Well, after some very tough internal dialog, I have come to the conclusion that this project is just exactly like every other Z-wave “solution” I have tried so far. First was Logitech Harmony 890, then came Hawking Remote Gateway, and most recently Vera.
Up until this point, it seemed like MCV had been fairly responsive to end-user bug reports, etc. But recently, it seems that instead of addressing bug reports of current users on most recent official builds, they are also going the way of everyone else and “we will fix it with the next UI”. Unacceptable.
It’s really sad to see a technology with so much promise, and absolutely not a single company that I can find who has put their dedication into getting it truly right. I can’t decide if it’s that the funding runs out, or patience, if it’s boredom in the project, or if it’s greed that sets in…but it seems like this technology will never get off the ground because start-ups initially don’t have the money to advertise main-stream, and then once they make a little money with their initial customer-base, they begin a serious development phase (that is very short-lived), they lose sight of their original target demographic and purpose, take on a huge new “this will be bigger and better and fix everyone’s problems and make everyone happy” project (which usually comes along with a “small monthly convenience charge”), and they are never heard from again. Seems like Vera / MCV has hit this stage (or is very, very near).
“Six weeks, six weeks, we’re so close…the beta-testers love it…hang in there guys…” I’m sorry, but I’ve heard this song and dance long enough, and I’ve heard it from enough other companies (Intermatic, Logitech, Hawking and probably some others in the closet collecting dust that I have even forgotten about) that I’m truly going to box ALL of the thousands of dollars of Z-wave stuff up and wait for it to become a collector’s item that I can sell on eBay one day. (HA!)
Seriously, I’ll probably be posting lots of very gently used stuff out there…two Harmony 890 pros, Hawking Gateway and Wifi Camera, Vera (Build 1, UI2 “final” release), a Trane (Schlage Link) thermostat, and a whole truckload of Intermatic in-wall switches, in-wall dimmers and every wall-wart combination you can think of out there very soon for anyone interested. I’m moving, and have to take it all out anyway, and don’t have the heart to put it in the new place. A new place is a new beginning, and I don’t want to take this very old (going on 5+ years) disappointment with me any longer.
I sincerely wish you all good luck. I still have hope for the concepts, and maybe one day someone will come along and truly “revolutionize” the industry.
P.S. Merely a side note…everything I have is currently working without a single hitch. It’s just sad to see new adoptees trickling in all the time being told “it won’t do that yet” (for things already advertised as working)…or “we’ve been waiting for that fix for _____”…or “if you can just hang on long enough, we’re releasing the above-all-end-all solution to all the problems we’ve had so far”. MCV is nowhere to be found, and we’re stuck trying to help each other and the first person with a negative word is accosted by the one or two MCV “trollers” who seemingly happen to wander into the forum purely by accident. I have always disliked the posts from MCV personnel as they sound condescending and just flat-out rude at least 75% of the time. I have never seen a single post where they take responsibility or even say “I’m sorry for the trouble you are having” without also saying “well, if you would READ the previous posts” or “you guys just need to be more patient and less demanding because we’re doing the best we can” or something else equally dismissive. Remember, guys, these customers are the very best (or very worst) advertising you have. Talk to them like people, not like “underlings”.
