I decided to invest in a Vera3 for controlling a doorlock remotely, and perhaps put a few more Zwave devices in later. It has been a complete nightmare…Remote access is “hit or miss”, firmware updates seem to cripple things more than improve. Is this the norm for Vera/Zwave technology ?
Anytime I decide to press the “Save” button on any configurations, I have to hold my breath and hope that the lock will still work.
I consider my self fairly tech-savvy and have set up network/integrated systems in the past, but I never experienced this much frustration just to set up a simple remote device. I can’t even imagine setting up any additional devices, as I can’t get a single lock to function reliably.
Tech support is rather minimal, and usually can’t answer my questions. I’m hoping this forum can help.
Two major problems have been plaguing me right now.
#1 - Cant add lock codes remotely - I get the “No avail user code” when I try to do so.
#2 - I moved the door lock to a different “room”(only in my menu - the lock is still in its same physical place). Now I get the “Failed at getting name”. Why on Gods green(verde) earth would moving a name from one window to another cause the lock to suddenly change ? Nothing changed on the lock itself, just moving the name within a window. It boggles my mind. ???
I have had MiCasaVerde for 3 months and have found it to be very tempermental and buggy. Has anyone else had the same issues ?
Any help or support you can give me would be great. I really love the idea of Z Wave technology, but just don’t see this working out unless there is more stability.
I have a Vera 2 and I have two Schlage locks. Both bought and installed at the same time.
I can only change the codes from one of them from Vera.
The other always reports No avail user code. I can add them from the keypad.
So I am not sure it’s a bug in Vera. If it is … it’s subtle and not repeatable on every lock. Actually the one that is further away (Both in distance and materials to have to propagate) from the Vera is the one that works …
I gave up trying to figure why … Many times I have reset the Lock to factory defaults … removed and rejoined the Z-Wave domain … changed batteries … touched my nose and spun around three time … still no go.
I had trouble connecting to my Schlage lock when I first paired it with my Vera Lite. It was about 30 feet away from the unit. After installing a Z-Wave light switch close to the lock, I have had no problems. If I had to guess, I would say that the light switch probably has a better wireless range than the lock, seeing as it is hard-wired instead of running on batteries. But it could just be that it was just that 3 feet that made the distance. I have had no problem setting codes through my Vera and having it run a Scene that turns on the lights when a code is entered into the Schlage lock at night-time.
I only have 3 devices on my network right now (but I may expand to include a Thermostat and another light switch in the future) so I don’t use the “Rooms” feature of the software. It seemed rather unnecessary. Once I got things working, it was great! I would say that you should hang in there. Try moving the Vera closer to your locks, if you are able, or putting Z-wave repeaters in between. If necessary, see if any of your equipment is faulty. Maybe send it back and start over?
Little bugs I did find: Sometimes, when I update a Scene, one of my other Scenes will disappear. Slightly annoying. Also, whenever I go through the instructions to Pair a new device it tells me the Pairing failed, but then the new device appears in my list! All’s well that ends well as far as I’m concerned on that front.
I got the 'No avail user code." with my Schlage deadbolt when I first started using it with Link…it ended up that I didn’t pair it correctly (I didn’t wait by the lock with the bridge long enough)…you might try repairing the lock…take you’re time and wait till the lights on the lockset stop flashing/go out…Mine’s working fine with my VERA 2…
I am just learning this system and am I having them same problem. “Hit or Miss” (miss more often) I hate to complain much because I assumed it was user error, as I started this home automation yesterday project. Please let us know if you “figure out” why it is some temperamental. Perhaps tech support will do something besides ‘link’ an out of date instruction page.
Zwave is temperamental unless you have a robust network of devices. Locks seem to be even more so since they are a) battery and b) using an encrypted protocol. If you are having problems with your locks ensure that you have a few beaming capable devices on lamps etc. to ensure multiple paths for the mesh. I have both a Yale and a Schlage lock set and both work reliably (once I added a second Vera and bridged them). I also have 30+ device so now i have a solid z-wave mesh.
Agreed, after attaching a few more devices, they system seems to work better. I didn’t realize that they bounced the signal thru the different device. I assumed you needed a dedicated receiver/transmitter to increase signal strength. Thanks.
I only have 1 other device between my Vera and my Schlage… Which is about 30 foot, and two walls away. No problems. If you have a problem, do a factory reset if the lock. I did that and all is perfect now.
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