Why Would You Buy a C-8?

💬 Lounge
101

Better range for myself.

2 Likes
102

Hi, does range and speed also improve for non-plus Z-wave?

I have a C7 and interested in the C8 to reduce hops and also increase speed but have quite a few non-plus Z-wave wall switches. Some are also controlled by Lutron remotes via the Lutron pro hub thing on telnet.

103

Speed will not improve for sure - that's a limitation of the device's z-wave radio. Range does improve. I have z-wave 100-series and 300-series devices connected directly to the C-8, whereas previously they required repeaters.

These are not z-wave devices. They use a Lutron specific wireless protocol called ClearConnect.

1 Like
104

Actual footage of people scrambling to get a C8:

Black Friday GIF by Eurocarnavales

6 Likes
105

The extra range would be helpful, but I'm hesitant on two fronts:

  1. Ghost devices in Zwave. I assume they would transfer and I'm loath to drop down the rat-hole of a difficult-to-obtain Zwave stick plus a 14-page "manual" on how to get rid of them. I need to feel confident that Hubitat can maintain it's database of devices over time. (Yes, I know, it's a SILabs sdk issue, but that doesn't make me any more confident in the platform. I shouldn't have to jump through these hoops to simply delete a failed device.)

  2. There are long-standing bugs (re Presence) that have been completely dropped.

I've frozen any expansion of my environment until I see signs that Hubitat can address the full breadth of the feature-set they advertise.

That said, I truly appreciate all that Hubitat offers, and the hard work the team puts into the product. I love what Hubitat can do.

I've also been around long enough to see a disturbing trend: as devices/software get more complicated, they become more difficult to maintain through developer turnover, SDK updates, external API changes, etc. Can/will Hubitat maintain the complexity of what they have created?

106

@aaiyar

Thanks. Would speed not improve with fewer hops?

The Lutron telnet integration controls my zwave devices via the remote buttons built in app.

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107

Yes it would actually

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108

Technically - yes.

Noticeably/Practical difference - usually not substantial, but sometimes can be noticable. Directly good regardless.

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109

You know i was being factious right? :joy:

110

https://www.amazon.com/Z-Wave-Stick-Assistant-HomeSeer-Software/dp/B07GNZ56BK/ref=sxts_rp_s_a_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.eff26b9b-e255-411b-a40d-eccb21f93fe4%3Aamzn1.sym.eff26b9b-e255-411b-a40d-eccb21f93fe4&crid=1YMT1VEE5HWPP&cv_ct_cx=z-wave+stick&keywords=z-wave+stick&pd_rd_i=B07GNZ56BK&pd_rd_r=0b035d4c-47f7-4ede-8852-46d866506bb5&pd_rd_w=ptbLA&pd_rd_wg=KUCJU&pf_rd_p=eff26b9b-e255-411b-a40d-eccb21f93fe4&pf_rd_r=AKZEHR1D28XPTHKQ3KJB&qid=1677705294&sprefix=z-wave+stick%2Caps%2C85&sr=1-1-5985efba-8948-4f09-9122-d605505c9d1e

111

C8 WiFi is it 2.4g or 5g?

112

Where did you order it from? AARtech?

113

Yes, Aartech.

$243 CDN after taxes.

1 Like
114

2.4... No real advantage to go to 5g. I mean the lan interface is 100mb

115

Absolutely.

116

I'm a retired engineer (software & systems) so sometimes I take things literally.
:slight_smile:

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117

I made a post earlier questioning what zigbee 3.0 will offer over 1.2. I didnt get any answers. Any thoughts? I dont use Zwave and I have zero issues with my mesh so I am personally not seeing what the c8 offers me.

118

Why would I buy a C-8?

Because I can!

3 Likes
119

Except everything else is 2.4. The advantage is not speed but getting away from a crowded spectrum. Still I'm not not disappointed.

2 Likes
120

Could the C-8 be used upside down? Would the antennas get in the way?
I was looking at my C-7 today, thinking about velcroing the new unit onto the windowsill, noticed all those nice vent holes-wouldn't want to block them. Of course the logo would be face down. :slight_smile: