After each time it gets faster. But still, it does take a weekend. In my opinion, I wouldn’t restore it, even if ithe feature was available. The risk of restoring garbage is too big. And troubleshooting garbage can take a lot more effort than speding one weekend to start fresh.
I love smartthings - I really do, HOWEVER if my hub dies before they implement backup/restore, and I am faced with rebuilding everything from scratch anyway, you can bet I’ll be looking at other options…ones with backup. There is no excuse.
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I have 200+ devices and have done it twice already
it does take a weekend
So that’s 10 hours a day lets say, so 20 hours. So in one hour you can delete, factory reset, and join 20 devices to a hub? And you remember intimately the inner workings/reset procedure for each device/model/brand, or there’s searching on the web for that too. And taking switch plates off walls. Accessing certain devices in lofts/gardens. Remembering naming conventions, adding Smart Lighting rules back, adding each device into WebCoRE, you can do over 20 in an hour? re configuring SHM, customs rules, setting up your modes and all your routines in the hub. All on one weekend? adding scenes back? re-configuring arduino board manager, flashing Sonoffs/esp’s again. adding devices back into Alexa/Google Home, setting up all the routines again. Adding devices to Harmony again, and it’s routines. Add devices to each WebCoRE piston, i’m sure with over 200 devices you have at least 50 pistons. adding devices to Actiontiles/Sharptools, settings house panels from scratch, android shortcuts, And setting each device as it was before, PIR sensitivity, reporting thresholds etc
In ONE weekend? I don’t think so.
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I personally know people deploying Nero for Aged Care. They’re managing hundreds of units.
I also did work with an unnamed Telco in this space who had plans for the same. Their scale would be in the 10s of thousands.
These types of prospects would never consider a product that didn’t have a backup solution.
I hope that clarifies this.
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Thanks, Andrew.
SmartThings’s Terms of Use, explicitly prohibit “Commercial Use”, as well as any usage for critical situations like health and safety, security, etc…
SmartThings is not marketed to “large scale” installations. Such clients, if they ignored the warnings in the Terms of Use, would be advised to fully understand the limitations of the platform before implementation. Including, of course, the lack of backup/restore/migration of configuration data.
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For me. It took a day to get the main routines/scenes running and everthing paired again.
If changing platform you spend another week exploring new options.
My biggest issue is having to get up on the ladder to reset in roof sensors and pop wallpoints to do re-pairing. Not only does this take time; its dangerous work (heights, working with live power points which is unfortunately 100% necessary as some switches don’t do the toggle method).
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Sure it does. But they did do a POC with this Telco. They can change the terms if it suits them.
Hey mate.
Do you have a documented routine that you go through. I’m curious as if mine ever fails I’d rather have an idea on how to do this as quickly and as painless as possible.
Do you have screenshots of your devices and settings that you keep just in case.
Do you agree with me that it’s only zigbee and z-wave devices that need to be reconnected with all cloud integrated devices from other manufacturers being ok?
What about things like webCoRe (if you use it). How easy is that to reconnect up or does it just stay connected. I’d guess you’d need to go into each of your pistons to update the devices that you needed to add back in at the least.
What about any device handlers and smart apps. Do you need to reinstall all of them?
How was this working with the ADT panels?
No idea. Either ST ignores their own Terms of Use, or there is a rider-addendum for the ADT Product.
Agreed. Still - the onus is on “this Telco” to determine if the offered feature set (i.e., no backup/restore/migration) is sufficient for their needs and fits in the terms of their “special” contract.
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This is my point. Backup makes the solution more attractive to integrators and solution providers. This is a much bigger market than individual consumers.
Hence when Samsung’s product owners look at the roadmap they should consider this unless they have their head in the sand.
And us (small consumers) get the benefit?
What makes you think that I have ANY reasons to exaggerate?
- I have shortcuts to online manuals saved
- I am using easy to remember naming conventions for both devices and Smart Lighting instances.
- I only use Simple Lighting OR my own apps. No Webcore here.
- Relinking Alexa, Google Home, Harmony, Actiontiles, Hue bridge, Ring, Ecobee is not a big deal, I don’t use many routines outside SmartThings, anyway
- I don’t use SHM, I have a real security system for that.
- I only have 2 scenes for my vents, because those are the ONLY devices that are not local. Everything I run, if the DTH is local, then it runs local. 90% or my devices use built-in DTH.
- I have a spreadsheet of my automations
- The key to home automation success is KISS!!!
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My apologies, you’re clearly not a power user. You have a very rudimentary HA system. Those of us that are power users however, would find a backup/restore facility very helpful, as we have with our phones, computers, tablets, other HA hubs etc etc
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LOL… you missed the part “my own apps” …Just because you built complex pistons, doesn’t make you a power user.
I just hate the cloud. I don’t like the latency and fragility that it introduces, regardless of how much better ST infrastructure is nowadays. So I use it only as the second option.
Yes to all of the above 
No longer use it. I enjoy local processing too much
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How did you get to the point of having local processing only? Assume you only use zigbee and a-wave devices.
What about your automation. What do you use for that. Do you just use in built automation or have found another local solution? Also do you have custom device handlers, how did you get these local?
I wish it was only, but is not, it’s rather primarily local
Smart Lighting + provided DTH is the only way to run local. For everything else I use my own written apps.
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Hi Everyone,
The lack of a backup/restore option for a SmartThings Hub has been on mind ever since I looked it up out of curiosity and ran into this thread (a few months ago I think). I have a Samsung SmartThings v3 Hub. It bugged me so much I have been researching hub options that have backup/restore.
Today I wondered if the move to Aeotec may change the backup/restore issue…and then I found this article on Aeotec support that talks of a a migration tool from the Samsung Hub (v2 or v3) to the new Aeotec Hub!
Holy mackerel, this is pretty awesome – especially because, to my surprise, it has been difficult finding a hub with all the things I have to come to like about ST (low power consumption, decent processor, Ring device integration, decent mobile app UX).
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Just be aware that the migration tool only works with active hubs. If your hub dies, then it will not help you.
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Oh! Thanks @jkp that’s is crucial information! Do you have reference for this? Or just experience?
P.S. Bummer, so I guess back to square one on the search.