Having searched I can not seem to find the answer so sorry if I have missed it. searching the nett I get different answers but a common one is a total of 75 devices for a Vera lite. What does Vera class a device as ? is a multi sensor one device, or does each of the child devices count as a device ? Do plugins like Day or Night and others count as a device ? reason for asking is I have just added my Powermax + alarm panel which now shows up as 11 devices and I have about 8 more sensors to add to my alarm panel. so I will be getting near the 75 if each child device is counted in the total number.
The 75 devices(acutally 70 devices) is not a hard limit, but rather a sizing recommendation. Vera LTD.(Micasaverde) say that a Vera Lite should have no problem with up to that many devices, but memory constraints of the Vera Lite may become an issue after that. The actual number may be more or it may be less. Use the number to plan and base your buying decision. After that, simply upgrade to a Vera 3 if your Vera Lite starts running out of memory.
A multisensor is a single device.
Your alarm panel is likely also a single device, though it shows up as multiple devices.
Plugins don’t have a device count per se. Some use very little memory while others use a lot of memory and would count as multiple devices. The Day or Night plugin would be roughly equivalent to one device.
If you already have a Vera Lite, don’t worry about device counts, until you start having problems. If you are contemplating which to purchase, buy a Vera 3 if you are anywhere close to the 70 device count. You will definitely add more devices in the future.
[quote=“Z-Waver, post:2, topic:184050”]The 75 devices(acutally 70 devices) is not a hard limit, but rather a sizing recommendation. Vera LTD.(Micasaverde) say that a Vera Lite should have no problem with up to that many devices, but memory constraints of the Vera Lite may become an issue after that. The actual number may be more or it may be less. Use the number to plan and base your buying decision. After that, simply upgrade to a Vera 3 if your Vera Lite starts running out of memory.
A multisensor is a single device.
Your alarm panel is likely also a single device, though it shows up as multiple devices.
Plugins don’t have a device count per se. Some use very little memory while others use a lot of memory and would count as multiple devices. The Day or Night plugin would be roughly equivalent to one device.
If you already have a Vera Lite, don’t worry about device counts, until you start having problems. If you are contemplating which to purchase, buy a Vera 3 if you are anywhere close to the 70 device count. You will definitely add more devices in the future.[/quote]
Good advice, thank you! My Vera3 Lite is running GOD AWFUL slow (walk into a room and wait 15 seconds type slow). I was attributing it to UI7. After reading your article, I’m starting to think I’m overloading my Vera3 Lite (see my signature block).
I placed a Vera3 on order even though I don’t need the router etc.
Any advice on moving my devices/scenes from a Vera3 Lite to a Vera3?
That’s a 2 step process.
- Do a z-wave backup on your Veralite
- Restore from that backup to your new Vera 3 (Making sure both run the same firmware version.)
One caveat is that the admin password (on the bottom of Vera) will also have been restored from your Veralite so you’ll have to change it to match the one on the bottom of your Vera 3 again)
This is how many of us upgraded from Vera2 to Vera3.
[quote=“BOFH, post:4, topic:184050”]That’s a 2 step process.
- Do a z-wave backup on your Veralite
- Restore from that backup to your new Vera 3 (Making sure both run the same firmware version.)
One caveat is that the admin password (on the bottom of Vera) will also have been restored from your Veralite so you’ll have to change it to match the one on the bottom of your Vera 3 again)
This is how many of us upgraded from Vera2 to Vera3.[/quote]
I already changed the password on my Veralite. It sounds like I can move over the z-wave configuration, but not much else?
I have significant delays quite often and I have far less than 70 devices on a Vera 3 UI5. I often get 10+ second delays before anything happens, other times I get almost instantaneous response on one device and 10+ seconds on all the rest in the command. My Vera 3 runs with plenty of available memory but never less than 40pct CPU more than half the time above 80 pct, and periods of well over 100 pct. I have been completely unsuccessful in figuring out what is going on and I’m frustrated
I was thinking of starting a checklist of things to check or try with a “My Vera is slow” problem.
- Rebuild/Repair your Z-wave network
- Check your memory usage using top from a terminal window
- Look for LUUP restarts
- Upgrade from VeraLite to Vera if the number of devices exceeds 70 (virtual devices count)
- Test your assumptions that the scene trigger is working (your motion detector itself may be responsible) etc.
- Downgrade from UI7 to UI5 if you can
etc…
I was thinking of starting a checklist of things to check or try with a “My Vera is slow” problem.
- Rebuild/Repair your Z-wave network
- Check your memory usage using top from a terminal window
- Look for LUUP restarts
- Upgrade from VeraLite to Vera if the number of devices exceeds 70 (virtual devices count)
- Test your assumptions that the scene trigger is working (your motion detector itself may be responsible) etc.
- Downgrade from UI7 to UI5 if you can
etc…[/quote]
Prety good start. I can tell you so far:
- I’ve done heal after heal with no change
- My memory usage (via Event Viewer) is excellent
- There are what i think are an inordinate number of restarts for a fixed function machine. some days I get three or four in the middle of the day for no apparent reason, occasionally one right after the other, other days just the normal 02:00 restart
- I’m on a Vera 3
- Verifying Motion Detections are a problem in some cases but in my case it happen s all over the house with motion and ordinary magnetic sensors so I don’t think its a sensor reliability matter
- On UI5 … from what I’ve read so far I can’t see the current UI 7 making much of anything better.
Personally i see the biggest shortcoming in the Vera system as the lack of a good test tool to track down these kinds of problem. It could be a bad switch/outlet, it could be ZWAVE routing problems, etc., but there doesn’t appear to be a tool that will even get you started. The standard response I get is look in the logs … my Vera spews out a few hundred or more log entries a minute … correlating a sensor trip with the command to turn on the light is nigh on to impossible and it gets worse exponentially with the number of sensors and controlled devices.
My system worked fine until some point in time and then went haywire. I have no way to know what it was that changed and I can’t say I have much interest in deleting everything and starting from scratch especailly as I have no way to know that that will actually solve anything.
Frustrating
Interesting concept. In the programming world, this would be a trap, or an entry in a log file. In the hardware world, perhaps something that goes “beep” every time a specific sensor trips… Walk into a room, and if you hear a beep, but nothing happens, that’s one type of error. If you don’t hear a beep until some time later, perhaps the sensor itself is the problem. I find myself going into a room looking for the 4-in-1 sensor led to blink… not the best way to know if the sensor “sees” me. I’ve also tried different 4-in-1 positions in the room thinking that perhaps I’m too close to the 4-in-1 to trigger or perhaps too “head on” (that’s supposed to be a blind spot right?).
Regardless, performance of the Vera is critical to the success of home automation. Otherwise, you might as well throw the damn switch! How many of us are standing in the dark waiting on Vera? I’m upgrading from Veralite to Vera, but my expectations are low. I think UI7 introduced a performance bug.
Very true. a real debugging tool would be very helpful. As I said I’m confident that in my case it isn’t a problem with the sensor, there is something internal to Vera that delays the command from getting a) processed at all or b) getting to the controlled device.
The backup includes devices and scenes but I’m not 100% sure if it’ll do all plugins.
The backup includes devices and scenes but I’m not 100% sure if it’ll do all plugins.[/quote]
I would love to see a step by step on moving from a Veralite to a Vera. Do you have to login as root, move the backup over somehow, and restore?
The backup includes devices and scenes but I’m not 100% sure if it’ll do all plugins.[/quote]
I would love to see a step by step on moving from a Veralite to a Vera. Do you have to login as root, move the backup over somehow, and restore?[/quote]
I’ve done it and its really quite straightforward.
- Take a BACKUP including ZWave
- Log into your new Vera
- RESTORE selecting the BACKUP file just created including the ZWave network
- It will complain about a different device type, just ignore it and go on
- Voila, Vera 3 up and running
Deleted
Thanks Z-Waver that answered my question, was just concerned really if my control panel and multi devices counted as more than one, my vera is running OK at the moment, just needed to get an idea what I can still add before I get into problems, only real one so far is Vera some mornings doesn’t run the heating system scene, but she usually waits to it’s very cold morning to miss running it ;D
Have you tried to include without doing this? A full/high power inclusion works in many cases and that all I ever do now unless I run into a problem where it wont pick it up.
Have you tried to include without doing this? A full/high power inclusion works in many cases and that all I ever do now unless I run into a problem where it wont pick it up.
http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Full_Power_Inclusion[/quote]
Second this, the ONLY way I do it too
Have you tried to include without doing this? A full/high power inclusion works in many cases and that all I ever do now unless I run into a problem where it wont pick it up.
http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Full_Power_Inclusion[/quote]
Second this, the ONLY way I do it too[/quote]
But don’t you have to fiddle with the zwave device (they all seem to require something different) and look at the Vera led to see if it “took”? You can only do that if the Vera is right by the zwave device right?
So many times, I carefully follow the inclusion process… and nothing. I then remove the device from the zwave network (this seems to work easier than the include) and then include it until I see the led zitter once (a technical term). As I understand it, Vera recommends removing the device first.
[quote=“hmspain, post:18, topic:184050”]But don’t you have to fiddle with the zwave device (they all seem to require something different) and look at the Vera led to see if it “took”? You can only do that if the Vera is right by the zwave device right?
So many times, I carefully follow the inclusion process… and nothing. I then remove the device from the zwave network (this seems to work easier than the include) and then include it until I see the led zitter once (a technical term). As I understand it, Vera recommends removing the device first.[/quote]
Nope even better no looking at LED’s. All you do is open you VERA UI and go to Add devices in the devcies tab. You can watch the device being added as you do it. No guessing LED lights. If you have a laptop, tablet, phone you can open a web browser and watch it there or on a desktop you can go flip the switch and walk back to the computer and see if it shows up.
In for a penny… I made the move to Vera (vs my old Veralite). When I bought the Veralite, I didn’t see any mention of a device limit of 70 devices; I must admit a fault of not reading EVERYTHING before leaping… hehe.
The new Vera (more capacity!) is on board thanks to some excellent advice;
- Backup your Veralite
- Install the Vera and upgrade the firmware
- Restore the Veralite backup to your new Vera
- Debug and fix all the problems LOL
My Nest app had to be re-installed, my Phillips Hue controller was no longer authorized. Mostly easy fixes. I still have a few switches that are not reporting, but things appear to be stable.
The new Vera appears to be a smidge more responsive. I still walk into a dark room, and wait for the lights; I’m not sure if my motion sensors are slow, or the Vera is slow to process things, or what…