and network devices which are Lutron. My thinking was to keep the cloud isolated and help reduce overhead on the main hubs.
The Nortek stick can also re-used with an RPi + Home Assistant if you really wanted to mess around with things.
Curious if your C4 started showing any signs of symptoms of upcoming failure before it happened? What happened with failure would hub not boot? Curious what to look for if there are any signs.
I’ve got 3 running, one for Zigbee, one for LAN, and one as my coordinator along with a C7 running zwave. I have a spare C5 that I am not using but will use it as replacement along with a C3 as my dev hub. The other day my Zigbee C4 was restarted automatically overnight along with all other hubs and it didn’t boot up like it normally does. The Zigbee radio was also disabled according to the logs. I could ping the hub but the UI didn’t come up in browser, nor did 8081. I got it back up and running but concerned it might be showing symptoms of something to come? No errors in the logs either so very strange.
It just died - stopped responding all of a sudden (maybe during a UI reboot but not sure), light was off, no response - tried switching power supplies, outlets the usual. Not sure what happened - was on a big UPS along with other devices that are still okay. If I ever needed to pull the power I always did/do it from the plug side..
Something internally must have blown/shorted I guess..
Ok thanks. Bummer there weren’t any symptoms ahead of time.
Yeah weird - my other C-4 is still working but decided to retire it just in case. Am going to donate it and some older devices to a local arts center.
I had the exact same thing happen a couple weeks ago and the solution for me was to unplug the ethernet from the hub, wait 30, then plug it back in
I'm running a C-3 (only have 1) so I wrestle with this topic quite a bit...
Rick