Smooth Home Assistant Migration: Backup, Relocation, and SkyConnect Configuration

General
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Hey everyone! I’m excited to share my experience with migrating my Home Assistant setup during a recent move. If you’re planning a relocation and want to ensure your smart home setup stays seamless, this might be helpful for you! :house_with_garden::sparkles:

The Setup

I’ve been running Home Assistant on an Intel NUC with a SkyConnect Stick for Zigbee devices. It’s been working like a charm, but moving meant I needed to plan carefully to keep everything running smoothly, especially since some devices rely solely on Wi-Fi.

The Plan

  1. Backup the Current System: I started by creating a full backup of my Home Assistant setup. This was crucial to ensure I didn’t lose any configurations or automations.
  2. Temporary Setup at the New Place: I set up a temporary Home Assistant instance on a laptop using the backup. This allowed me to test all my Zigbee devices and ensure everything was working as expected.
  3. Final Migration: After confirming everything was in order, I restored the updated backup onto my Intel NUC at the new location.

The Challenge: SkyConnect Stick Configuration

While the backup and restore process worked perfectly for Home Assistant, I ran into a bit of a snag with the SkyConnect Stick. The stick’s network settings and Zigbee configuration weren’t fully captured in the backup. After some research and trial and error, here’s what I figured out:

SkyConnect Stick Configuration Steps

  1. Backup Network Settings:
    • PAN ID: 11
    • Extended PAN ID: 50:xx:xx:xx:c2:xx:b9:5e
    • Channel: 11
    • Coordinator IEEE: e0:79:xx:xx:xx:13:xx:4b
  2. Radio Type and Serial Port:
    • Radio Type: ezsp
    • Serial Port: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Nabu_Casa_SkyConnect_v1.0_2ac5629adc56ed11880350ca5720eef3-if00-port0
    • Baudrate: 115200
  3. Restoring Zigbee Network:
    • I exported the Zigbee network configuration from my old setup and imported it into the new one. This involved manually entering the settings since they weren’t included in the Home Assistant backup.

Tips for a Seamless Migration

  • Test Early: Set up your temporary system as soon as possible to catch any issues early.
  • Document Everything: Keep detailed notes of your network settings and device configurations. This was a lifesaver during the restore process!
  • Use the Right Tools: Tools like zigpy and zha-quirks were invaluable in troubleshooting and restoring my Zigbee network.

Outcome

Thanks to careful planning and some helpful tips from the community, the migration went smoothly! My Zigbee devices are back online, and everything is working as expected. It’s a relief to have my smart home fully operational again!

If anyone has questions or needs advice on migrating their Home Assistant setup, feel free to ask! I’m happy to help! :handshake::bulb: