Ive had my v2.0 ST system running pretty much untouched since about 2017/2018 with only a few minor things (other than batteries) but now things are starting to unravel a little and automations arent working after changing batteries. I have now decided to integrate more security features, mainly with the Ring products. I thought this would be a good time to move over to the Aeotec v3 hub.
Ive read as much as I can about how to migrate but frankly, it’s pretty hard to follow the threads with a clear “guide book” on how to do this. For the cleanest possible install, I “think” what I want to do delete everything and start from scratch with the V3 hub.
Here are a few specific questions I have:
Can I just delete the hub on the IDE and that will delete all of my devices or do I have to delete them 1 at a time in the ST Apps?
As far as approach goes, I am just going to “re-add each device” 1 at a time. I have about 78 devices. Most of my motion sensors are Iris Motion Sensors.
The only odd ball things that I “hope” work with this are my Z-Wave Schlage front door lock and my MyQ (I hope there is a way for them to work with v3). I don’t remember what I had to do to get them to work w my v2 hub.
Are you confident that your v2 is dying? The Aeotec/v3 has less memory, and with the shift to Edge drivers that run on the hub that’s proving to be a problem. The v3 has wifi and thread but otherwise they’re on the same firmware…
Good question. I think I assumed since Groovy and other things seems to be dying off, then I needed to be on the latest. I am not sure why some of my sensors have suddenly stopped working. I invested in a quite a few Contact and Motion sensors from IRIS and those seem to be my problem children.
Agree with @philh30 in suggesting you rethink moving away this time.
The Aeotec/V3/2018 hub is roughly 4 years old.
As @philh30 stated, the Aeotec/V3/2018 hub has less memory than the V2/2015 hub
Both the V2 and V3 are getting simultaneous firmware updates with equivalent function (other than Thread Border Router support in the V3 hub)
We’re right at the beginning of the rollout of Matter so the home automation landscape is … unsettled.
Batteries for the V2 hub are purely for backup power. I have the impression that most people, including myself, do not bother to leave batteries in the hub. They’re more likely to corrode and do damage than to actually be of any use.
There have been a lot of reports of ZigBee devices dropping offline starting with the 45.9 firmware release on both V2 and V3 hubs. For some people the 45.11 update helped, but only some. You might want to search the forums for ZigBee devices offline.
If you do choose to move to a new hub, there are no migration tools. So each of your devices will need to be removed from your existing hub, possibly factory reset, and added to your new hub. For Z-wave devices there are sometimes extra steps.
Definitely troubleshoot the sensors before looking to replace the hub. With 78 devices you might be pushing the limits of a v3, depending on how many different drivers you would be looking to run. There are people who have v3 hubs crashing with around that number of devices and have had to divide the load to a second hub. I haven’t seen anyone with memory problems on a v2.
OK - I am not moving to v3. I didnt realize there were these limitations. If anything, maybe v4 will address some of v3’s shortcomings and maybe I’ll upgrade them.
New plan! I am going to surgically update what’s broken is up to date motion/contact sensors! There is a side of me that is relived because I don’t even remember how I got most of this stuff working to begin with. Thanks!
I know this comment is rather old, but is this truly an issue? V3 hubs can’t handle 80+ devices without issues? I was thinking of upgrading my v2 to v3 to start natively managing newer Matter-over-Thread devices with its Thread Border Router.
I have about 78 devices (including virtual devices) on my v2 hub. Works fine and even have some upgraded devices on other platforms (Apple 4K TV, Echo Gen 4) which can serve as Thread Border routers. Is it even worth the upgrade to v3?? My goal is build up robust Thread Network.
Thanks for reply. Sounds like 80+ devices more likely okay, but my other question is if even worth upgrading to v3 just to have another Thread Border Router?
I already have 4 active ones (Apple, Amazon, Google) and all matter-over-thread devices still successfully connected to my ST V2 hub. It’s just not natively utilizing its own Thread network and relying on the one of the other four. Also losing half the memory and processing speed going to v3.
The only reason I could think of would be that the V3 would be new. I don’t know how many years you have had the V2 running 24/7. If you’re not looking to expand, then the V3 would be fine. However, if you envision significant growth in your smart home, consider getting a V3 for Z-Wave and a Station for Zigbee. It is a lot of work to separate the two, but it works much better! But with Hub Replace you could just wait for the V2 to blow up and then get a V3.
Thanks for advice. My ST v2 Hub been in use for last 8 years since 2016 but still going strongly… and I have pretty robust Zwave and Zigbee network already built throughout house. Super responsive, practically no lag. Of course had to replace/reset end devices as maintenance.
My thoughts of upgrading ST Hub only started coming up now as I started upgrading some of my existing plug-in Z devices to Matter-over-Thread devices now, and started looking at all my newer Thread Networks (SmartThings being the obvious one missing in the bunch).
When Matter devices started coming out earlier this year, I had the same fear of missing out. After numerous issues, I decided to stop buying new Matter devices and I’m waiting to see how this all shakes out. There are just too many issues with it right now!
Yes, with the understanding at the time of this writing, if you have a single routine that includes devices from more than one hub, that routine will run in the cloud rather than running locally. But otherwise there’s no difference, and most people won’t even notice unless it happens that the Internet goes out.
I didnt realize there were these limitations. If anything, maybe v4 will address some of v3’s shortcomings and maybe I’ll upgrade them.
