I started with a C5 a few years ago and put in the workshop in my basement. It ran everything - rules, z-wave, zigbee, etc. It still remains my main hub. I then added a C7 when it came out and being an idiot put it in the workshop. I have been steadily adding devices to it - mostly z-wave and now I have started to see some hiccups. Both hubs are more than a meter apart.
So I thought - why not relocate the C7 to a more central location. If I do this do I just let it run for a while and the z-wave (and zigbee?) will figure out the new location or should I run a Z-wave repair when I move it?
This depends on what devices you have and what your Z-Wave mesh looks like (the C-7 can give you some insight; the C-5, not so much). If they are all or mostly Z-Wave Plus devices, they should find new routes on their own. "Classic" Z-Wave nodes may need a Z-Wave repair to do this, or that would speed the process up for any node but shouldn't technically be necessary. Zigbee should find new routes on its own regardless of the device, though there is a way to put them in "panic mode" and make them search again if needed (something like remove the hub for 20-30 minutes, but if they can't find the hub or a repeater that can, I figure they'll already be doing that anyway).
Personally, I'd just move it and try something else if I have a problem. But everyone's network is different. Moving it more centrally, as you are, should help things out, if anything.
Make sure you have the zwave firmware updated on the C7. The Update Firmware button wont be visible if its already done (not the same as the update button for the region settings in the corner).
Then I would just move it. You could run a full zwave repair if you want to speed up the process of everything finding the hub again.
@jtp10181 Thanks for the tip. I had no idea that there was even an option to update this firmware. It seems that this would be a nice thing to add to the hub update indicator icon so idiots like me don't miss it.
I ran the update last night and I am going to see if this improves some of my quirkiness before moving the hub.
My main fear with moving the hub are my locks. I got my locks working flawlessly by adding repeaters in strategic locations. Years of unreliable locks and now 2 years of lock serenity. I know that moving the hub shouldn't impact this too much but I am paranoid about it.
Also, the other thing I was thinking about was just adding another hub to my second floor - where the quirkiness shows. Just move the second floor stuff over to that hub. I have an ethernet drop in the attic so it would be a great location to do this.
Hmm, basement is not ideal. Typically basements-at least in the US- are lots of concrete, metal, insulation, pipe which all affect radio waves. Try to get the hub as central as possible. I measured my home and the center happens to be on top of the china cabinet..shhh don't tell my wife. Good thing the hub is small.
PS-there are discussions on here about adding a wifi stick to your hub, then you can position the hub almost anywhere.
My house is not at all big, but I have enough various stuff around that I can do a bit of overkill. I have a wi-fi repeater that lets me have my Hubitat and various hubs and other such things in the center of the house.
But everyone's network is different. Moving it more centrally, as you are, should help things out, if anything.
