View source for Migrate To Z-wave version 452

[[Category:User Instructions]]
[[Category:How To]]

HOW TO MIGRATE FROM THE OLDER Z-WAVE VERSION (2.78) TO THE NEWER Z-WAVE VERSION(3.20

'''NOTE: This migration only works with a Vera 2.'''

==Introduction==
Inside your Vera2, or your Vera1's dongle, is a Z-Wave chip.  Z-Wave has its own firmware, separate from Vera's firmware.  There are now 2 different versions of the Z-Wave firmware which Vera supports: 2.78, which has been available for a long time and is what all Vera's up until March 2011 have shipped with, and 3.20, which is a newer Z-Wave version.

The newer Z-Wave version gives Vera the ability to optimize the Z-Wave network and increases reliability, particularly in large and complex network with lots of Z-Wave devices.  But, the newer Z-Wave no longer supports what are called inclusion controllers (ie SUC/SIS).  This feature, which existed in the older Z-Wave version, allowed you to add a secondary, handheld controller to the Z-Wave network, and then include additional Z-Wave nodes using that handheld controller.  With the newer Z-Wave, this no longer works and you will always need to use Vera itself to add new nodes.  Nearly all our customers did that already anyway, and very few users ever used the inclusion controller feature in the older Z-Wave.  Therefore we recommend new customers always use the newer version of Z-Wave.  Starting in March, 2011 new Vera's will have the newer Z-Wave version selected by default.

The Z-wave chip inside Vera 2's is upgradeable, meaning Vera can automatically load either the newer or older Z-Wave firmware into the chip.  You can change which version Vera uses by selecting the Z-Wave icon in your toolbox, selecting the options tab, and checking the "Use 4.5 branch of Z-Wave" box to use the newer Z-Wave, or unchecking it to use the older Z-Wave, and then saving your changes.  After you have saved your change, wait about 2 minutes, and check back on the same tab.  At the top where it says version, if the version is "3.20" you are using the newer Z-Wave, if it says "2.78" you are using the older Z-Wave.

'''VERY IMPORTANT:'''  After Vera has finished changing the Z-Wave firmware, you should choose the "Reset Z-Wave network" button which is on the Advanced tab of the Z-Wave settings.  This will clear out your entire Z-Wave network, removing all your devices, and starting clean.  The reason for this is that the way the newer Z-Wave firmware stores the Z-Wave network data is slightly different.  If you move from the older to the newer version without doing a reset it is likely you will not be able to add or remove any nodes.  This "Reset Z-Wave network" resets the network data in either the newer or older format from scratch, so the Z-Wave chip will be ready to go.  See the section below if you want to migrate from the older to newer Z-Wave without resetting your network.

==Prerequisites==

Officially this is not possible.  Officially you have to reset your Z-Wave network and rebuild your network from scratch.  While this is not an issue for a new user or a really small network, some Vera users have large Z-Wave networks already setup with lots of scenes and will not want to redo everything.  Therefore we have developed the following method which should work most of the time, and it includes making a backup so you can go back if it doesn't.

Before you upgrade we recommend you run a Z-Wave repair/heal network, since this will create a reliability rating, or "health score", for all your Z-Wave nodes.  Then after upgrading you can run it again and see if the reliability has improved.  To do this, choose the Z-Wave icon from the toolbox, choose the Repair tab, and click 'Go'.  Depending on the size of your network the process will take anywhere from 1 hour for smaller networks, up to 8 hours for networks with 80+ Z-Wave devices.  It's best to start it at night before going to bed so nobody will be manually using the Z-Wave devices during the test as this can throw the profiling off so the health score is not as accurate.  Once the process has completed, return to the Repair tab and you should be able to view the Repair report using the pull-down menu.  You can save this and compare after you migrate to the newer Z-Wave firmware.

* Upgrade to the latest Vera firmware.  It must be version 1.1.1221 or later (March, 2011).

== Instructions ==

#  After upgrading, click the Z-Wave icon, choose the Advanced tab, and click "Backup Dongle".  Confirm that within a minute or so you get a Backup: Backup done message in the info panel in the upper right corner of the dashboard, along with a green gear icon.
#  Choose the advanced icon from the toolbox and click the Backup tab.  Choose the option "Create Backup".  This will give you the option of saving a file called "backup.mios2...something".  Save this file on your computer somewhere and hold onto it.
#  Then go into the Z-Wave option in the toolbox, click the Options tab and choose "Use Z-Wave version 3.20 instead of 2.78".  You should also check the box "Use MiOS routing instead of Z-Wave (requires 4.5)" and "Limit neighbors to Z-Wave discovery (requries MiOS routing)".  Close the popup and click Save.  Wait about 5 minutes for Vera to finish flashing the firmware, then click the Z-Wave toolbox and choose the Options tab and confirm at the top it says "Version:  3.20".
# At this point, you likely will not be able to add or remove nodes.  You can try if you want.  It won't hurt anything.  Click on the "Advanced tab" and choose "Hack to convert 2.78 to 3.20".  Wait a couple minutes and try to add or remove nodes.  If you can, then you should be okay to proceed without wiping our your network.  If you cannot, or if you see other network errors, you will only have 2 options: 1) choose the "Reset Z-Wave network" button which will wipe out your network so you can rebuild it from scratch, or 2) Go back to the older 2.78 Z-Wave and restore the backup you made.
# If you want to go back to the older Z-Wave you must: Uplug Vera's power and reconnect it.  When Vera starts up, uncheck the "Use Z-Wave version 3.20 instead of 2.78" box, close the popup and save.  Wait a couple minutes and confirm that the Z-Wave version is now 2.78.  Then choose the Advanced option from the toolbox, the backup tab, check the option "Restore Dongle", click "Choose File", select the backup file you created, and click "Restore".  Wait about 10 minutes and everything will be back to what it was in the beginning.

==References==