Give your HC2 a new and better life!

[Ju2 0]

Thank you so much !

I'll have a try in the next days/weeks

 

Have a nice evening !

[_dynek 0]

I was looking into transforming my HC2 to HA, but first wanted to understand if I could re-use the zwave chip/controller that comes with it.

(and also to backup things before I started modifying it).

 

So I booted a USB stick with a live linux system, and what actually happens is that it reboots after a few minutes, even if I'm using the system.

It looks like the same thing happens when I'm in the BIOS and leave it idling for some time.

 

I removed the fibaro USB stick, to make sure it wasn't guilty for this, to no avail.

 

Whatever I'm trying to do the box reboots after a few minutes.

It doesn't happen with Fibaro's system though, it keeps running.

 

Anyone else witnessed this? Any solution?

[RH_Dreambox 189]

Hi @_dynek
If you want to start using a real home automation (HomeAssistant) then the motherboard in the HC2 is a good start.
Unfortunately, you cannot reuse the components that Fibaro has mounted on the motherboard.

 

You have to remove these components as my pictures show, otherwise the system will behave strangely.

It is not possible to use Fibaro's Z-wave module, it must be replaced by a USB Z-wave stick.

 

Fibaro's backup can't be used either because it only works on your Fibaro system and is encrypted.
So when you start with HomeAssistant, you start with a completely clean system free from Fibaro's limitations.

 

It is also important that you read the information that describes how to install HomeAssistant.
In the motherboard BIOS you need to enable UEFI boot and also disable Secure Boot as described in the manual.

 

Please login or register to see this link.

 

In the beginning you will feel unfamiliar with how the system is handled, but after a while you will be happy with your system and the fact that you are free from Fibaro's limitations.
And don't forget to search YouTube, where you will find lots of videos on how to install HA, how to add integrations, add-ons, devices, etc.

There is a sea of integrations and add-ons ready to use.

 

Please login or register to see this link.

 

And if you e.g. want a voice-controlled automation, it is available in HA ready to use.

[_dynek 0]

Thank you for your answer @RH_Dreambox!

 

Regarding the fact that the box reboots, do you think Fibaro's components (zwave, etc.) are guilty ?

 

As I need my home automation to run while I transfer device to Home Assistant, I think I'm going to go with a Raspberry PI 4/5, and I ordered a ZooZ 700 USB stick.

 

Thank you!

[RH_Dreambox 189]

Hi @_dynek

If I understand you correctly, if you start your HC2 with an external operating system (Linux), it will reboot after a while.
But if you start it with Fibaro's system, it works as it should?

 

If so, it may very well be that Fibaro's components are interfering with your Linux. Fibaro's operating system is still connected and it might try to start up and collide with your Linux.

Regarding Fibaro's USB security stick, it should not be connected at all. It is many years since Fibaro stopped using it and the recommendation is to remove it.

 

And a Raspberry PI 5 will be fine as hardware for the HA. But my recommendation is that you connect an SSD disc to run HA on.
The reason is that an SSD disc is much faster than an SD card.
Also, SD cards have a tendency to crash when you least expect it.

 

And just don't forget to exclude the devices in HC2 before including them in HA.

[Casper du Plessis 0]

@RH_Dreambox

 

Thanks for this, I am replacing my RasPi4 with this.  I though the HC2 would see the bin soon.  

 

A question, is there no way to implement the existing Zwave that came with the HC2 into this setup?

 

 

1 minute ago, Casper du Plessis said:

@RH_Dreambox

 

Thanks for this, I am replacing my RasPi4 with this.  I though the HC2 would see the bin soon.  

 

A question, is there no way to implement the existing Zwave that came with the HC2 into this setup?

Apologies, I see this was answered.

1 minute ago, Casper du Plessis said:

 

 

[Sjekke 87]

Hey there …  this forum still exists … long time I logged in 🙊. Moved 2 years ago from HC2 > HC3 > HA running in a virtual machine on a NAS with Zwave and Zigbee. And I confirm … Fibaro will never catch up with HA.

[OAKE 0]

I have a question about RFXCOM. I have plenty of 433 MHz devices on my home and I bought HC3 for the promisses that it will be able to communicate with them.

However, my question is this:

Since I have very long distances to all of the devices, what is the solution for using RFXCOM ?

It is written that they support wifi, what does it mean ? Can I supply them in a remote location and connect them to the home wifi ? Or they need to be connected to USB on the main computer ?

Thank you in advance for the answer

Edited September 13, 2025 by OAKE

[RH_Dreambox 189]

Hi @OAKE

I also bought an HC3 when it was launched because I had a lot of 433 MHz devices. Fibaro announced that their ‘game changer’ could handle 433 MHz and many more protocols. What they didn't mention was that 433 MHz only applied to devices manufactured by NICE.
For me, this was a major disappointment, which is why I now use HomeAssistant for my home automation. HomeAssistant has enormous support for all kinds of devices and protocols.
My HC3 has long been disconnected and relegated to the basement, and I will never use it again.

 

Connecting a USB RFXCOM to the HC3 will not work. I also do not believe that a WiFi RFXCOM will work, as there is no support for this.
Perhaps a skilled programmer could create a script or QuickApp that can extract data via WiFi.

As for communication distance, my RFXCOM communicates with devices 35 metres away in my greenhouse.

I also managed to read my neighbour's wind gauge 200 metres away (with a clear view)

[OAKE 0]

Hi !

My plan is to use RFXCOM with Home Assistant, not with HC3.

But I need to know if RFXCOM needs an USB connection to the computer, because this will not work for all my devices 

Just now I do have 3 telldus devices to control house and summer kichen (30m away from house). My walls are 50cm and this kills most of the radio wawes ...

[RH_Dreambox 189]

@OAKE

OK, I understand.
My RFXCOM is not WiFi, but if necessary, I can use a 10 m long USB extension cable. It has a built-in signal amplifier that compensates for signal loss in the cable. But I don't need to use it because my walls are thinner and made of brick and plasterboard.
But if you buy a WiFi RFXCOM, you can position it so that it communicates better with your devices.

Then you don't need to use USB port.