I Would like to learn more about what I can and can't do with micasaverde

Community Playground Getting Started & Initial Setup
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I’ve been using Schlage/Nexia at my second home/vacation rental located 1000 miles from my home. I’ve only used it for the front door lock and to control the the thermostat. I’m sure that Nexia has other features as well, but it seems just by the mere volume of activity on this site that micasaverde may be a better route.

Please bear in mind that even though I’ve had the system since 2006, I’m a Newbie. I would like to accomplish the following:

  1. Control the lock to the front door (meaning being able to set the lock codes and lock/unlock the door via Laptop and Android).

  2. Monitor the temperature, set the thermostat, set thermostat limits.

  3. Monitor and adjust the temperature of the hot tub.

  4. Schedule and/or turn on and off the sprinkler system

These are just the basics that I would like to be able to do. I have a Trane Thermostat and I assume that it would work with micasaverde also. I will probably change my front door lock since I stupidly installed one that you have to turn the deadbolt to gain entry, thus eliminating the ability to lock and unlock the door remotely.

I would appreciate any input that you may be able to give me, especially from those who have used Nexia in the past. And if there are any other ideas that I might employ, both for safety and for cost savings, I would really appreciate the input.

Oh, and by the way, I read something about Insteon and don’t know exactly what that is. Is that an alternative to z-wave?

Thanks in advance

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Yes. Vera can control Z-Wave locks through a web page or via smartphone apps. Setting pin codes via smartphone apps probably won’t happen. Such configuration tasks are typically done through the browser interface.

2. Monitor the temperature, set the thermostat, set thermostat limits.
Yes. Vera can do this with Z-Wave and WiFi thermostats and temperature sensors. Temperature limits will depend on the specific thermostat or it will require the use of a feature enhancement plugin like Program Logic Event Generator(PLEG). Vera itself will be limited in what it can do with regard to limits.
3. Monitor and adjust the temperature of the hot tub.
I'm not so sure about this one. Intermatic use to make a Z-Wave pool/spa controller, but I don't know if they still do. I do know that it won't be cheap.
4. Schedule and/or turn on and off the sprinkler system
This is also doable, however I've found automatic/programmable sprinkler systems such as Rain Bird systems with rain sensors to be less expensive and more robust. Other than the cool factor, there's really not that much need to be turning on sprinklers from a phone, in the use cases that I have seen.
These are just the basics that I would like to be able to do. I have a Trane Thermostat and I assume that it would work with micasaverde also. I will probably change my front door lock since I stupidly installed one that you have to turn the deadbolt to gain entry, thus eliminating the ability to lock and unlock the door remotely.

I would appreciate any input that you may be able to give me, especially from those who have used Nexia in the past. And if there are any other ideas that I might employ, both for safety and for cost savings, I would really appreciate the input.


Vera works well and supports most all Z-Wave devices in the U.S. market. There are some new products, such as the First Alert smoke alarms, that are not yet supported. I’m not aware of any Nexia devices that Vera doesn’t support.

Oh, and by the way, I read something about Insteon and don't know exactly what that is. Is that an alternative to z-wave?
Insteon is another technology/protocol like Z-Wave. Vera has an awareness of Insteon devices and can control them when you connect an Insteon modem to Vera.

Thanks to plugins Vera can also control a few WiFi devices like thermostats, wireless speakers, and more.

In a nutshell, Vera can do all that the Nexia does and more. Vera does not incur a monthly fee. Vera’s interface is not as fancy/refined as Nexia. Vera requires newbies to dig in and learn a bit to get the most out of it. The learning curve is higher than many casual users might like and for those users Vera is seemingly as limited as Nexia.

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Thank you for your reply. Sorry for the delay in responding. I didn’t know about your reply until I saw it today. My main goal is the ability to control the hot tub water temperature. I can probably save about $75 - $100 per month if I can find a reliable solution.

Thank you once again,

John

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Intermatic PE653RC MultiWave Z-Wave Wireless Pool/Spa Control System
http://www.smarthome.com/intermatic-pe653rc-multiwave-z-wave-wireless-pool-spa-control-system.html

Forum thread on the above http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,3242.0.html

Schlage locks are not a problem. I have 4 of them running. You can set the pin’s remotely if you login to your vera using the mios.com or getvera.com portal. Remote lock/unlock is not an issue. I can confirm both AuthomationHD and Imperihome can do this on Android.

Trane tstat is also not an issue as mine has been running and I’ve used scenes to set schedules rather then doing it directly on the tstat.