I tried researching this, but didn’t find the answers, or questions I was looking for. I currently have a Vera 3 and am extremely happy with it. I dont have a very large setup, only about 8 zwave devices, envisalink w/ DSC alarm, server with Blue Iris integrated into vera, and a few different plugins. Everything works without error and I would be recommending a Vera 3 to my friend who is looking to get into home automation with a new house he is building. But since the Vera 3 is no longer available, I have been looking at the Edge.
Looking at the reviews online and the constant troubleshooting of issues in the forum, don’t make it seem to promising for a somewhat reliable system. Is the Edge still recommended? Would it be better for somewhat to wait for something better?
Thanks for the help! Hopefully this hasn’t already been asked somewhere else.
I luv Home Automation and have been involved for over 15 years.
At this time I can not recommend ANY platform (not limited to MCV platforms) to my friends … even my technical friends.
My recommendation is that people getting involved in Home Automation should do so as a hobby!
With the amount of money some people invest in Home Automation, they expect something more than something you may need to tinker with.
You can get some very good and extremely functional automation … it’s just not as simple as assembling something from IKEA.
Some things are easy … If you listed exactly what devices you want to integrate (including Vendors) we could give you a better answer.
Also the coverage size and type of construction where Z-Wave devices are installed relative to where the Z-Wave controller will be located also effects satisfaction.
[quote=“eclipse, post:1, topic:186785”]I tried researching this, but didn’t find the answers, or questions I was looking for. I currently have a Vera 3 and am extremely happy with it. I dont have a very large setup, only about 8 zwave devices, envisalink w/ DSC alarm, server with Blue Iris integrated into vera, and a few different plugins. Everything works without error and I would be recommending a Vera 3 to my friend who is looking to get into home automation with a new house he is building. But since the Vera 3 is no longer available, I have been looking at the Edge.
Looking at the reviews online and the constant troubleshooting of issues in the forum, don’t make it seem to promising for a somewhat reliable system. Is the Edge still recommended? Would it be better for somewhat to wait for something better?
Thanks for the help! Hopefully this hasn’t already been asked somewhere else.[/quote]
I have had more one VERA lite and now have upgraded all to the EDGE.
The biggest difference is moving from ui5 to ui7 (and that’s no problem if you never used ui5 before) Most bugs related to the EDGE and not software have been fixed, bugs still out related to ui7 are going to affect all vera’s running ui7.
If you happy with your vera 3 I would say your gonna feel the same running the edge unless your still on ui5. Then things might feel a bit more troublesome.
Honestly whatever you choose is going to be vulnerable when this market matures and things “shake-out”. That being said, it would seem that z-wave should be able to weather the storm, so even if Vera goes under, or is bought out, the devices stand a good chance of being reused. People need to understand that the market is still developing, and things will change.
Thanks for the replies. I definitely agree, it is a hobby. He saw my house and wants to have the same thing. Letting him know everything I got so he can do a similar setup. Just hoping it works for him without too many issues. I have told him its a hobby.
I just upgraded to Vera Edge from Lite. Was forced to, because my Lite died and I had serious memory issues prior to it dying. I liked UI5 for the most part. UI7 is just a little less efficient (i.e. no tabs on device boxes). But the stability is a lot better than Vera Lite. I’ve had issues re-adding a few of my devices - Yale locks and Leviton Zone Controllers. But other than that, great so far. Authomation works perfect!
I agree, it can be looked at as a hobby, albeit an expensive one (what hobbies aren’t?) :-).
I would warn him ahead of time, this thing can be frustrating, expensive, and it will consume all your spare time if you let it. You automate one room, and the next room comes calling. You install one camera, and before you know it, you have six.
It starts simple, innocently… you replace one outlet with Z-Wave, grab motion sensor, and plug in a lamp. It lights up when you enter the room, and goes off when you leave the room.
Before you know it, you’ve replaced virtually every power socket and light switch (sometimes more than once)!
Just don’t do it. I concur with Richard et al - I wouldn’t recommend any existing platform, and definitely not Vera, to family or friends.
It is like giving them a pet puppy they didn’t ask for. Sure it is cute for a few days, then it pees on everything and costs a fortune to maintain and feed.
[quote=“wilme2, post:10, topic:186785”]Just don’t do it. I concur with Richard et al - I wouldn’t recommend any existing platform, and definitely not Vera, to family or friends.
It is like giving them a pet puppy they didn’t ask for. Sure it is cute for a few days, then it pees on everything and costs a fortune to maintain and feed.[/quote]
Ahahaha, have you thought about adopting a used one? ;D
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