I’ve been a Vera user for many years. I’m currently running a Vera Plus in both of my homes with sizeable device networks and, even with a few hiccups over the years, they have been extremely reliable. But I would like to stay relatively current, which likely means moving to the Ezlo Plus. I’ve been keeping my eye on the forum for the past year to try and get a sense of when the Ezlo Plus is ready to be a true & complete replacement for Vera Plus. I’m still not sure from what I’ve been reading.
If I order an Ezlo Plus, which is apparently back-ordered until October, am I going to get a full like-for-like replacement (I realize with some added benefits) for my Vera Plus? Is there anything to support migration, or will I need to rebuild my network, scenes, etc. from scratch? Is the web UI fully functional now?
I’ve attempted to search for topics that might answer my questions, but have been unable to find current, succinct answers in a single place. If anyone out there can provide some insight, it would be appreciated.
After some additional searching, I have answered a couple of my questions myself…the team are apparently working on a migration from Vera to Ezlo, but it sounds like this may be a few months away. So, I guess I’d be stuck re-building my network. I’m not necessarily opposed, as long as what I end up with is a fully-functional network again.
Still interested in any real-world, somewhat recent experience moving from Vera [Plus] to Ezlo [Plus].
In my opinion, the answer to your title question is “no”, for a number of reasons:
limited device support. Of the devices I have added to my controller, only one - a basic on-off plug-in wall outlet - has worked 100%. Two others work partially, one show up and seems to work, but never updates, and another adds but doesn’t work at all. Not a good record for a prime-time ready device
No local web interface. There is a beta WebUI, but it is remote access, which makes it useless if you want your device to work local-only (as you should if you care about security at all)
No/limited plugin support (I’ve seen some talk of plugins, but still very rough, limited, and no user-friendly way to install). This may not be an issue for you, but for me at least it is a 100% show stopper, as the majority of my home automation relies on inputs from my security system, and I also have a number of insteon devices that are currently integrated using the altsteon plugin.
I had high hopes for these new devices when they were first announced. I liked everything I was seeing and hearing from the likes of Melih and others. The hardware looks nice, and the promise of support and upgrades was heartening. I have to admit, however, that as time has dragged on, the beta programs died (the Ezlo Secure beta apparently never even happened, since I was technically accepted but that’s the last I heard), and little to no progress was made on any of the show-stopper issues, that my hopes have faded. At this point it’s looking like I’ll just have to run my Vera Plus until it dies, and then go hunting for another solution that supports my ecosystem, since sadly it doesn’t look like the Ezlo products will be getting there any time soon.
@ibrewster , thanks very much for the thorough reply. Most of what you said was what I suspected, just attempting to glean bits from various postings, but I really appreciate your putting it all together so succinctly. I, too, am disappointed and will likely be in the same boat…using my Vera Plus’ as long as I can until I’m forced to find another solution.
I actually have an extra Vera Plus still in a box as a failover, but even then, it’s more Ezlo will just stop supporting that hardware altogether before it actually fails.
I did that already back in January for two of the devices, and March for a third: ECS-412, ECS-411 and ECS-459. All say they are in “assigned” status, except for ECS-459 with says “waiting for customer”, but the latest note - from August 12th - says you are ordering the device and waiting for it to be sent.
Ok, I’ll grant you that one. However, being unable to access the web interface locally - as I can with my vera plus - is still a big issue, as it forces me to either a) allow outside access to my device, or b) use the mobile app for all configuration, neither of which is ideal. So this is still a valid reason this device is not ready for “prime time”
Sure. You have been since the beginning. This is a Good Thing, and I appreciate the fact it will take a lot of work and time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist yet, so it also remains a valid reason that this device is not yet ready for prime time.
If/when the above changes, I’ll be happy to recommend Ezlo devices to any and all with glowing colors. I want to like the devices. I do like the stated concept and hardware of the devices. At the moment however, my judgment stands: the Ezlo devices are not ready for prime time. And since the (apparent) death of the beta programs, I haven’t seen much progress either (see the multiple filed bug reports above that are still open, for example), thus my statement about loosing hope. Sorry, but that’s simply the honest truth from where I stand!
that’s fair enough @ibrewster .
btw: my responses are not designed to change your “Personal Opinion”…we welcome everyone’s opinions and only their own experiences will alter the opinions and not what others say.
Everyone’s personal circumstances is different.
Wish you all the best with whatever you choose in the future.
For my situation, I simply need something that’s rock-solid, reliable and does, at a minimum, everything my Vera Plus does with no work-arounds, changes in behaviour or limitations in how I configure. While I certainly enjoy home automation, it’s much less a hobby for me than a necessity for managing both of my homes. Hence, my question re: readiness for “prime time.”
It sounds like it will take a bit more time for the Ezlo platform to get there, and that’s OK. I just hope it’s before my Vera Plus gives out on me. I’ll keep abreast of progress and [possibly] make the transition when I feel the product is on par with my Vera Plus (functionality, device coverage, configurability).
Agreed, for the most part. Other than the occasional (rare) issue with Alexa integration that typically resolves itself after a few hours (and is probably due to factors outside of Ezlo’s control), I haven’t seen any issues in this area.
I would point out that those “bells and whistles” as you call them are what made the Vera platform the best option in the industry.
I seriously doubt that any of your users will care about the distinction It’s a feature of the unit, and either all the features work, or the unit has a problem.
Like I said though - even that not working is pretty rare, and probably not due to anything on your end
I agree, users wouldn’t know.
Hence I am making the distinction so that they understand the difference between having a rock solid firmware vs a cloud integration that has issues.
That is correct. That is why I did not include that in my statement.
Here is the list of all the products we work fully with https://ezlo.com/device-compatibility/
We also have created a process whereby we are handling integration requests.
I made the transition from smart things to Ezlo plus in Aug of 21. My zwave devices interfaced and worked well. I cannot get the google interface to work so 100% of my wifi devices are inoperable. If you have wifi devices stay away.
I have a Vera plus at my main home and it works so much better than Ezlo. Very disappointed I made this purchase.
Would you please allow us to work with you to get these operable?
I would like to get Benjamin (who heads up our Integration team) to get in touch with you.
