[FeatureRequest] Replace a device

Ideas & Suggestions
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1

In the (almost) 6 years I own a Homey, one of the most tedious activities is replacing a device with a new device of the same type. This happens rather frequently, especially for some brands (Quibino, I’m looking at you!).

It would be awesome if there was a feature to replace a device, or replace all flows and variables from one device (which may not longer be responding, and perhaps is not even present anymore in the device list), with another device that is either to be added, or is already added, but does not yet have any flows attached.

7 Likes
Device replacement feature
Replace Device old to new
Homey Pro migration is a total failure
2

Agree,
something like [HOW-TO][Pro][Cloud] - Tool to FIX (advanced) flows after removing and re-adding devices but just in the WebApp or Mobile app with device Selection (also for removed devices with Cards in flows.)

Send Martijn a Cake! :birthday:

3 Likes
3

Sorry that’s way too technical for me. I prefer to design flows in a way that devices don’t / hardly need to be replaced.

Virtual devices in device capabilities goes a long way.

Use zones (activities, lights).

Maybe < groups > in certain places (still requires some replacing)

1 Like
4

Perhaps you should take a look at the script and thread @Dijker mentioned.
The device ID can also be found at Homey Developer Tools.

From there on it is not very much more than adding the old and new device ID in the script, run under Homey Developer Tools

The script in the first post of the link @Dijker mentioned has been constantly updated, so don’t get afarid of all the posts following the first post. :wink:

I agree that the how-to in the thread is a bit “clogged”, but once you get the hang of it it can save you a lot of time and effort! :slight_smile:

1 Like
5

I would like the possibility to exchange units, for example if a unit breaks down, and in the process adopt all connections in flows

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6

Good point,
I would say not only in the flows but also keeping the insights.
For Flows there is a workaround with a Script to fix them after you added a new device .

For fe zigbee devices that loose their connection there is a workaround to repair them by adding it and restarting the Homey App.

But I want to make this a FeatureRequest but see it is already. Therefore moved to [FeatureRequest] Replace a device

7

I’d like to point out, for contact and motion sensors it’s already in place, if you solely use “Zone is active” and “Zone is inactive” in the flows for the zones the sensors are in.
You can add, replace, remove sensors (not the last one of course) from zones, without having to fix flows.
Brands and models are redeemable.

8

No it is not in place for contract and motion sensors but icm zone activity you dont need it…
Still the device history ( insights ) are lost and there are plenty usecases even icm zone activity where you also use fe contractsensors in flows.

The request for replacing devices is just a valid feature request.

10

Noooo I certainly did not mean, and I wasn’t saying at all it is not a valid request.

Because contact and motion sensors are just a very small part of everything you can connect with Homey.

11

I’d like to revive this older thread, as the need for a proper device replacement feature in Homey has become even more relevant than before.

Currently, when a device needs to be replaced (for example due to hardware failure), the workflow is very manual:

  • Add the new device to Homey

  • Then replace it one by one in Groups, Flows, Advanced Flows, Dashboards, Modes, etc.

In larger setups this quickly becomes very time‑consuming and error‑prone, especially when the device is used across many automations and views.

With Thread becoming a major successor to Zigbee, this issue is only going to grow. We already see this transition happening with vendors like IKEA, where new product lines are Thread‑based instead of Zigbee. Building a stable Thread mesh often requires replacing multiple devices at once to achieve sufficient coverage and routing quality.

Using the current replacement process in these scenarios is extremely tedious.

Suggested solution

A simple, clear system-level feature such as:

  1. “Replace device”

  2. Select the device to be replaced

  3. Select the new device that should take its place

  4. Homey automatically swaps the device in all locations where the original device was used
    (Flows, Advanced Flows, Groups, Dashboards, Modes, etc.)

This would greatly reduce migration effort, minimize human error and encourage users to modernize their networks (Thread adoption)

I believe this would be a hugely valuable quality‑of‑life improvement and increasingly essential as device churn grows with Thread-based ecosystems.