Compared with Vera, what is the complexity of setup with HomeSeer? About the same, more, or less?
To put it into context, I have Vera with 50+ devices, cameras, locks, sensors, Harmony Hub, scenes, many plug ins, HA-Bridge integration, some Luup, and automation.
I also have Smartthings, Home Assistant/HASS, OpenHAB, and Domoticz running. I was evaluating them as possible replacements for Vera. HASS and OpenHAB are clearly capable, but I find the setup to be too tedious and time consuming. Smartthings feels limiting, even with CoRE, not having a direct web interface feels against the grain.
So back to HomeSeer, is the learning curve, efforts required to setup, maintenance, and achieve automation similar, more, or less compared to Vera?
I went through and evaluated all of the systems you mentioned. I gave them each a good time period of learning/adjusting and I settled (for now) on HomeSeer.
It’s not that hard of a system but it has some quirks. Download the 30 day trial and give it a test run. Post on the HS forum and people will help.
[quote=“jeubanks, post:2, topic:199915”]I went through and evaluated all of the systems you mentioned. I gave them each a good time period of learning/adjusting and I settled (for now) on HomeSeer.
It’s not that hard of a system but it has some quirks. Download the 30 day trial and give it a test run. Post on the HS forum and people will help.[/quote]
Thanks. At this time, I don’t have the leisure to learn, tinker, and make script/textula configs with OpenHAB/HASS. If HomeSeer is mostly menu-driven and the level of effort is similar to Vera, I might give it a try. What sort of quirks does HS have?
Common complaint from people is the Web UI is old/ugly. Well yes and no. It’s functional and not intended to be on “display” so if you come from the Admin angle of the Web UI and not a “dashboard” expectation that’s a good first step.
Everything in HomeSeer is a plugin. Including the Z-Wave functionality. So the first thing you have to do on a new install is…Install the Z-Wave plugin. This is done through the updater in the plugins manager. This step seems to trip up people right off the bat.
Plugins generally are not free. Some are and they are very good. Most are not. You get what you pay for and the benefit of knowing that plugins work and are supported by their developers or they get removed from the store.
Read the documentation. Most people don’t and they get all messed up. Read the docs. Save yourself the issues of not doing it.
Timers. Timers in HS Count UP not Down. A timer in terminology times something which means it counts up. A count down clock or “kitchen timer” counts down. So change your thinking of the term “Timer” and think of a Stop Watch. They count up in how much time it takes for something. Once you get this you’ll understand the immense flexibility this gives with creating events.
Those are some of the “basics” that people tend to get hung up on. Join the forum, download the trial. If you plan on running the trial in a virtual machine you will probably encounter issues at first with the z-wave USB stick and communication issues. This is a VM USB-Serial translation problem and not a HS issue. I always recommend to just use a spare rPi or a spare PC for initial testing.
Thanks for all the info. +1 on the karma! I was originally thinking about running HS in a VM for easy hardware upgrades, but I’ll steer clear. One last thing–I presume HS is more GUI/menu-driver rather than text/script based like OpenHAB or HASS?
Thanks for all the info. +1 on the karma! I was originally thinking about running HS in a VM for easy hardware upgrades, but I’ll steer clear. One last thing–I presume HS is more GUI/menu-driver rather than text/script based like OpenHAB or HASS?[/quote]
Running in a VM is perfectly fine once you get the quirks of the USB settled. This varies if using VMware or VirtualBox… or whatever else. A lot of people do run in a VM and using a VM with a Z-Net is a great combination actually!
Well yes and no. The primary interface to HS3 is a Web UI. However you can also do anything you want in VBscript. The history of the system is Windows based but it is now written in .Net and does run on Linux with Mono. So you can script out lots of things or write a plugin for functionality that you may find is “missing”. Plugins are mostly written in VB but more and more are C#.
Myself I’m a Unix/Linux engineer by trade and I was hesitant about using HomeSeer at first because of the Windows history. I have ran it now for quite a while and I’m impressed with it. The choice to run on Windows or Linux is up to the user and I’ve found both to be stable. Most plugins work cross-platform but some are specific as they use OS specific features/functions and those are mostly “historical” plugins that used Windows Media functions.
HS3 is not a “Pretty” system unless you make it so with HSTouch Designer or with external “interfaces”. It is stable and functional and importantly extendable.
BTW - Self advertising… there’s a Vera plugin to integrate the systems and I’m working on a REAL GPS solution for all systems Vera included.
I migrated @ 3 dozen devices to HomeSeer in an afternoon. Device enrollment is fast and easy.
The scene/event system is very information dense, menu driven and provides about the same flexibility as PLEG. You can quickly make if-and/elsif-and logic, clone scenes, cascade scenes, and set up groups
Most homeseer plugins do have a charge, but not all. The weather app and some of the system utilities are free.
Also the core system has a lot of functionality that vera doesn’t. You can set up virtual devices, control timers and counters, read and search logs, all without plug ins.
Regarding VM, I am planning on running VirtualBox in Windows. I read that VBox supports USB passthrough. Any feedback on that? I can see so many benefits with a VM, no issues with license transfer, hardware replacement/upgrade, and easy backup.
Also, linking in relevant Vera content, my plan is to slowly, orderly migrate Vera-connected devices over to HS and replicate Vera functions in HS. Can HS talk to HA-Bridge as if it is a real Hue?
Thanks for mentioning that. I was thinking about buying the Aeotec. Instead, I presume I should go with the SmartStick+, or if running HS in a VM, it might be easier to go with the HS Z-NET? +1!
I’m a long time user of Homeseer and while it’s a very capable platform, as mentioned its quite dated looking in today’s terms. The additional paid plugins are a nuisance too. Being a Linux user I’m not too impressed having to use Mono to get a . NET Windows designed product like Homeseer running on a Linux platform. There’s definitely performance issues to consider.
I’m not sure what direction they are taking it in. They’ve just introduced Homeseer Mobile on a beta basis to replace Homeseer Touch I imagine and there is mention of Homeseer 4 so some form of change of direction must be afoot.
I’ve recently implemented Home Assistant on a trial basis and I must say I’m very impressed. So impressed I’m strongly considering moving everything over to that platform. Of course unlike Home Assistant and a number of other programs you mention there’s a hefty price tag on Homeseer.
[quote=“peterxbmc, post:14, topic:199915”]Which Vera controller are you using.
I’ve recently implemented Home Assistant on a trial basis and I must say I’m very impressed.[/quote]
I am using Vera Plus and Edge prior to that. Like many, I have been enduring Vera for many years, for a variety of reasons. I agree that the HS UI is old, but if its ecosystem functions well and has better [more prompt] manufacturer support (features, compatibility, reliabilt), I can live with the ugliness.
I do like HASS, but having no development/coding experience, I find it time consuming to have to script for customization. Though YAML is not unlearnable and I was able to add groups and customize some things, I find it too tedious and time consuming given my other priorities.
As a sidebar, I find Smartthings to be limiting–the GUI (rather, the lack of web GUI) and the round-trip model is not ideal. Even with WebCoRE, I still like other solutions better. I bought the V3 when it was released and gave it a shot. It was, too, shocking to me that there was no migration/backup path for the ST platform. It is now collecting dust.
I’m not sure where your info is coming from but HS mobile is not replace HS touch. HS mobile is to give a free and basic mobile app like Vera has or an Imperihome replacement (which is what I use now and with Vera). HS touch and HS touch designer is pricey and made for advanced layouts see the layouts and designs that were created in the forums under HS touch Designer.
HS4 I have not heard any talk and would like some links if you find any. I’m sure at some point in the next few years HS4 will come out going by the history and natural update numbers.
HS- 1999
HS2- 2005
HS3- 2013
HS4- ?
History has shown 6-8 year major revision changes (but that history has only happened twice so it’s not much of a trend to follow) and we are in year 5 so it’s very possible that in the next 1-2 years there could be a major update.
UI uglyness… Yes it’s true but it works. Actually HomeSeer works and keeps working which is why I moved to it from VERA. It’s very reliable, no weird reboots, crashes and unexplained reasons what something that was supposed to happen didn’t.
VM, Linux vs. windows… First I know just enough to be dangerous with windows. Linux I tried (I own two pi’s and a Pi3) to pretend I could use linux. It ended up being the worst experience in HomeSeer. Trying to figure out how to save backups (BLBackup) to a flash drive since linux doesn’t use simple letters. How to auto boot HS3 on power up (cron and such) was just a PIA for a widnows user to try and do in Linux. Mono and different versions of MONO and installing or updating different packages all that stuff was just way to complicated for me in linux vs. double clicking a mouse in windows. So for anyone that is not a linux pro and thinking that using a PI is the cheapest way to go to HomeSeer… Make sure you realize that if you run into problems its probley not due to HS3. If your a linux pro then this probley doesn’t apply to you, but even they complain about MONO and how HS is really a native windows program not Linux.
I’m not sure where your info is coming from but HS mobile is not replace HS touch. HS mobile is to give a free and basic mobile app like Vera has or an Imperihome replacement (which is what I use now and with Vera). HS touch and HS touch designer is pricey and made for advanced layouts see the layouts and designs that were created in the forums under HS touch Designer.
HS4 I have not heard any talk and would like some links if you find any. I’m sure at some point in the next few years HS4 will come out going by the history and natural update numbers.
HS- 1999
HS2- 2005
HS3- 2013
HS4- ?
History has shown 6-8 year major revision changes (but that history has only happened twice so it’s not much of a trend to follow) and we are in year 5 so it’s very possible that in the next 1-2 years there could be a major update.
UI uglyness… Yes it’s true but it works. Actually HomeSeer works and keeps working which is why I moved to it from VERA. It’s very reliable, no weird reboots, crashes and unexplained reasons what something that was supposed to happen didn’t.
VM, Linux vs. windows… First I know just enough to be dangerous with windows. Linux I tried (I own two pi’s and a Pi3) to pretend I could use linux. It ended up being the worst experience in HomeSeer. Trying to figure out how to save backups (BLBackup) to a flash drive since linux doesn’t use simple letters. How to auto boot HS3 on power up (cron and such) was just a PIA for a widnows user to try and do in Linux. Mono and different versions of MONO and installing or updating different packages all that stuff was just way to complicated for me in linux vs. double clicking a mouse in windows. So for anyone that is not a linux pro and thinking that using a PI is the cheapest way to go to HomeSeer… Make sure you realize that if you run into problems its probley not due to HS3. If your a linux pro then this probley doesn’t apply to you, but even they complain about MONO and how HS is really a native windows program not Linux.[/quote]
Yes in time honoured Windows tradition upgrades = revenue generation and it’s nearly that time again for HS3
I wouldn’t exactly agree with Homeseer’s ease of use and trouble free existence either in the Windows world. I’ve read enough horror stories with system breakages to know its had it’s problems too. Tech support wouldn’t exacty set the tech support world on fire either. Thankfully I’ve never needed their services either.
I purchased HS3 to use in the Linux environment knowing its reliance on Mono. Not ideal I’ll grant you but launching it from boot is a simple matter of creating a Systemd service. Not too difficult. Backups are fairly straightforward too. In hindsight I should have jumped earlier on the Home Assistant or Domoticz platform but they hadn’t quite blossomed when I needed them.
HS3 on a Raspberry Pi Hometroller would be a similar experience to that on a VeraEdge. Not something I’d really bother with. A bit of a toy and not very expandable in its current form.
Again it’s all down to personal preference at the end of the day. Maybe it might be best if the OP holds on for a bit until he sees what the new setup at MCV may have to offer.
HSTouch is 8+ years old and was never really designed for mobile. It was intended as a way for pro installers to make custom wall tablets. HSTouch Designer is painful to use. There is no pan, no zoom, no scaling. How the heck do you develop for a cell phone screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 on a pc?
As for hs4, Hs3 is 5 years old. I would hope they have a plan for hs4. Based on the very minimal information released to date, I would expect hs4 in 2020. The Android HSMobile has been in beta for 3 months. Assuming they spend another 3 months getting the Android and iOS HSMobile app to production, I would expect at least a 6 month beta for HS4.
Even then, they didn’t immediately obsolete HS2 when hs3 came out so hs3 is good for another 3ish years.
Confirmed there are issues with the Aeotec… still don’t know why… I use the SmartStick+ and a Z-Net and a Z-Rpi that I built. Super easy just find a z-wave stick that works well and use ser2net.
I need support for Hue, Ring, Harmony, Roomba, Echo, Google Assistant, MyQ, Ecobee, and Rachio. As far as I can tell, both Vera and Homeseer support them (native Google Assistant in the works). Having had years of experience with Vera, some of these integrations are, at best, clunky.
Now that I have a trial version of HSPRO running and installed a few plug-ins, I make some observations.
Vera UI7 is actually more graphical, modern-looking, and “prettier”.
Homeseer’s integration and support for devices/platforms appear broader and, in some cases, better.
There does not seem to be a way to replicate in HS a dashboard like Vera. Is this true? I know in device manager, I can sort, list, and organize by room. However, there does not seem to be a way for me to assign an additional attribute in order to group specific devices/events while keeping them on their respective floor and room groups. I know there is designer for HS Touch, but I like managing my home from a browser.