My new VeraLite unit arrived today and I am just having a look at what works and doesnt with mControl. I currently have an Aeon Labs Z-Stick 2 in my PC with mControl Home Automation software. I would like to keep mControl as it integrates in to Windows Media Center. However I have bought a VeraLite so I don’t need my PC running 24/7 to do things like set timers for lights coming on and off.
As a test I have deleted one of my lamp modules from the Aeon Labs Z-Stick and I have added this lamp module in to Vera. I am now able to control this lamp module from the Vera web UI.
It is possible in mControl to use a Vera LUUP driver to control devices that are devices in Vera, from the mControl user interfaces. It does this I think by sending HTTP requests from mControl to Vera to change / control the device etc. So I have set this up and it works but there are problems with the status feedback. I have already tried lowering the polling in Vera for this lamp module from 60secs to 21secs but this makes no difference.
Here’s the problem:
If I turn the lamp module on or off from the Vera web UI, eventually in mControl the new status of the lamp is picked up, i.e. its on or off status is displayed in the mControl user interfaces.
However if I turn the lamp on via a mControl user interface neither mControl or Vera seem to change their status to show the lamp is on when it is actually turned on.
In this type of setup using the Vera Luup driver in mControl I could make redundant the Z-stick and not use it. As the devices in mControl are no longer Z-wave devices, you change them to be Vera devices and you just have to tell mControl what the device # number is in Vera and then mControl can control that device via Vera.
However if the problems with the status feedback I have described, cannot be resolved I may be better keeping the Z-stick as a secondary to VeraLite primary ? My thinking is that if I make the Z-stick secondary and keep it connected to the PC running mControl then my devices in mControl would remain as Z-wave devices, in this type of setup I would not use the mControl Vera Luup driver. I am hoping that in this setup the status feedback issue might not even exist?
Only problem is I don’t know how to make VeraLite primary and Z-Stick secondary. I will have to dig around on the forums see if I can find out how to do it.
Does anyone have any experience of this type of integration of Vera with other 3rd party Home Automation systems?
Thanks.
UPDATE:
I’ve upgraded from mControl V2.1 to mControl V3 and these Vera Luup Driver issues have now been resolved. I’ve written a how to blog post here.
For those of you not familiar with mControl below I have attached some screen shots of the Vera Luup Driver Configuration and my Lamp Module setup as a Vera device in mControl.
Not sure how to insert images in to this forum? [img]http://IMAGE URL[/img] doesnt seem to work?
Here is how the ACT HomePro lamp module device looks in Vera web UI. Initially I was putting in ID 2 in to the device setup in mControl and the lamp was not working, as soon as I changed the ID to 4 instead I was able to turn the lamp on and off from the mControl UI but then noticed the issue with the status feedback.
So I think I will leave it for today, I don’t want to go ahead and remove all my Z-wave devices from the Z-stick and use the mControl Vera Luup driver if the status isnt going to work.
I think I need to test the Z-stick as secondary and Vera as primary to see if that works better?
Interestingly I’ve just followed the steps on this thread to add my Aeon Labs Minimote as a secondary controller to VeraLite and when I press the button on the minimote to turn on or off the lamp in the living room the status of that lamp is then correctly reflected in the mControl UI.
This would give weight to the idea that if I can also add the Aeon Labs Z-stick as a secondary controller the status in mControl might be displayed correctly when turning on or off lights from one of the mControl UI’s / using Z-Stick.
Try Bianry swich instead of Binary light - think thats the other options. I have ACT Homepro dimmers and switches and they all work fine.
RE you responce issue I thin try recreating the Device, remove>restet>readd device in vera, try a heal.
Hope this helps.
Kidn regards,
-Lights_On[/quote]
Hi
If your ACT HomePro appliance modules work that is encouraging. I don’t however in mControl have Binary Switch as an option under the Vera devices its just not in the list, maybe I have a different version of the mCtonrol Vera Luup driver?
Think I am using the Driver Pack from this latest version of mControl 2.1 here
Tried creating a brand new device in mControl using Binary Light but still unable to turn on appliance module, I think the problem is I have no binary switch option in mControl under Vera devices ?
Taking a closer look, VeraLite is picking up some changes, for example if I turn on a lamp via an mControl UI then in VeraLite it says
100?% and the bulb icon is not lit up (Note the question mark) if I turn off the lamp from mControl UI Vera then says 0%. So its kinda working.
However when I turn the lamp on via mControl UI mcontrol never updates the status of itself, so mcontrol shows that the lamp is off when it is actually on.
EA.VeraLuup.dll Modified 14th of October 2011 04:34:52 32KB
drv_EAVeraLuup.xml Modified 14th of October 2011 04:34:52 9KB
Its the XML file that contains the details of the different types of Vera devices that you see in that drop down menu in mControl Binary Switch is not one of them? Binary Light is the one I tried to use that doesnt work.
Drivers for version 2.1 Build 4140 & Drivers for version 2.1 Build 3818 and looked at the Vera XML file none of them have a device called “Binary Switch” can you please double check what you selected in your mControl for your appliance modules?
Just logged on remotly to see if i could help and i have it listed as a “binary light” - like you I think. mind does work. for a dimeable Act Switch I Use “Dimable Light”
Just logged on remotly to see if i could help and i have it listed as a “binary light” - like you I think. mind does work. for a dimeable Act Switch I Use “Dimable Light”
-Lights_On[/quote]
Maybe that is why its working for you they are dimmable, my dimmable modules work OK as well. However these ACT HomePro appliance modules which are just on/off are not working via mControl Vera Luup driver.
Looking in Vera see screenshot, it has added the ACT HomePro appliance modules as BinaryLights so you would think selecting Binary Light in mControl would work but it does not :-[
I have just added two more dimmable modules that is four in total now and all four work via mControl (Status issues remains) but the two appliance modules do not work.
Do we know who wrote the mControl Vera Luup driver? Was it mControl or someone else!
no i have both and both work. one listed as dimable for the dimable and one listed as binary.
Kind regards,
Lights_On[/quote]
Confused now, so you do have some appliance modules (none dimable) and they work set a Binary Light in mControl ? Are they the same ACT modules I have ?
For the dimable modules I selected Dimable Light in mControl !
The other difference I think is you have mControl on Win7 right mine is on WHS V1 however I think both these versions use the same mControl driver pack
You have the same appliance module as me! So not sure what is wrong? can you tell me the exact version / modified date of the Vera Luup driver files you have ? Or can you email them to me.
I am sure Win7 and WHSV1 mcontrol use the same driver files, I am thinking maybe you have an older driver version that works?
Clutching at straws now, but one difference I can see between a dimmer module and an appliance module is the appliance module has no capabilities listed, is this relevant?
I’ve tried removing an appliance module from Vera and re-adding, I’ve also ran the Z-WAVE repair thing in Vera still no go with appliance modules and the mControl Vera Luup Driver.
EDIT: I ran a repair again on just this appliance module and now it has things listed next to capabilities, but still doesn’t work with mControl.
Plan B instead of using the mControl Vera Luup Driver is to add the Aeon Labs Z-stick as a secondary controller to VeraLite primary. The Z-stick would stay in the back of the WHS PC and mControl would use that to send direct z-wave commands to devices instead of going via Vera using the Luup Driver.
Just tried this using the tools in HomeSeer - I followed this post which tells you how to do it:
It has added a _SceneController in to Vera but is status is Red and I dont think its worked properly, See screen shot.
I have searched these forums but cannot find any clear how to’s to add the Z-stick as a secondary does anyone know how to do this ???