I use the “Nest Thermostat and Protect” plugin and haven’t had any issues.
Hi Guys, great feedback here. We do listen to what you, our users, have to say.
Some of what you have asked for is already in the works, like Echo integration and OTA device firmware update and some of your requests are already integrated like Nest and Nest Protect. The device compatibility list can be found here, http://getvera.com/compatibility/.
Also note, that everything that was in Advanced Mode in UI5 is still in UI7 it just isn’t always in the same place.
Documentation continues to improve and get updated at support.getvera.com.
I will share your thoughts here with the Management Team.
Funny, I was just thinking about this today.
I’ve been a Vera user for almost three years now. Came in late in the UI5 time frame, so the move to UI7 was not so upsetting as for some. That said, I’ve got moderately complicated system at this point, with a VeraPlus and a VeraEdge, and I’m running into issues with the mobile (Android) version’s UI. I’m not sure if my needs are typical, but here goes …
[ol][li]Biggest wish/whine: Too much white space, fonts are huge. It looks like the mobile version is directly pulled from the browser UI, and what works on a typical 1920 x 1080 screen doesn’t hack it on my Galaxy. I tend to use my mobile as an ‘alternative’ interface for quick adjustments, and when I’m there I want to do very specific thing. Check to see if the doors are locked. Turn off/on the A/C or heat. Start a scene that prepares for coming home. Stuff like that. It takes lots of swiping to find anything. I don’t have a need for large “Add Scene” and “Add Favorite” buttons when I’m driving around. And I don’t need to be able to read “My Modes” or “My Shortcuts” from across the room. ;)[/li]
[li]Ability to hide/demote items. I have dozens of scenes, most of which are automated HVAC and lighting controls that run in the background. I rarely touch these – certainly not when mobile – but I still have to sort through them when looking for a specific manual scene I want to start. The ability to hide individual scenes and devices would be nice; but I think I could live with being able to hide rooms. (I’ve already created rooms like ‘HVAC’ and ‘Holiday’ for many of them.) Being able to reorder them some other way besides alphabetically would be nice, too.[/li]
[li]A ‘Top Ten’ list. There are certain devices I want to see; and certain scenes I might want to run. The rest of the details aren’t important when I’m away. Yes, I know there are ‘favorites,’ but the current setup makes it almost impossible to have more than 3-4 of them in a mobile context. And Scenes don’t get to be favorites.[/li]
[li]Allow disabling of alerts. 90% of the alerts I get are from my battery-powered thermostat, which goes to sleep and ‘disconnects’ from the system. It’s not actually broken, and it always wakes up when spoken to. Even so, I get at least one alert each day about it. In fact, I think I could live with disabling all alerts when away from home mobile. I mean, what am I going to do about most of them, anyway?[/li]
[li]Support a ‘reduced’ view of devices. My thermostat takes up almost the full screen on my phone All I really care about are the temperature and the set point. I don’t need big Cool and Heat buttons. I’d like to be able to fit 5-7 devices on one phone screen. Make the control buttons and status indicators large, trim the rest down. Either that, or start with a reduced view, and expand on it if I click on a ‘>>’ key or something.[/li]
[li]Allow the modes to be renamed. I use Home for summer (A/C) settings, Away for winter (heat), Night for the holidays (lights on timers), and Vacation for – well, vacation. But I wish I could rename them, because I’m always having to stop and think about which is which. For that matter, being able to create a few more would help, too.[/li]
[li]Allow the shortcuts to be customized. Lock all the doors is useful. Turn on all the lights? Not so much, IMHO.[/li]
[li]Better support for virtual devices. I tried using countdown timers, virtual switches, and such: They worked in UI5. I gave up trying to make them work with UI7.[/li][/ol]
Lesser issues:
[ol][li]Native Amazon Echo support. I can answer my voice mail; why not turn on my lights? Yeah, I know I can set this up with a RasPi. I’ve got too many routers, dongles, etc. around my home already.[/li]
[li]Customizeable icons. Or just a choice from a menu of a couple dozen options. Some of the devices would be easier to find if they stood out.[/li][/ol]
Regards,
-BW
[quote=“drawbars, post:23, topic:192142”]Funny, I was just thinking about this today.
I’ve been a Vera user for almost three years now. Came in late in the UI5 time frame, so the move to UI7 was not so upsetting as for some. That said, I’ve got moderately complicated system at this point, with a VeraPlus and a VeraEdge, and I’m running into issues with the mobile (Android) version’s UI. I’m not sure if my needs are typical, but here goes …
[ol][li]Biggest wish/whine: Too much white space, fonts are huge. It looks like the mobile version is directly pulled from the browser UI, and what works on a typical 1920 x 1080 screen doesn’t hack it on my Galaxy. I tend to use my mobile as an ‘alternative’ interface for quick adjustments, and when I’m there I want to do very specific thing. Check to see if the doors are locked. Turn off/on the A/C or heat. Start a scene that prepares for coming home. Stuff like that. It takes lots of swiping to find anything. I don’t have a need for large “Add Scene” and “Add Favorite” buttons when I’m driving around. And I don’t need to be able to read “My Modes” or “My Shortcuts” from across the room. ;)[/li]
[li]Ability to hide/demote items. I have dozens of scenes, most of which are automated HVAC and lighting controls that run in the background. I rarely touch these – certainly not when mobile – but I still have to sort through them when looking for a specific manual scene I want to start. The ability to hide individual scenes and devices would be nice; but I think I could live with being able to hide rooms. (I’ve already created rooms like ‘HVAC’ and ‘Holiday’ for many of them.) Being able to reorder them some other way besides alphabetically would be nice, too.[/li]
[li]A ‘Top Ten’ list. There are certain devices I want to see; and certain scenes I might want to run. The rest of the details aren’t important when I’m away. Yes, I know there are ‘favorites,’ but the current setup makes it almost impossible to have more than 3-4 of them in a mobile context. And Scenes don’t get to be favorites.[/li]
[li]Allow disabling of alerts. 90% of the alerts I get are from my battery-powered thermostat, which goes to sleep and ‘disconnects’ from the system. It’s not actually broken, and it always wakes up when spoken to. Even so, I get at least one alert each day about it. In fact, I think I could live with disabling all alerts when away from home mobile. I mean, what am I going to do about most of them, anyway?[/li]
[li]Support a ‘reduced’ view of devices. My thermostat takes up almost the full screen on my phone All I really care about are the temperature and the set point. I don’t need big Cool and Heat buttons. I’d like to be able to fit 5-7 devices on one phone screen. Make the control buttons and status indicators large, trim the rest down. Either that, or start with a reduced view, and expand on it if I click on a ‘>>’ key or something.[/li]
[li]Allow the modes to be renamed. I use Home for summer (A/C) settings, Away for winter (heat), Night for the holidays (lights on timers), and Vacation for – well, vacation. But I wish I could rename them, because I’m always having to stop and think about which is which. For that matter, being able to create a few more would help, too.[/li]
[li]Allow the shortcuts to be customized. Lock all the doors is useful. Turn on all the lights? Not so much, IMHO.[/li]
[li]Better support for virtual devices. I tried using countdown timers, virtual switches, and such: They worked in UI5. I gave up trying to make them work with UI7.[/li][/ol]
Lesser issues:
[ol][li]Native Amazon Echo support. I can answer my voice mail; why not turn on my lights? Yeah, I know I can set this up with a RasPi. I’ve got too many routers, dongles, etc. around my home already.[/li]
[li]Customizeable icons. Or just a choice from a menu of a couple dozen options. Some of the devices would be easier to find if they stood out.[/li][/ol]
Regards,
-BW[/quote]
Although I didn’t state it in this thread, I’ve been advocating for being able to make a Scene a “favorite”. This aligns with your list item number 2.
There should be a way to show/hide all various items in certain “tabs”, there needs to be MUCH more consistency between the mobile app and the UI, and the end user needs to be able to customize things to suit their needs.
I’ve had a lot of issues with functionality in the system, but I’ve “programmed my way around that” (stopped using purely in-built clickable options and started writing code to do what I need). The controllers are powerful and useful. The UI is severely lacking in its ability to tap the potential. There are plugins that add a fair amount of functionality, and that’s great. But, asking the community to keep up certain areas of the code that the UI should be providing directly isn’t a long-term solution.
Maybe we could get a program going where the community can actively participate in development of the code either directly, or by having plugins get drafted into the core functionality of the UI?
-
Making your actual JIRA open and public would be great. If people could really see what devs are actually working on, their confidence if the platform would increase.
-
Also, while we are under the influence of mind-altering substances here, I would also add “throw the code up on github and accept pull requests”. For crying out loud, Microsoft does that with their core technologies like ASP.Net, and they are not afraid that their competitors will steal it…
-
Acquihire Richard (you know which Richard I am talking about), and let him make PLEG actual part of the actual platform. With great UI. While I am on the subject, can somebody explain the reason scenes are not saved as Lua code?
-
Fix upgrade bugs. Latest and greatest firmware, being installed onto the latest and greatest hardware, fails and forces users to pull the hair out of their behind for 5 freaking hours (see posts by mvader in next thread over).
-
Fix backup and restore bugs. Scratch everything I said before, and do this first. And then do the upgrade procedure. If these two things are not reliable, people would not trust the platform (and for good reason).
Overall, it seems that there is a lot of code that only has a “happy path” – if anything goes wrong, the code fails and leaves a mess, which then has to be cleaned up humans. I obviously don’t know what your internal metrics show, but the commonly accepted belief in the industry is that code scales infinitely, while humans don’t scale at all. Spending money on fixing the upgrade bugs should cut down your support costs, and ultimately make the company more profit.
1 whish: bug free
[quote=“seanford, post:1, topic:192142”]17) WiFi Client Support: I don’t need the Vera to be another access point in the house. I need it to be a Wifi client so I don’t need to run a 100 foot cable to add a door lock.
Sean Ford[/quote]
I think most of that makes sense and are good request.
this one though, is not a wi-fi issue.
it’s a zwave security thing. and in order to exchange the security protocols, you have to be within a few feet of the device.
(imagine your neighbors trying to hack your locks from their basement… this prevents that by only allowing you to exchange security info with it from a few feet away)
I was able to add dozens of device through out my house with out ever moving my vera plus.
except for my door locks which have the gen 5 security protocols and a gen 5 AEON high amp smart switch. both were added, but they did not work correctly until i moved the vera next to them and did a remove, re-add…
after that they worked fine and i was able to put the veraplus back in the middle of the house.
[quote=“mvader, post:27, topic:192142”][quote=“seanford, post:1, topic:192142”]17) WiFi Client Support: I don’t need the Vera to be another access point in the house. I need it to be a Wifi client so I don’t need to run a 100 foot cable to add a door lock.
Sean Ford[/quote]
I think most of that makes sense and are good request.
this one though, is not a wi-fi issue.
it’s a zwave security thing. and in order to exchange the security protocols, you have to be within a few feet of the device.
(imagine your neighbors trying to hack your locks from their basement… this prevents that by only allowing you to exchange security info with it from a few feet away)
I was able to add dozens of device through out my house with out ever moving my vera plus.
except for my door locks which have the gen 5 security protocols and a gen 5 AEON high amp smart switch. both were added, but they did not work correctly until i moved the vera next to them and did a remove, re-add…
after that they worked fine and i was able to put the veraplus back in the middle of the house.[/quote]
I think you may not be appreciating what the OP’s request actually buys you…
I -HATE- adding devices with the buttons on the VERA. If the Vera had a WiFi radio in it, and could still be on my home network WHILE it’s in close proximity to the devices, it would make adding and removing devices easier to do overall. If you want that sort of ease now, you have to have a REALLY long CAT5 cable to keep the Vera connected to your home network while you escort it through the house to do inclusions.
I’d like to see WiFi connectivity as well as the ideal location for the controller in my home has power nearby but no network connection. So, I’m forced to have put it in a sub-optimal location and deal with a couple of devices that frequently are not reachable because of the location of the controller.
[quote=“ember1205, post:28, topic:192142”][quote=“mvader, post:27, topic:192142”][quote=“seanford, post:1, topic:192142”]17) WiFi Client Support: I don’t need the Vera to be another access point in the house. I need it to be a Wifi client so I don’t need to run a 100 foot cable to add a door lock.
Sean Ford[/quote]
I think most of that makes sense and are good request.
this one though, is not a wi-fi issue.
it’s a zwave security thing. and in order to exchange the security protocols, you have to be within a few feet of the device.
(imagine your neighbors trying to hack your locks from their basement… this prevents that by only allowing you to exchange security info with it from a few feet away)
I was able to add dozens of device through out my house with out ever moving my vera plus.
except for my door locks which have the gen 5 security protocols and a gen 5 AEON high amp smart switch. both were added, but they did not work correctly until i moved the vera next to them and did a remove, re-add…
after that they worked fine and i was able to put the veraplus back in the middle of the house.[/quote]
I think you may not be appreciating what the OP’s request actually buys you…
I -HATE- adding devices with the buttons on the VERA. If the Vera had a WiFi radio in it, and could still be on my home network WHILE it’s in close proximity to the devices, it would make adding and removing devices easier to do overall. If you want that sort of ease now, you have to have a REALLY long CAT5 cable to keep the Vera connected to your home network while you escort it through the house to do inclusions.
I’d like to see WiFi connectivity as well as the ideal location for the controller in my home has power nearby but no network connection. So, I’m forced to have put it in a sub-optimal location and deal with a couple of devices that frequently are not reachable because of the location of the controller.[/quote]
Not sure what controller you have, but the veraplus (what i have) has a zwave 500 chipset in it (stronger radio - i.e. greater range)… it sits in the middle of my house (1st floor) and i did not have to move it once or press any buttons to pair every device in my house.
I used my cell phone to log into the local web page, press pair. and then press the pair button on the device (light switch, dimmer, etc)… and it was done.
the only two exceptions as i mentioned before, were for the security protocols on my locks and and high amp smart switch, i had to move the unit next to those.but that is more by design, and not a vera specific thing.
i turned the wifi off on my VP as soon as i got it… i don’t need it.
[quote=“mvader, post:29, topic:192142”]Not sure what controller you have, but the veraplus (what i have) has a zwave 500 chipset in it (stronger radio - i.e. greater range)… it sits in the middle of my house (1st floor) and i did not have to move it once or press any buttons to pair every device in my house.
I used my cell phone to log into the local web page, press pair. and then press the pair button on the device (light switch, dimmer, etc)… and it was done.
the only two exceptions as i mentioned before, were for the security protocols on my locks and and high amp smart switch, i had to move the unit next to those.but that is more by design, and not a vera specific thing.
i turned the wifi off on my VP as soon as i got it… i don’t need it.[/quote]
My controller doesn’t have WiFi at all. The only way I can add locks is by disconnecting my Vera from everything and using the buttons on the front. Had to do this with one finicky microswitch controller, too. It’s a giant pain and I hate doing it.
If the devices had a WiFi radio that was used for CLIENT connectivity instead of for creating a hotspot, that would mean that you wouldn’t need to use a LAN cable, EVER. THAT’S what I would want.
[quote=“ember1205, post:30, topic:192142”][quote=“mvader, post:29, topic:192142”]Not sure what controller you have, but the veraplus (what i have) has a zwave 500 chipset in it (stronger radio - i.e. greater range)… it sits in the middle of my house (1st floor) and i did not have to move it once or press any buttons to pair every device in my house.
I used my cell phone to log into the local web page, press pair. and then press the pair button on the device (light switch, dimmer, etc)… and it was done.
the only two exceptions as i mentioned before, were for the security protocols on my locks and and high amp smart switch, i had to move the unit next to those.but that is more by design, and not a vera specific thing.
i turned the wifi off on my VP as soon as i got it… i don’t need it.[/quote]
My controller doesn’t have WiFi at all. The only way I can add locks is by disconnecting my Vera from everything and using the buttons on the front. Had to do this with one finicky microswitch controller, too. It’s a giant pain and I hate doing it.
If the devices had a WiFi radio that was used for CLIENT connectivity instead of for creating a hotspot, that would mean that you wouldn’t need to use a LAN cable, EVER. THAT’S what I would want.[/quote]
sure i hear you. but it’s splitting hairs i guess. if you have the zwave 500 chip then you don’t need to move the device at all… (save the locks)
what i did for those is i bought a 12v battery pack and used it to power my device, and then just pressed the sync button on the front.
either way works i suppose. the way i look at it though is i’d rather have the longer range chip than the wifi, the wifi would be used once or twice during pairing… the 500 chip is used all day every day.
get a vera plus and have both 
[quote=“ember1205, post:30, topic:192142”]My controller doesn’t have WiFi at all. The only way I can add locks is by disconnecting my Vera from everything and using the buttons on the front. Had to do this with one finicky microswitch controller, too. It’s a giant pain and I hate doing it.
If the devices had a WiFi radio that was used for CLIENT connectivity instead of for creating a hotspot, that would mean that you wouldn’t need to use a LAN cable, EVER. THAT’S what I would want.[/quote]
You must have a pretty old vera if it doesn’t have “Wifi at all” (vera lite?). The Vera 3, edge and plus all have wifi. Vera 3 and Edge don’t need a LAN cable and the PLUS is supposed to be fixed to do the same but last I checked that wan’t currently working. So your want’s can already be done if you upgrade your vera.
[quote=“integlikewhoa, post:32, topic:192142”][quote=“ember1205, post:30, topic:192142”]My controller doesn’t have WiFi at all. The only way I can add locks is by disconnecting my Vera from everything and using the buttons on the front. Had to do this with one finicky microswitch controller, too. It’s a giant pain and I hate doing it.
If the devices had a WiFi radio that was used for CLIENT connectivity instead of for creating a hotspot, that would mean that you wouldn’t need to use a LAN cable, EVER. THAT’S what I would want.[/quote]
You must have a pretty old vera if it doesn’t have “Wifi at all” (vera lite?). The Vera 3, edge and plus all have wifi. Vera 3 and Edge don’t need a LAN cable and the PLUS is supposed to be fixed to do the same but last I checked that wan’t currently working. So your want’s can already be done if you upgrade your vera.[/quote]
Yeah, it’s absolutely ancient. It was purchased less than two years ago.
Yes, it’s a Vera Lite.
Sorry, not shelling out another DIME for controllers unless they actually do something useful that this one doesn’t. And, no, I don’t consider it worth $100+ to not have to add devices using the buttons on the VeraLite.
[quote=“ember1205, post:33, topic:192142”][quote=“integlikewhoa, post:32, topic:192142”][quote=“ember1205, post:30, topic:192142”]My controller doesn’t have WiFi at all. The only way I can add locks is by disconnecting my Vera from everything and using the buttons on the front. Had to do this with one finicky microswitch controller, too. It’s a giant pain and I hate doing it.
If the devices had a WiFi radio that was used for CLIENT connectivity instead of for creating a hotspot, that would mean that you wouldn’t need to use a LAN cable, EVER. THAT’S what I would want.[/quote]
You must have a pretty old vera if it doesn’t have “Wifi at all” (vera lite?). The Vera 3, edge and plus all have wifi. Vera 3 and Edge don’t need a LAN cable and the PLUS is supposed to be fixed to do the same but last I checked that wan’t currently working. So your want’s can already be done if you upgrade your vera.[/quote]
Yeah, it’s absolutely ancient. It was purchased less than two years ago.
Yes, it’s a Vera Lite.
Sorry, not shelling out another DIME for controllers unless they actually do something useful that this one doesn’t. And, no, I don’t consider it worth $100+ to not have to add devices using the buttons on the VeraLite.[/quote]
I’m confused then. Are you happy with what you have and don’t want to upgrade or are you complaning that your vera is lacking features which the two veras that were built after yours has?
The vera lite is way older then 2 years old even if you bought yours yesterday. I had a lite in 2013 (not when it came out) an edge in Dec of 2014 and a plus in march of 2016.
Im guessing you had the option for the edge over the lite when you bought if it was less then 2 years ago. The prixe then was less then 35 difference.
[quote=“integlikewhoa, post:34, topic:192142”]I’m confused then. Are you happy with what you have and don’t want to upgrade or are you complaning that your vera is lacking features which the two veras that were built after yours has?
The vera lite is way older then 2 years old even if you bought yours yesterday. I had a lite in 2013 (not when it came out) an edge in Dec of 2014 and a plus in march of 2016.
Im guessing you had the option for the edge over the lite when you bought if it was less then 2 years ago. The prixe then was less then 35 difference.[/quote]
I wasn’t doing either. I was voicing support for what another author had posted for a feature that they would like combined with voicing displeasure that Vera didn’t provide this sort of support already instead of creating YARD (Yet Another Router Device) that we don’t need.
Since they didn’t I wonder if this would work with the Vera Lite, TP-Link N300 Wireless Wi-Fi Mini Router, Range Extender, Access Point, Client Modes? I have one for other reasons, I will have to give it a try. It gets its power from the USB port so just plug it in the USB port and the Ethernet cable into the Lite and away you go, in theory. Anyway, I like my ancient Vera Lite too!
I would say… why trying to make change and improve on a broken UI design …
I would suggest Vera/CTO to just buy the src right to AltUI for the GUI + ImperiHome Mobile App (love the dashboard function, wall mount table capability…) + VeraAlerts ==> and Vera can make more improve from these…
Who ever design the UI for Vera … need to check these out … the existing Vera web GUI and the Mobile app is “workable” but they are still stuck in the computer age design… . We are in Mobile era now … your Mobile app looked like we are just browsing a mini version of a webpage…
I am a design engineer … and I have given up the idea of design everything yourself long ago… if there is a better alternative… acquire it…
I found that they are much better for my VeraPlus.
(PS… I do not have any relationship to any of these products)
My wish … To be much more reliable than UI7!!
To Get back to working Thermostat Model from UI5!
I do not need new features … and if there are new features, I expect bugs … in those … But the system should be reliable:
- Upgrades should just work.
- Saving data should ALWAYS work.
- Reloads should not be tolerated and be aggressively fixed.
I’m guessing that it wouldn’t work because the radio chips are likely different from the ones that are supported with the firmware. Even if it DOES work, it doesn’t help me out in any way because WiFi is offered for using the Vera as a router which I have no interest in doing (makes the Vera a WiFi “server” instead of a client).
@ember1205 I think you misunderstand what I am saying. From Amazon: “Client Mode: Allow devices that require a wired connection to access an existing Wi-Fi network.”
First you configure this to access your WiFi, then you plug it into your Vera Lite. Your Lite now connects to your WiFi network and you can walk around with on battery mode. Just as if it had its own WiFi built in.
I use one of these in my work, just as an access point. I need to use WiFi where there is none and no wired Ethernet. I plug this into one of our switches and away I go. It is very versatile. When I have a chance I will try it in client mode with my Lite.