G8 Migration Guide (SmartStick or Z-NET)

Use this guide for migrating from a 500 or 700 series Z-Wave controller to a SmartStick G8 or Z-NET G8 800 series controller

Overview

Users who wish to migrate or upgrade from their existing controller to a G8 controller can easily accomplish this but care must be exercised to avoid damaging (“bricking”) the controller. Follow the steps below to ensure the best outcome. Note: The terms “interface” and “controller” refer to the same thing and are used interchangeably.

Requirements

For HomeSeer Users

• HS4 Version: 4.2.19.16 or later

• Z-Wave Plus plugin v1.0.0.0 or later

For Home Assistant Users

Home Assistant has two Z-Wave add-ons, the (official) Z-Wave JS addon, and the community add-on for Z-Wave JS UI. Only the latter supports NVM backup and restore. Users can also run Z-Wave JS UI standalone (e.g. in Docker) as an alternative to using the community add-on, or entirely separate from Home Assistant.

• Z-Wave JS UI (either version listed below)

  • Standalone Z-Wave JS UI v9.9.0 (or later)

  • HA Community Add-on v3.4.0 (or later)

Steps

On a HomeSeer system

The following steps are for users migrating from older 500 series controllers (with SDK version lower than 6.61). If your existing controller is running v6.61 or higher, skip to step #7.

1. Ensure that the HomeSeer V4 Z-Wave plugin is installed and enabled for your older Z-Wave controller.

2. Navigate to Plugins > Z-Wave > Advanced Functions and select Backup Interface. Take note of the file name (or rename it if you like) and start the backup.

3. Remove the older controller and install a newer 500 or 700 series controller (with SDK version 6.61-7.20). Navigate to Plugins > Z-Wave > Manage Interfaces, disable and delete the existing interface, then add a new interface to connect to your newer controller.

4. Disable, then Enable the V4 plugin to initialize the newer controller.

5. Navigate to Plugins > Z-Wave > Advanced Functions and select Restore Interface from Backup. Select the backup file that was created in step 2 above and click START. Wait for this process to finish.

6. Disable the V4 plugin and enable the Z-Wave Plus plugin. Follow the steps in the next section to migrate from the newer 500 or 700 series controller to the G8 controller.

The following steps are for users migrating from newer 500 series controllers or from 700 series controllers (with SDK version 6.61 or higher).

7. Ensure that your existing 500 or 700 series Z-Wave controller is connected to your system and working with the Z-Wave Plus plugin. If you’re new to the Z-Wave Plus plugin and have not already set it up, see Setting Up the Z-Wave Plus Plugin

8. Navigate to Plugins > Z-Wave Plus > Advanced Functions and select Backup Interface. Go through the steps to create your backup file and save it. Remember the name of this file; you’ll need it soon!

9. Remove the existing 500 or 700 series Z-Wave controller from your system.

10. Connect the G8 controller to your system using the steps in Setting Up the Z-Wave Plus Plugin

11. Navigate to Plugins > Z-Wave Plus > Advanced Functions and select Restore Interface. Go through the steps to restore the backup file to your G8 controller. Wait for this process to finish.

12. Navigate to Plugins > Manage and restart the Z-Wave Plus plugin by disabling and then enabling it. If the migration was successful, you should now be able to monitor and control your Z-Wave devices.

On a Home Assistant system

These instructions may change over time. Be sure to check the official Home Assistant documentation for the most up to date information.

1. Ensure that your existing Z-Wave controller is attached to your system and working with the Z-Wave JS UI (version 9.9.0 or later) app.

2. Open the Z-Wave JS UI Control Panel, click the round blue hamburger menu button and select Advanced actions.

3. Find the NVM Management action, click the BACKUP button and click OK to begin the backup. This may take a few minutes to complete. When finished, an NVM_<date>.bin backup file will be generated and saved in your store directory or downloads folder.

   

4. Remove the existing Z-Wave controller from your system.

5. Connect the SmartStick G8 to your system and configure its path in the Z-Wave JS UI settings.

6. Open the NVM Management action again, click the RESTORE button, select the NVM_<date>.bin backup file you created in Step 3 and click OK. This will initiate the restore process. A notification will appear when the process is complete. If the migration was successful, you should now be able to monitor and control your Z-Wave devices.