My Z-Wave USB controller died and I’ve ordered a new one that should be here in a couple days. So three questions for you:
Is there an “easy button” for moving my 15 Z-wave devices to the new controller? (I assume the answer is no, but I figured it was worth asking)
In the absence of an easy button, any advice on how to do this in the least painful way? I’m not looking forward to factory resetting every device, walking around the house with my Pi re-pairing each device, and then troubleshooting all my automations to account for entity name changes.
I’m currently on the old Z-wave integration. Is this a good time to switch to JS? Or is it better to get the new controller up and running and then make the switch in a few more months?
It depends. What brand zwave controller? Aeotec has a backup tool so you can easily migrate your config to a new stick. But since you are asking I assume you don’t have that available.
so the answer to 1 is likely “no”.
The only way to do it lacking the backup from question 1 is to factrory reset each one and re-include them to the new stick.
It will be easier when you get everything re-included if you make the names of the entities from the new stick the same as the ones from the old stick. If you do that then everything else won’t need to be messed with. They should all “just work”
I would probably try to do the upgrade now with the new stick since, if it works, you won’t have to rename everything again later. Again make sure the entity names are the same as the existing ones and it will be easier.
If that doesn’t work for some reason then just go with the old zwave again and get that working and migrate later.