Need your help moving from i686 to 64bit please

[pc__hs]

Hi all,

Newbie here, so please be gentle.

I am not a developer, not an expert in Linux (at all); I have an i686 (32bit, I think) Hometroller SEL running Lubuntu 14.?? with HS3PRO.

I went to install conbee/phoscon only to realize that it required 64bit, so after investigating I noticed that the Lubuntu install that I have is quite old - so I figured good time to upgrade.

I started reading and there's far too much out there (and too advanced) to choose the right approach from the start. So I need a helping hand.

I only have a few devices so I don't need a dedicated windows or linux machine to run HS3. The hometroller does fine.

These are the two options I've gathered so far:

Option 1:
- format the hometroller and do a fresh install of Lubuntu v18.
- kill all homeseer events, devices, etc.
- install HS3PRO
- reinstate tar backup of HS directory

Option 2:
- upgrade to Lubuntu 16 (from 14) but onto 64bit. - is this even possible? I read "yes" but for computer scientists only.
- upgrade from 16 to 18 (now both in 64 bit).
- this option hopefully retains HS devices, events, etc.

What is the very simplest approach possible?

I'd appreciate any help and direction you can provide.

Thanks,