Upgrading Aeotec S2 to Gen5

Hardware Server
1

I’m thinking of replacing my Z-Wave S2 with the new Gen5, but I’m aware that all my devices will need to be migrated individually. I have at least one device that will force me to move the fridge - something I hate to do because I always end up scratching a wall or the wood floor.

  1. Is it worth doing? Are the benefits of the Gen5 worth replacing the
    S2?
  2. Is it possible to run both sticks in parallel on the same device
    so I can do a slow migration over a few weeks?
  3. What steps should I take to ease the transition? Are there files I should backup first and restore after? Is a step-by-step tutorial available?
2

If nobody can answer all three parts, maybe they could answer just some?

I know some people have upgraded to the Gen5 - what were your reasons? If I don’t upgrade, will I eventually not be able to add the newer encrypted Z-Wave devices?

3

I think the Gen5 is better - it seems to have better range at least… Is it really worth it though, well, time well tell…

Not really. In theory there is probably a way to do something by using a secondary controller, but it would probably be messy and I’d recommend just biting the bullet and converting things. It will likely only take an hour or three…

You will need to reset each device so that it can be included into the new network. You can either reset the device, or you can exclude the device using the controller - either should work ok. Then go around each device with the new stick and include it to the stick.
Plug the stick into OH, and you’ll need to change all the node numbers in your item definitions since they will all be different.

For me, Gen5 should support better network reconfiguration and better range. Arguably it might be more stable as well. It definitely seems like the range is considerably better at least…

No - you should still be able to use newer devices, but there are definitely some things that will not be supported on older devices since there are other features of ZWave+. Most of these probably aren’t especially important though so my feeling at the moment is it won’t really be an issue.

Chris

1 Like