Migration from another hub isn't easy and can be time-consuming. This guide will leave you through all the necessities when migrating Zigbee and Z-Wave devices to your Smart Home Hub. It forms part of a broader guide on managing and using Smart Home Hub which can be found here.



a.
Change Zigbee channel for older Zigbee devices.


Smart Home Hub by default uses Zigbee channel 25 upon initial setup. This channel unfortunately does not work well with older Zigbee devices. If you find that you are not able to connect older Zigbee devices although they are factory reset, you'll need to change the Zigbee channel that older Zigbee devices use. 


These steps are necessary if you are migrating older Zigbee devices to your new Smart Home Hub. 


Steps.

  1. Login to: http://ide.smartthings.com/
  2. Click "My Locations"
  3. Click on a Location "name"
  4. Click on "My Hubs"
  5. Click on your newly setup Smart Home Hub, the default name of it would be "Hub" if you didn't change the name after setup.
  6. At the bottom, click on "View Utilities"
  7. Select one of these channels: 14, 15, 19, 20, or 24. 
    • We recommend Channel 24.
  8. Click on "Update" underneath "Change Zigbee channel".
  9. Wait 1-2 minutes as it will take some time for the channel to change.
  10. Click on "My Hubs" and select your hub if you have to.
  11. Look under the "Zigbee" row, which you can verify which Zigbee channel is being used.



b.
Migrate from SmartThings V1, ADT, or Link.


For hubs without a direct migration process, you'll need to manually disconnect and then reconnect your Zigbee and Z-Wave devices from your previous hub, to your Aeotec Smart Home Hub. 


These SmartThings hubs do not have the capability to migrate:

  • SmartThings V1
  • SmartThings ADT Home Security
  • SmartThings Link for Nvidia Shield
  • Other Z-Wave or Zigbee Hubs


If you do not have a SmartThings V2 or V3 hub, you'll need to perform the steps for Zigbee and Z-Wave specifically to get them connected to your new hub.


Migrate Z-Wave devices.

All Z-Wave devices can only be connected to a single Z-Wave hub at a time. If you did not factory reset or unpair it from your previous hub, you will need to do so now before you can connect it again. If you no longer have the older hub, you can use your new Smart Home Hub to factory reset it using its Z-Wave Exclusion function.


Steps.

  1. Move your Z-Wave device within 10ft of your Smart Home Hub.

  2. From SmartThings app dashboard, tap Main Menu.

  3. Tap Devices.

  4. Find your Hub and select it.

  5. Tap the More Options icon.

  6. Tap Z-Wave Utilities.

  7. Tap Z-Wave exclusion.

  8. Tap the button on your Z-Wave device to factory reset it. Some devices require special button presses, so you may need to refer to your Z-Wave device manual if a single button tap does not work.

    You may continue to factory reset multiple devices by repeating step 8 to speed up your factory reset process.

  9. Go back to SmartThings dashboard.

  10. Tap +.

  11. Tap Device.

  12. Search "Generic Z-Wave Device"

  13. Tap "Generic Z-Wave Device"

  14. Tap Start

  15. Select Hub and Room, then tap Next.

  16. Tap the button on your Z-Wave device to connect it. Some devices require special button presses, so you may need to refer to your Z-Wave device manual if a single button tap does not work.


Migrate Zigbee devices.

All Zigbee devices must be manually factory reset and must have a method to reset them in order to connect them to a new hub. When transitioning, you’ll need to perform the manual factory reset outlined by the Zigbee device manufacturer. 


Steps.

  1. Manually factory reset your Zigbee device (refer to your Zigbee device manual for the correct button combination). 

  2. From SmartThings dashboard, tap +.

  3. Tap Device.

  4. Tap By Brand.

  5. Tap or search the Brand of your Zigbee device  (ie. Aeotec or SmartThings)

  6. Tap the type of device your Zigbee device is using.

  7. Tap Start
  8. Select Hub and Room, then tap Next.
  9. Tap the button on your Zigbee device to connect it. Some devices require special button presses or a re-power of your device, so you may need to refer to your Zigbee device manual if a single button tap does not work.



c.
Migrate from SmartThings V2 or V3 (Replace Hub).


With the change from Groovy to Edge drivers, a new Migration tool (Replace Hub) has arrived allowing you to shift over your full network containing Z-Wave, Zigbee, and Thread/Matter devices over to a new hub. This new tool will work with SmartThings V2, SmartThings V3, Aeotec Smart Home Hub, or SmartThings Station. 


Notes:

  • Performing a Replace hub requires you to have two hubs installed in a single "Location" in your SmartThings account. 
  • Performing the Replace hub feature will factory reset your old hub and restore that hub to factory defaults.
  • Make sure the network of the new hub is clean without any devices connected.
  • If your new hub does not support Z-Wave when you migrate, all Z-Wave devices will remain offline (SmartThings Station does not support Z-Wave). 
  • Hub Requirements
    • SmartThings hub V2 or V3, Aeotec Smart Home Hub, or SmartThings Station
    • Hub firmware must be on 50.XX or later. 
  • Mobile Phone Requirements
    • Android App V1.8.09 or newer
    • iOS app V1.7.09 or newer
  • Hubs will periodically create encrypted backups of information and network keys, mesh networks, driver states, and other key information. 
    • This will allow you to restore a broken hub's old network into a new network even if the old hub is offline. (Success of full network move to the new hub is a hit or miss)
    • It is still best when migrating hubs, that both hubs remain online for the best success rate of fully transferring your network.


How to perform a Replace Hub to shift your full network into another hub. 


  1. Make sure you have two hubs setup in a single "Location" in your SmartThings account. If you haven't yet, setup your second hub in the same location you've setup your hold hub. You can refer to this page in setting up a new hub: How to setup Smart Home Hub


  2. From the favorites page (if you have the hubs there), or the Device tab, choose the old hub that you want to transfer your network over by opening its page.



  3. Click () More Option at the top right



  4. Select "Replace Hub"
    • If you do not see "Replace hub" it is likely you have not setup your new hub yet in your account or your hub does not yet support this feature.
    • You can try reloading more options by tapping away to close the menu, and re-open () More Option again (which sometimes, the menu has not yet fully loaded yet, doing this refreshes the menu or allows the menu to fully load up). 
  5. On the new screen, select "Replace this hub" button at the bottom.



  6. Check the "Original hub" at the top and the "Replacement hub" at the bottom to make sure the correct hubs are selected.
  7. When you're sure, click on "Next", then give this page a second to load.



  8. Scroll through your devices all the way down, once you're ready, click on "Replace"



  9. It'll take about 20 seconds for the full network to transfer so wait patiently here. Once the process is done, it may take up to 20 minutes for all your devices to properly connect to your new hub and completely sync once the migration process is done.






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