Using PLEG in place of Vera Scenes

[phillid2]

[quote=“Sammy2, post:14, topic:198379”][quote=“Don Phillips, post:12, topic:198379”][quote=“Sammy2, post:8, topic:198379”][quote=“Sammy2, post:5, topic:198379”][quote=“Don Phillips”]MiOS Apps. I use it to display both iPhones being home or away, cameras being armed, and exterior lights being; displayed on VeraMate:[/quote]Guess I need to read up on implementation of this plugin…

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk[/quote]

So I installed the app on my VeraPlus. Now what? LOL

EDIT: Is this it?[/quote]

You can now configure the new device. It should be in no room. It has an on and off status and that is it. You use the App to create additional switches. The key is to name it and place it in a room. For instance, I have a Don Home, Thea Home, and No One Home VS. When iPhone Locator updates, it sets the first 2 switches on when either of us is home. This is the switch that appears on VeraMate only when on. When both are gone, the No One Home VS is turned on and it appears on VeraMate only when on.

The switches are turned on and off with PLEG.[/quote]

Okay but do you need to change things in the Advanced Settings Tab on the VS? I’m not sure how you’re doing what you’re doing. Other than the icon on VeraMate, does the switch actually do anything else? :-[/quote]

You just need to change the device name and assign it to a room, if needed. I just use it for VeraMate. I also use them to tell me which UPS is running on battery (if both are on battery, a Power Outage VS is turned on and I get an alert). Very handy for the exterior lights. Rather than have all 3 light switches appear, I just have the 1 VS for exterior lights.

[phillid2]

@JDFranks

I don?t see why you would want to use a virtual switch as a trigger except in special circumstances. Use other devices as triggers for automation, ie. ping your phones to see if you are home. I use the virtual switch for those exceptions that I have a hard time controlling, ie. We have visitors and I don?t want the home to go into Away mode.

That would be one example.

[phillid2]

@Sammy2

Still trying to get how Virtual Switches are set up…

Once the device is created through the app, you name it and assign it a room. For my iPhone, I call it Don Home and assign it to the garage. I have a PLEG set up to switch it from on to off when I leave the house, or to on when I arrive. I use it in VeraMate only. Otherwise VS’s are not needed most of the time. If you are not seeing the need, do not bother trying to install it.

I am testing a PLEG to monitor how many hours my blower is running (to see when it is time to change the filter). When the fan starts, I turn on the fan VS and start a timer. When it turns off, I turn off the VS and stop the timer. I do not need the VS for the logic, but at a glance, I can see the fan is running on VeraMate.

[bobbydoedoe]

@bucko

[quote=“bobbydoedoe, post:7, topic:198379”]Hi Bucko, i am on the verge of doing the same thing. do you noticed any speed improvements in terms of triggering defined actions/events over Vera’s Scenes?

I can’t say if anything is faster. It is at least as fast.
What is more important is stability. I want something to happen 100% of the time. In scenes, it’s a crapshoot if the scene actually completes. I always had to add delays, change device order, etc to finally get a scene to do all it’s business. If Vera reloads during a scene, the scene just stops working. Using PLEG, even with a reload, things pick up where they left off so everything does get done.

In my case, for no reason me or support to explain, when I go to disarm my security, Vera always does a reload. That means scenes never complete. VS switches and PLEG is a solution to this problem.

It has been less then 24 hrs since I converted, so I cannot give more details than this at the moment.[/quote]

Thanks for the detail feedback. you have inspired me to do the same and move to pleg