Hub Backup and Restore from a Dead Hub Walkthrough and Test

[mlchelp (michael watson)]

This test took less than 10 minutes and worked flawlessly, as the Hub Replace test did but in less time!

I used a spare V3 hub that I had left over from my Hub Replace feature test. I factory reset it again just to make sure and added it back to SmartThings. Then, I pulled the power cable out of my Z-Wave hub and left it off for several hours. After that, I opened the SmartThings app and clicked on the V3 Z-Wave hub, which showed offline.

Then I clicked on the three dots and selected ‘Replace Hub.’

Next, I clicked ‘Replace this hub’ on the screen below.

The next screen showed ‘Original hub’ and ‘Replacement hub,’ along with the time of the last backup.

Then I got the same screen as in the Hub Replace test, and I scrolled all the way to the bottom.

Then I tapped on ‘Replace.’ I wasn’t as nervous this time since my Hub Replace test worked fine.

Then the process started; this took a little longer than the Hub Replace test, and I was a little nervous until I realized that the original device was offline now, and the process had to download the config from the SmartThings server. Transferring 51 of 51 devices.

Then the 20-minute message appeared again, waiting for devices to come back online.

When it finished it displayed the new Hub. Everything looking good.

This time, there was no waiting for devices to come back online; it was immediate.

Another plus for SmartThings: now there is an automatic backup of your SmartThings setup, and it works like a charm.

Nice Job! @nayelyz @Ivan_Luis_Falleau @AlejandroPadilla

See my first post of the Hub Replace Walkthrough Here when your hub is still available and online.

[JDRoberts]

Thanks for the report!

Not sure you want to risk it, but for me, the next step as a field tech to test the process would be to do a Z wave repair on the new hub.

[mlchelp (michael watson)]

@JDRoberts

Not sure you want to risk it, but for me, the next step as a field tech to test the process would be to do a Z wave repair on the new hub.

Done, of course with the usual phantom message of Unkown device.

[digger004]

Nice work @mlchelp

Would this work if the original was a v3 Wifi edition hub that currently doesnt support Replace function? Hypothetically if that died overnight but I had already added a newer v3 (non-wifi) hub, would this method work in your opinion? Trying to get off the Wifi version as its broadcasting wifi channels in a congested area.

[mlchelp (michael watson)]

I don’t think so but I’m not an expert on this in anyway. I think the requirement is a firmware that is version 50 or higher. What version are you on? If you don’t see the hub replace option pictured below then I don’t think it will work.

I would ask @nayelyz or @Ivan_Luis_Falleau or @JDRoberts

[HalD (Hal)]

@digger004

Wifi edition hub

Just to clarify, you’re talking about one of the hub models that are also WiFi mesh hubs which function as WiFi routers, correct?

It may just be convention here but V3 is used to refer to the SmartThings 2018 hub which was rebranded as The Aeotec hub. Both of these hubs have WiFi radios and can participate in a WiFi network. They do not function as WiFi routers.

[mlchelp (michael watson)]

@nayelyz @Ivan_Luis_Falleau

We need to enhance this process. I’d like to propose a feature request for SmartThings.

I understand that storing backups from all SmartThings hubs worldwide would require a significant amount of storage. Perhaps, we could implement a solution through the advanced API to allow users to download their backups locally on demand. For instance, if User 1’s hub is backing up every 24 hours, and they decide they want a specific point-in-time backup, they could access the API to download an encrypted copy of their backup and store it locally. Depending on the storage capacity they have, they can store as many backups as needed.

When they want to use the Hub replace feature, they can go to the API, upload the desired point-in-time backup, and proceed with the process to restore their hub to the chosen backup.

This feature would be beneficial for scenarios such as transferring to a new hub while the original hub is still online and operational, providing a point-in-time backup in case of data loss. It could also be useful for transferring to a new hub if the original hub has failed, offering a point-in-time backup for data recovery.

[digger004]

@mlchelp

I don’t think so but I’m not an expert on this in anyway. I think the requirement is a firmware that is version 50 or higher. What version are you on? If you don’t see the hub replace option pictured below then I don’t think it will work.

Yes I’m on a pre-v0.50 version - I think 0.471 or similar. No replace function as yet.

[h0ckeysk8er (Bruce Pinsky)]

@digger004

@mlchelp

I don’t think so but I’m not an expert on this in anyway. I think the requirement is a firmware that is version 50 or higher. What version are you on? If you don’t see the hub replace option pictured below then I don’t think it will work.

Yes I’m on a pre-v0.50 version - I think 0.471 or similar. No replace function as yet.

The Samsung Connect and the Wi-Fi Mesh (Plume) Hubs are at 47.12 and have been since July. As was discussed in another topic, getting Hub Replace for the Plume version might require coordination with the Plume configuration which would be more complicated than the straight up v2/v3/Aeotec models. It’s also not clear how one would go about migrating to a non-Wi-Fi hub to a Wi-Fi hub and vice versa. Lastly, it’s not clear the status of maintenance/feature enhancements for Wi-Fi mesh hubs since they are significantly lagging behind the standalone hubs.