When can we expect the Thread Border Router version of Hubitat?
I’m asking because I purchased the C-8 in December 2023, and within a month the C-8 Pro was released in January 2024. Looking at the specs the only differences seemed to be the CPU and RAM. Since I didn’t have many devices I decided to keep the C-8 and didn’t bother returning it for the C-8 Pro. Now it turns out that the C-8 Pro has a built-in Bluetooth radio that wasn’t enabled at the time.
Since I have several Bluetooth blinds, I’m considering purchasing the C-8 Pro, but I’m hesitant to do so if the C-9 or whatever the next version of the hub is called will be released in the coming weeks.
Hubitat rarely comments on future plans and even less so with specific dates, so you are unlikely to get an answer for this -- or even a confirmation of your presupposition that such a model will exist at some point at all.
That being said, except where hardware limitations make it impossible, Hubitat has a good history of supporting older hub models, including new features (e.g., Matter going all the way back to the C-5 ... I can't really say I'd recommend that or certainly anything older at this point, but it's a good demonstration of the point). So if a C-8 Pro meets your needs today, a new model being released tomorrow won't mean you're suddenly frozen in time.
Further, regarding your specific question, having a TBR built into the hub is unlikely to change anything for the user experience, so adding one to your setup today, if you don't already have one, would basically get you to par with such a hypothetical feature, built-in or not. As you may know, there are many off-the-shelf and DIY TBR options that exist today, and Thread border routing is generally meant to work without you needing to know or care how or what devices are one (you can have more than one, though any particular segment will only have one "active" at a time based on whatever intelligent criteria it's supposed to use to elect it). Aside from an inability to resist new things, I'm not sure I'd even upgrade just for this reason alone.
Ha, the same thing happened to me. I was kinda upset. However considering I've managed to avoid 2 floods in my house, I think I've broken even, that's counting my 5 other HE hubs.
The C9 pro is defintely due to be relased about 3 weeks after you purchase the C8Pro. If you don't buy the C8Pro, the new hub will never be released, ever.
With that said, staff may sometimes post cryptic messages that can be interpreted in different ways. For example .....
Perhaps @bobbyD was being particularly eloquent or perhaps he was throwing a hint of changes that may come in the future. If it is latter, it should be noted that some of these changes are theoretically possible with existing hardware.
I'm not sure what the range will be on the Bluetooth radio. Nobody has mentioned if it makes use of an antenna. Google says Zigbee can share an antenna with Bluetooth, but there would need to be frequency hopping in place to do that.
Basing it on the Bluetooth range of my PI 4, you are probably going to get about 10 meters from the hub before it drops off. You might want to use HA on a PI for Bluetooth shades, and bring them into Hubitat with HADB. You can buy a long-range Bluetooth USB adapter for the PI that runs HA, that comes with an antenna.
Were you the one who posted the FCC documentation for the C-8 Pro? There should be information in there documenting which antenna is used by the BT radio.
Pretty sure the C-8 Pro doesn't do this. My memory says there is an internal antenna with a u.fl connector that I think is shared between WiFi and BT. If it is u.fl, it should be possible to replace the antenna.
The FCC report used to have photos of the inside. The C-8 Pro has a common WiFi/BT module that used a shared u.fl antenna. When I get time later today, I'll find and post a link to the FCC report.
Yeah, I couldn't find any internal photos on the FCC report. Google says it is internal.
Antenna Usage
Hubitat C-8 Pro
includes two external antennas with RP-SMA connectors, which are used for the Z-Wave (900 MHz band) and Zigbee (2.4 GHz band) radios. The hub also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which utilize internal antennas
I’m officially casting one vote for a Version 9 hub with a built-in Thread Border Router.
At this point, my network closet — okay, the top bookshelf in my office — is starting to look like a support group for orphaned hubs: Lutron (Caséta), Blink (cameras), Bond (fans), Pulse 2 Hub (Shades) plus a few other bridges/controllers that followed me over from my Wink and SmartThings days. Yes, I made those choices. Yes, I accept responsibility. But that doesn’t mean I want to keep expanding the collection.
Like others asking when we can expect a Thread Border Router version of Hubitat, I’m trying to plan responsibly. The C-8 → C-8 Pro timing was a learning moment for many, and I’d prefer not to purchase an interim solution if the next-generation hub is right around the corner. This is why I still have only the version 7 Hub.
If I’m being honest, I would really rather not add yet another hub — or a combo hub/device — just to support Thread. My long-term goal is consolidation, not expansion. Fewer boxes. Fewer power supplies. Fewer “why is this one flashing red?” or “where exactly am I supposed to plug in another wall wart?” moments.
So I’m quietly (but optimistically) holding out hope that Version 9 includes a Thread Border Router along with continued improvements beyond the C-8 Pro. I’ve intentionally hit pause on any new purchases to see how things unfold.
My network rack — or shelf — would sincerely appreciate it.
Could not agree more! My collection of Thread and Matter device is growing all the time, and is about to grow even more as I contemplate SmartWings blinds.
I threw my +1 including the particulars over in the Feature Requests section. Mostly I really want a good, dedicated antenna and excellent Matter support, including multi-controller.
