Alert when device is lost/disconnected

Community Playground General Discussions
1

Hi, I found a very old topic asking for the same question, but no answer for a long time.

Does any one figured out if it is possible when Vera Edge hub discovers in one of its polling cycles that one of the defined sensors is not answering anymore and gets a “timeout” to send an alert telling that such sensor is not reachable anymore?

Thanks and regards

2

This is in the notification menu of the vera if you want to use the vera app and notifications… It is under the user/log in section

3

Thanks for your fast answer.

I don’t have the possibility of test it just now, but thanks for the suggestion, as soon as I could do it, I’ll do.

Regards.

4

[quote=“fje, post:3, topic:199243”]Thanks for your fast answer.

I don’t have the possibility of test it just now, but thanks for the suggestion, as soon as I could do it, I’ll do.

Regards.[/quote]

Hi, I am now ready to test it, but I cannot find where it is. Do you refer to the Vera Alerts plugin that has to be installed in the VERA Edge controller? I have it installed and when I enter in edit it, I have a new windows with three columns Settings, Profile, Notifications and Editor Options.

If you refer to the Vera appl in the smartphone, I don’t find it either.

And I just downloaded and installed VERA Alerts in my smartphone, I logged in and I cannot find it either.

Maybe if you could send to me a picture of where to find it it could be of help.

Regards.

Javier

5

[quote=“fje, post:4, topic:199243”][quote=“fje, post:3, topic:199243”]Thanks for your fast answer.

I don’t have the possibility of test it just now, but thanks for the suggestion, as soon as I could do it, I’ll do.

Regards.[/quote]

Hi, I am now ready to test it, but I cannot find where it is. Do you refer to the Vera Alerts plugin that has to be installed in the VERA Edge controller? I have it installed and when I enter in edit it, I have a new windows with three columns Settings, Profile, Notifications and Editor Options.

If you refer to the Vera appl in the smartphone, I don’t find it either.

And I just downloaded and installed VERA Alerts in my smartphone, I logged in and I cannot find it either.

Maybe if you could send to me a picture of where to find it it could be of help.

Regards.

Javier[/quote]

On your Vera running UI7, please look under “Users & Account Info” —>“Notifications Settings”—>then check the “Device Error Alert (a device in your Vera is not working properly)” box. This will send you a Vera alert whenever you have a device problem. This does not require any third-party software or plug-ins. You will need to have set up notifications (push or email) under “User Info” first.

6

Found it!, thanks, and every one of the things you tell me was already marked, even I am a new user, probably my experience using other devices told me to do that way. My question anyway was if with that done I would receive an alert, you confirm it to me.

I suppose I will not get the alert till the controller does a polling to the device in error, that is also a parameter device dependent and that has to be balanced between a low number (more security, bad for the battery duration) or a not low number (more battery duration, less security).

Thanks for your help

Javier

7

Come back to this topic because was able to do a test just minutes ago.

I put mode “Home”, waited for some minutes, took out the battery of a NEO CoolCam motion sensor I have, again waited for some minutes, and the changed to mode “Vacations”.

I got alarms from Vera telling me movement was detected (Maybe that of minutes ago when I was taking out the battery?), but nothing telling a malfunction of the sensor.

Even more, I went to the VERA Dashboard and there was nothing marking in the Device that it was not working.

I have defined for that device 30 segs for polling and 300 segs (it seems to be the minimum) for wakeup time.

I have a similar problem with the controller going offline. I get a Vera alert in the Vera app in the smartphone, but not a push alert, and Vera App do not produce any sound in the Android smartphone to alert me that an alert has come. Is there any way to make me aware of such a condition with a sound for instance? I have defined Vera app in my smartphone with Notifications ON and also to be working when screen. is off

Of course I have all the notifications marked in Notifications Settings.

Any idea of help?

Ragards

8

I just enabled the “Device Error Alert (a device in your Vera is not working properly)” settings on my Vera.

I then unplugged one of my Z-Wave appliance plug devices and waited.

I then got bored of waiting and manually sent a Poll command to the device.

There was an Error message shown in the UI7 GUI as it could not poll the device.

However I don’t appear to have been sent an email notification about the device being offline.

So not sure if this works or not?

9

It does, it just takes some retries before it decided to send the notification.

10

OK will keep an eye out and report back.

Thanks

11

[quote=“cw-kid, post:10, topic:199243”]OK will keep an eye out and report back.

Thanks[/quote]

Is this something to report as an improvement? For example, think a bout someone with an frequency interferor (sorry, don’t know the exact English word) that cut the communication between the sensor and the controller. It doesn’t seems to be very reasonable to have to wait minutes (depending also of the polling period you defined) till someone is interfiring in your security system?.

And what about the controller itself offline? I didn’t get any push alert about it. (There was an alert in the VERA app, but you only see it if you enter in the app.

Regards

12

Well its been several hours since I unplugged that Z-Wave appliance plug and I still haven’t got any notification and no error banner on the device in the UI7 web GUI.

So if this does indeed work, it seems to be taking some time.

13

Should we open a ticket on Support or are they also watching this forum?

14

I will leave that plug not connected over night, see what happens then.

15

You should get push message when your controller is down, and a text message if you configured your phone number (remember there is daily limit for text messages).
I don’t think immediate response is good as you probably don’t want to be flooded with error messages if for example your power went down for a couple of minutes.

Wysłane z mojego Lenovo K53a48 przy użyciu Tapatalka

16

So it won’t email me ? I have added my mobile number previously, but I am in the UK so might not even get SMS message from Vera.

I generally use the 3rd party “Vera Alerts” and never bothered with Vera’s own inbuilt notification stuff.

17

I just got an email and an sms message from Vera LOL

Device:Front Garden LEDs (#84) in Front Garden is offline. alert: #16418684031, serial #. 2018-06-13 17:51:18

So it does seem to work after all. That Plug in the UI7 GUI now says “Can’t Detect Device” with a red banner.

18

[quote=“kwieto, post:15, topic:199243”]You should get push message when your controller is down, and a text message if you configured your phone number (remember there is daily limit for text messages).
I don’t think immediate response is good as you probably don’t want to be flooded with error messages if for example your power went down for a couple of minutes.

Wysłane z mojego Lenovo K53a48 przy użyciu Tapatalka[/quote]

Thanks for your answer. Let me go point by point.

I DO NOT get a push message when my controller is down, this is why I am concerned. A text message is received, but the daily limit may (and it does) cut it.

If I am using this devices for security alarms, I will not care if I get alarms for power cut at all. It could be also a alert that someone is cutting it. I understand that some places could have that problem, this could be configurable by the user in those cases.

Regards.

19

It should work as push message. I disabled e-mail notifications long time ago to avoid doubling them with push notifications so I siply forgotten of its existence (I use standard Vera service and it works well for me).

20

You should, as it is sent by Vera servers when they can’t reach the controller.

For that purpose battery operated devices are designed. They usually have tamper switches (one or more, depending on the design), firing alarm if someone try to tweak with them. And of course your router and controller should be on UPS, to be able processing the alert from device and act accordingly, i.e. fire (battery backuped) siren.

I wouldn’t rely on any security system which is not working in case of power failure.