MIOS Acquisition

Community Playground General Discussions
#41

One question I have and one that I would add to my wish list is why does Vera not support Regional frequencies from the settings menu.

To make available this feature (which I believe is there but never implemented) places it it on the world stage price wise.
Please don’t reply with “we can’t do that” because it is already being done with Z-Wave.Me and to a greater extent with Z-UNO.
Just make the device in whatever form it eventually becomes run from a USB and all will be good in the world again.
To long have we (in the Regional Areas) been price gouged with inflated retail prices, please consider this in your marketing strategy.
Good luck, you are indeed a brave man and I wish you every success with this venture.

#42

I’ve looked at the eZLO product lineup. The provided/available technical specifications give no insight into the actual product other than it’s a plug with power. The overview states WiFi and Z-Wave and everything is done through the mobile App or through the Web portal which leads to the conclusion of the product being CLOUD based.

Is this direction of Vera?

#43

[quote=“zedrally, post:41, topic:199656”]One question I have and one that I would add to my wish list is why does Vera not support Regional frequencies from the settings menu.

To make available this feature (which I believe is there but never implemented) places it it on the world stage price wise.
Please don’t reply with “we can’t do that” because it is already being done with Z-Wave.Me and to a greater extent with Z-UNO.
Just make the device in whatever form it eventually becomes run from a USB and all will be good in the world again.
To long have we (in the Regional Areas) been price gouged with inflated retail prices, please consider this in your marketing strategy.
Good luck, you are indeed a brave man and I wish you every success with this venture.[/quote]

@zedrally - I will partially answer in regards to z-wave localization.

To some extent this is possible but not recommended.
For example, we can change from software the frequency from EU to RU which is under a megahertz difference but it will definitely not work with greater spanned values.
Trying to change the Z-wave clock will result in unstable communication.

And it’s certainly more than changing a few numbers to the internal clock. Different regions have different certification processes and legalities to cover.

I don’t think multi-locale units is the solution, at least not technically, to the Australian situation. This needs to be approached at a different level. Maybe Melih is thinking about something.

#44

^^
Sorin, i strongly have to disagree as it is possible, ZUNO is just one example where the frequency is set on load of the code. Z-Wave.Me has an Experts setting in which frequencies can be changed, so your argument does not hold.
As far as certification, the Z-Wave chip is certified to all frequencies, however I suspect it isn’t in commercial interest to pursue this, rather let the consumer be gouged by the official regional importer.
Hopefully, this situation will now change to the benefit of end users.

#45

I’m sure Melih share’s your view in matters of offering an easy, solid and cheap home automation solution.

May the best and feasible solution win. :wink:

#46

That’s great for a small network(less than 20 devices), those of us with 85+ devices on out network need a more powerful hub. Personally, I would gladly pay 300-400 for a more power home automation system.

#47

Melih, what is your answer?

#48

Melih, what is your answer?[/quote]

I am honestly OK with a subscription model for higher end services. The ones Vera has already developed are just terrible. I would love to have fully functional cellular backup, but VeraProtect bundles monitoring, which I don’t want, and is so crippled (limited access) that I am not interested. (Should have been a low power LTE radio to qualify for AT&T’s IoT plans. 3G is backward thinking and must have been driven by a OEM.)

#49

[quote=“jeubanks”]I’ve looked at the eZLO product lineup. The provided/available technical specifications give no insight into the actual product other than it’s a plug with power. The overview states WiFi and Z-Wave and everything is done through the mobile App or through the Web portal which leads to the conclusion of the product being CLOUD based.

Is this direction of Vera?[/quote]I, too, went through the specifications and feel the same way. There’s just not enough information there to be confident.

I use an additional controller other than Vera that is very cloud dependent. I don’t like that it is, but it has also been more stable than my Vera Plus. That said, I still want a product that is NOT dependent on the cloud.

To me, I will never pay a subscription for home automation. If I wanted that, I’d buy a security system that has home automation included at a simple level. I truly hope that a subscription system is not what is planned. Sure, it can have it’s place, but not for the majority of users here.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

#50

Hi

The 3g/4g backup question, I solved that with the “tiny AC router”, found here: http://www.dovado.com/en/products

It did work in firmware below .20, but after the vera secure was released, they “removed” that option.

#51

Melih, what is your answer?[/quote]

I am honestly OK with a subscription model for higher end services. The ones Vera has already developed are just terrible. I would love to have fully functional cellular backup, but VeraProtect bundles monitoring, which I don’t want, and is so crippled (limited access) that I am not interested. (Should have been a low power LTE radio to qualify for AT&T’s IoT plans. 3G is backward thinking and must have been driven by a OEM.)[/quote]

Good for you, but I would still like an answer.

#52

I am totally against the subscription model for Vera. Vera’s selling point is (As per the website www.getvera.com)

NO MONTHLY FEES. NO CONTRACTS. NO HASSLES.
WHY PAY ANOTHER MONTHLY BILL THAT YOU DON?T NEED? THE ONGOING FEES FROM OUR COMPETITORS ADD UP QUICKLY AND COST YOU BIG TIME. WITH VERA, THERE ARE NO MONTHLY FEES ? JUST EVERYDAY BENEFITS!

#53

That’s great for a small network(less than 20 devices), those of us with 85+ devices on out network need a more powerful hub. Personally, I would gladly pay 300-400 for a more power home automation system.[/quote]

No you don’t! There is so much power in current CPUs…not all being squeezed…We already have tests done in Ezlo where we can provide over 100 devices seamlessly working lighting speed…we have these powerful CPUs turning on and off lights…unfortunately where the cpu power goes to is running totally unnecessary platforms like full linux OS to just turn the light on etc. Also there is a lot of inefficiencies in what protocols like how zwave is interpreted and communicated with internally within the cpu etc…We created 2 different versions of the hardware both based on cut down version of linux as well as based on our own Ezlo Atom RTOS (Real Time Operating System) which are lightningly fast. Now we need to get these to work with Vera/Mios backend so that you guys can play with them while we improve existing vera/mios firmware.

1 Like
#54

Bingo! This is indeed the right approach. Using Vera only as a ZWave interface, I can run all my HA under openLuup on a RPi using only about 5% of the CPU. It’s actually so little that I had this running on the tiny Linux processor on one of the original Arduino Yun boards.

Separating real automation logic from ZWave (or Bluetooh, or Zigbee, or Arduino, …) interfaces is just good architecture. Heck, you couldn’t even tell if the front end rebooted (like Vera currently does, again, and again.) If Vera becomes a backend only, with the heavy ZWave lifting being done by a dedicated (and small) processor, then I see a rosy future. The fundamental design of MiOS is very, very good (apart from scene triggers and logic.) The implementation has been poor, though, and the tight integration with ZWave protocol has made it abysmal.

#55

Melih, what about better support for fibaro modules and possibly OTA firmware updates according to zwave+ standard? And what about http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,63352.0/topicseen.html. and please do not forget my pay once question from above.

#56

Hardware will be…other services like security etc…will be a charged for services…we will make hardware as cost effective as humanly possible…

#57

Hardware will be…other services like security etc…will be a charged for services…we will make hardware as cost effective as humanly possible…[/quote]

What is the “etc”?

#58

Hardware will be…other services like security etc…will be a charged for services…we will make hardware as cost effective as humanly possible…[/quote]

What is the “etc”?[/quote]

We are going to be creating an ecosystem for developers to create amazing new services …just like security and so on…once we create the platform we believe in the creativity of developers to create very valuable, worthwhile services that end users will be happy to buy. I don’t have anything specific in mind at the moment.

#59

I started with Home Automation a long time ago (in my eyes) back in the 90’s using X10, having purchased outlets, switches, motions, etc over the years. I began moving over to Vera a few years go now, having again purchased a multitude of devices from thermos, switches, outlets, garage doors, etc. I still have my X10 stuff integrated (Thankfully, a plugin was created!), along with my z-wave items and most recently Alexa. I’ve been impressed with the fact that most things do just work unless you start doing some wild and crazy things or find devices that might not be outlet powered… Not having a neutral stops me with some items, but for the most part I’ve been happy.

The biggest issue I have had has been anytime an update occurs, good luck. It’s like playing at a craps table whether or not it will come back up or not. Thankfully, the rescue options do exist and with some effort can get it back, but I would wonder if a “typical” person getting into home automation could…

I would also like an option that would allow the hardware to work without the cloud if I so wished. I understand the convenience factor, and enjoy using it, but if something should happen to the cloud servers or my own Internet, I would want the option for my equipment to continue to work. (Even after a reboot!)

Let me preface this next suggestion by saying, I’m not a developer, I’ve taught some classes, helped others but not a developer, so this would not apply to me and I’m not looking at this for my own gain. I would highly suggest talking to the developers that have worked on some of the most used plugins, see what it might take for them to join your team. Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to. And the ones that have moved on due to lack of this, that or the other, reach out to them and see what it might take to get them back… (Free hardware to develop on? Attaboys?)

In any case, I thank you for chiming in when I am sure you have other things to do and more to deal with that just this.

#60

[quote=“shawnky, post:59, topic:199656”]I started with Home Automation a long time ago (in my eyes) back in the 90’s using X10, having purchased outlets, switches, motions, etc over the years. I began moving over to Vera a few years go now, having again purchased a multitude of devices from thermos, switches, outlets, garage doors, etc. I still have my X10 stuff integrated (Thankfully, a plugin was created!), along with my z-wave items and most recently Alexa. I’ve been impressed with the fact that most things do just work unless you start doing some wild and crazy things or find devices that might not be outlet powered… Not having a neutral stops me with some items, but for the most part I’ve been happy.

The biggest issue I have had has been anytime an update occurs, good luck. It’s like playing at a craps table whether or not it will come back up or not. Thankfully, the rescue options do exist and with some effort can get it back, but I would wonder if a “typical” person getting into home automation could…

I would also like an option that would allow the hardware to work without the cloud if I so wished. I understand the convenience factor, and enjoy using it, but if something should happen to the cloud servers or my own Internet, I would want the option for my equipment to continue to work. (Even after a reboot!)

Let me preface this next suggestion by saying, I’m not a developer, I’ve taught some classes, helped others but not a developer, so this would not apply to me and I’m not looking at this for my own gain. I would highly suggest talking to the developers that have worked on some of the most used plugins, see what it might take for them to join your team. Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to. And the ones that have moved on due to lack of this, that or the other, reach out to them and see what it might take to get them back… (Free hardware to develop on? Attaboys?)

In any case, I thank you for chiming in when I am sure you have other things to do and more to deal with that just this.[/quote]

We very much value the development ecosystem and all the good work developers have done with their plugins… We are trying to see how we can increase their value in this ecosystem…
Is there any specific plugins you think we should take and integrate natively? Maybe we should start a post to get everyone to vote ?