I have completed the first step of my migration to Hubitat. All my sensors and plugs are working and responding to rules and voice commands from Alexa and Google Home. During the setup process the Hubitat hub has been setting next to me and with a couple of exceptions all the devices have been added here at my desk and then moved to their final location.
It will soon be time to move the Hubitat hub to it's final location which is on top of my home office cabinets next to my Google WiFi mesh system. I've read that Hubitat plays nice with WiFi and some people have their hub right next to their wireless router and elsewhere I've read to place the two at least 10' apart which frankly is not an option. So some questions.
What will happen to all my paired devices, rules, Alexa integration, Google HA integration, etc. when I shut down the hub using the shutdown procedure in the Hubitat app, move it, and turn it back on again? While I'm at it should I use the ZigBee mesh rebuild procedure? Does the mesh rebuild procedure make the system more responsive?
Pairing of devices should always be done in place. Locks are a different animal, so that rule doesn't count for them. Zigbee self-heals, but it takes a few days if you have a lot of devices. You should shut down the hub for 20 min and then plug it back in. That will speed up the process, but it still take some time, so communication won't be optimal at first and devices could drop if too far from the hub or too much interference from building materials. The WiFi shouldn't be a problem, but it's not impossible. Zigbee channel adjustments also sometimes need to be made for devices that don't play well on certain channels.
You may need repeater if the distance is to far, Zigbee only works like a star topology if there are no repeaters, but when there are, then you should pair the repeater to the hub and then the device in place near the repeater if it's far from the hub.
Like @SmartHomePrimer says “You should shut down the hub for 20 min and then plug it back in.” and I’d add that you should then jump in the car and go grab a few coffees. Just leave the mesh’s to settle. Take a good couple of hours.
Resist the urge. Don’t go testing if sensors are working etc.
let things settle.
And here this chart so you can use Google wifi with Hubitat, the first google wifi(the one connected to the modem)auto configure the wifi channel to 11, then the second goes to 6 then the 3rd goes to ch 1, so the best is using Hubitat in zigbee channel 20. Good luck.
Ch 25 works too but if you want to use xbee later, they play better on 20, and other devices too.
Shutting down the hub and moving it shouldn't affect any of your integrations with thins like Alexa and Google home once the Z-Wave and Zigbee networks work out their new paths.
I literally have to move my hub from one corner of my house to the opposite one. I have over 200 devices. Most of those are ZWave about 25% are Zigbee. I understand the Zigbee devices will eventually reroute and may take up to 24 hours to "settle."
A majority of my ZWave devices ARE repeaters (outlets & switches) - but how will ZWave network get ironed out? Does repair help? If so, how many times?
Wow, I don't think I've seen anyone with so much Zwave. I'm the exact opposite. Did you intentionally go the heavy Zwave route or did it just kind of happen? Fascinating to hear how you got there with so much Zwave. Thanks
I started my smart effort in Jan 2017 with SmartThings. The majority of the market for wall switches and outlets were ZWave (not Plus even). Zigbee had some presence - but tons of complaints about 2.4GHZ interference with other devices. At the time - it seemed to be the way to go.
That said, some devices only had Zigbee options (motion sensors, Keen vents for example) and that left a hole with Zigbee repeaters. I added some plug modules (plugged into my already smart outlets - doh), but have since replaced a number of switches with Zigbee - because they are more reliable for automations.
Ok, all that I get. I was really curious. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. Zigbee is cheaper and I started with that initially as I didn't want to invest in something I wasn't sure about. I'm a chicken, lol. Now I just have zwave locks, smart plugs, and 2 door sensors everything else is zigbee.
