One last question before I throw in the towel..

Community Playground Getting Started & Initial Setup
1

Ok I have been fighting with this vera3 thing for hours. I finally got it to connect by wifi to the mios website.

So now I just want to connect to the vera webpage by typing the page at 192.168 blah blah according to what the INSTRUCTIONS tell me to. When I do all I get is “unable to connect Firefox can’t establish a connection to the server at 192.168.81.1” GRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So much for that.

This thing is WAY too complicated. All they need to do is make a stand alone app that you install on your computer that communicates directly with the thing through wifi. I just know that even if I ever get this thing to work that in a year or so if I needed to re do things that I will forget all of these steps.

Ok I found out that it only works when going through the vera website for some reason. I still would want to directly connect so that I don’t need to be connected to the net to use.

So after connecting with their website I try to pair a GE flourescent plug module. Another issue. It says to press z-wave button on vera then cycle the z-wave device and it will flutter. Ok did that no flutter. The vera won’t recognize the device. Why?

2

Networking IS complicated. Vera3 is a router, and it is as complicated to configure as any other router. Add on top of that all the UI that MCV has provided for home automation, and yes, it is possible to break things. Recovering a router that you can’t talk to is trouble; I’ve done it tons of times personally, fortunately not with a Vera yet.

If you don’t want the complexity of a router, but still want a Z-Wave appliance, why not try the Vera Lite instead? It has fewer ways to break because it isn’t a router.

3

Because the lite doesn’t have a wireless connection to the unit. I need to be connected by a cable to use it.

Anyway I can’t get the v3 to recognize the GE switches. It seems nothing goes smooth with this. I followed the directions and even watched the video. Maybe I have a bum unit?

EDIT: I tried a different Ge module, that one worked it seems I DO have a bad module…

Does anyone know how I can connect to the V3 without going through the internet? I still can’t connect with that URL they gave me…

4

Does going to http://www.micasaverde.com/vera3 not find your unit?

As for the GE units, did you try excluding them first?
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,10936.msg77112.html#msg77112
(except you hit press the switch button/paddle)

5

You say this as if wireless an absolute requirement in your situation. Perhaps it is, but the nature of Z-wave mesh networks is that your master can go pretty much anywhere in the house. If it’s truly, really not possible to put your Vera in a place where you can wire it to your router, then yes, you are in the land of networking. At least be sure that you’re sure.

You don’t trust MCV to tell you the local IP address.of your Vera. Fair enough; I’ve seen it be occasionally wrong too. Here’s a way of doing it locally.

Log into your router’s administration interface and look for either Wireless Clients or DHCP Allocations. What you are looking for is a list of the IP addresses of the machines on your network. One of them is your Vera. Point a Web browser at each of them in turn.

Have you got a friend or a teenager or a friend’s teenager who can look at this for you in person?

Edit: fix autocorrect mistakes.

6

I did see at one time in the network the device as mios then a number after it. I used an option in there to connect to devices webpage, but it gave me a 404 error.
I then somehow got the right address through the MCV website which seemed to work for awhile.

I don’t keep my router on all of the time though. So today I turned on the router and tried to go to the vera through the computer but it is no longer on the network, shouldn’t it be on there when wifi is on, or do I need to reset it everytime? I then reset vera and it shows up in the network like it is connected. If I try to access the vera though with the address I used before (i connected through vera website, then selected connect through my network, then bookmarked) it doesn’t connect anymore. I noticed that number that starts with 192. is different everytime, howcome? If I go through the vera wesite it does connect. Why can’t I connect directly without having to rely on vera website? I am confused.

7

I suggest that you do keep it on. Vera keeps a permanent connection to micasaverde.com and by turning off the router you are interfering with it. This could be the source of much of your reported unexpected behaviour.

So today I turned on the router and tried to go to the vera through the computer but it is no longer on the network, shouldn't it be on there when wifi is on, or do I need to reset it everytime?

The short answer without getting too technical is: Vera has to be turned on after the router is turned on. If you reboot the router, you will have to reboot Vera next.

I noticed that number that starts with 192. is different everytime, howcome?

This is a feature of dynamic networks, which yours is, because devices are joining it and leaving it. This kind of behaviour is the default for home networks, but you usually don’t notice it.

Your router may have a feature called DHCP Reservations, or Static DHCP Assignments, or some other name. With this feature, what you can do is tell it to always give Vera the same 192.168.x.y address every time Vera asks. To go this you will need Vera’s MAC address, a 12-character string that is usually printed on a sticker on Vera. Vera has two MAC addresses, one for wired and one for Wi-Fi, so you may have to try both.

Let us know if you need help with setting up a DHCP Reservation.

8

The Vera website will auto detect your Vera 3 on your network and redirect you to the appropriate internal ip (192.168.xxx.xxx) address so essentially you are connecting directly to your vera 3 you’re just asking mios what it’s current ip address is. As far as the 192.168.81.1 address, this the default address of the Vera 3 and will only be used if you do not plan on connecting the Vera to the Internet. The devices can be fun if a device refuses to learn in there is a link on the same page that reads “I’m activating the device but nothing happens” this link will prompt Vera to reset the device, this option has worked for me every time. And when all else fails don’t give up, come here I’ve found lots of usefull insight here I’m sure you will too .