Hi i was going to implement vera3 in my unit with in wall lighting controllers and some power switches… I was jsut wondering if anyone can suggest or give some examples of uses for vera in their everyday lives for home automation.
We have a 2 bdr unit with a smart tv and aircon. I don’t know if vera is really essential to do anything with the aircon as it temp regulates itself…
just looking for some day to day examples of how people are using vera to get some ideas for scenarios!
I was also wondering… do these in wall dimmers work with halogen leds? and are they capable of on and off as well or do you need an in-wall zwave enabled power box:
http://www.smarthome.com.au/en/13-lighting-control
Some common examples from around my house, to get you some simple ideas. For the most part, these were done after observing all the repetitive/manual operations that were being done around the house, and sticking in a little Scene glue to make them happen automatically…
a) Turn on a few common lights at standard times at night.
Helps make the house look lived in when you’re not around, but also saves you getting up to turn on the lights when it’s dark.
b) Turn off the AirConditioner/Heater when I leave the house, turn them Back on when I get home…
Well, ok, I used to do this when I had Trane Thermostats. I’ve since cutover to using Nest Thermostats, and I really miss this functionality. In my case, I know to do this because the events are tied to my Alarm Panel. Simpler cases can be done with a Virtual Switch to simulate Home/Away.
c) Turn on the Lights when I open the Garage Door, at night time.
I use an Alarm sensor that was already on the Garage door, but the same can be done with Battery operated Z-Wave gear.
d) Turn on the Hallway light when I open the closet, at any time
The Hallway closet is in a place with no natural light, so I was turning on the Hallway light to see inside when I opened it.
e) Turn on the front light when someone approaches the house, at night time.
I’m mid-implementation for this, but it should be done by this weekend.
f) Detect if the Garage Door is open or not.
… and add functionality to let you close it if it’s open (check with local ordinances to see if this is legal or not in your area). I have the “Detect” part, but haven’t completed the wiring component for the “close” part.
I have a pretty simple setup. Here are some examples of how I use the Vera:
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I have 2 Kwikset locks that I program with different codes for different people. I have it setup restrict codes for certain people during certain times of the day/week. Additionally, it is setup to notify (email and SMS) me when specific codes are entered or if an invalid code is entered.
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I have 2 Fortrezz WWA-02 water temperature sensors paired. It is setup to notify me (email and SMS) when water is detected. These are in my laundry room where I have had leak problems in the past. In the future I plan to get the Fortrezz shut off valve and set it so that if the water sensors detect water the shut off valve will activate.
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I have several camera’s connected. I use the camera’s to view my house while I am away. Also I have a schedule set so that certain camera’s will move to a preset point during intervals in the day.
We have several spots in the house where the (incandescent) lighting is 300W+ (kitchen downlights, dining room chandelier, office downlights, etc.). It’s great to have those on a) dimmers and b) motion sensors with a short time out.
Stair light comes on as soon as you open the (mostly closed) door, or through a motion sensor as you start going up/down the stairs.
Arrival/departure scene (which includes unlocking the interior door from the garage, which is priceless; t-stat setback).
Open window detection through tie-in of the alarm sensors with Vera. In test-phase; idea is to have alerts when the weather plug-in says it’s raining, etc.
Ceiling fan speed regulated by ambient temperature (from t-stat).
Humidifier on/off regulated by temp/humidity sensor.
Not so much automation, but we love being able to dim a group of lights together (floor/table lamps on plug-in dimmers), in the living room, in the master bed room.
For the 1st couple of weeks I’ve been learning what I usually did/do everyday so I could program my Vera to save me time.
- windows - I have them all programed so they open at a certain time of the day, close and re-open according to the sun point, and close at the end of the day;
- lights - on according to the time of the day, or if the windows get closed;
- motion sensors - on according to the time of the day and to control some lights if they pick some motion.
I’ve been trying to connect my DVR with some cameras to Vera but no good some far.
Like many, I have an “away” scene
Away - sets the thermostat, turns on exit lights for a while, then turns them off, locks the doors after a minute, and keeps the outside lights on until I get home (unless I’m in vacation mode)
Bedtime - turns off the living room TV and all downstairs lights, lights a path to the bedroom for 2 minutes, turns on the bedroom nightstands, turns on the bathroom vanity for 5 minutes
Shower - trigger by turning on the bathroom exhaust fan, which turns on certain lights on/off sequence, and turns the fan off after an hour.
Powder room - automatically turns lights off after 3 minutes, and fan after 5
Outside - landscape and fountains automatically turn of 4 hours after I turn them on.