When i first started learning about Vera and Z-Wave i found it all a little overwhelming and hard to get started with. I spend a lot time searching the forms and piecing together lots of different posts and wiki entries. I realized that there were no real good step by step resources available where one could learn all of the basics that they needed to get started.
Therefore i decided that once i figured it all out, i was going to create such a resource! To that end, i ended up creating an entire course with step by step videos to get beginners started and maybe even give a few cool ideas for the advanced users.
The course covers:
[ul][li]Initial Setup[/li]
[li]Adding all kinds of devices (including IR devices with the new UI)[/li]
[li]Creating Scenes[/li]
[li]More advanced automation using Triggers, Schedules, Apps, LUUP, etc[/li]
[li]Mobile Applications[/li]
[li]Troubleshooting[/li][/ul]
Now because all of the posts on this form have been very valuable in helping me learn and succeed i want to give back to the community.
If you are an expert on the form, i welcome your critique and input. Contact me directly and I will provide you with a code to get the course for free.
My plan is to continue to add new content to the course and i welcome all ideas for new lessons.
My hope is that this course will enable everyone and anyone to go out and get a Vera and quickly start automating their home.
PS: Please forgive me if this kind of post is against the rules. I was unable to find any forum rules and figured that this was something that the new users here could benefit from.
I noticed that there have been quite a few views to this post and quite a few people actually visited the course, however it appears that no one was interested. Your feedback as to why you were not interested would greatly be appreciated.
Seemingly VERY high cost. The cost may be worth it, but we’ll never know because there is no sample of the product without sacrificing an email address. There may even be further requirements, but browsers close at this point.
Even at 50% off, the cost seems quite high. Especially for completely unknown content from a completely unknown source.
I’d recommend, at a minimum, offering a chapter completely free. Put it on Youtube or Vimeo with no signups or restrictions of any kind. I’d also recommend that the chapter be an advanced topic to whet the appetite of newbies and advanced users alike.
Edit: You could also do a trailer or out take reel like ads for television shows. Imagine MCV selling Veras without a picture. You wouldn’t have bought a Vera sight unseen.
There are some demo videos present already on the site, and you should be able to view them by scrolling down to the lesson list and click on the preview button. Im not sure why they require a user to sign up using the free preview button at the top, but that is not required if you scroll down. I do like your idea of putting videos on YouTube and such. It is also great marketing idea!
As for price, i have set it at $99 because the site often offers sales where one can take all of their courses for 40% or 50% therefore i had to make it a little higher to make up for their constant sales. That is also the reason that im willing to offer it at the same discount even at non sale times to users here.
Is $50 too much? That’s less than the typical cost of any piece of hardware?
Z-Waver: I have sent you a PM with a free code in it. If you feel up to it, i would appreciate your feedback on the course content. If your not interested i completely understand.
I would be happy to provide others with a free coupon if they agree to provide constructive feedback.
EDIT: I am unable to send PMs (probably because im new here). Feel free to message me and i will send you a code.
I believe the price is too high, as well. For now, the content is not that much different from what I can find on YouTube, except you’ve put it in an orderly catalog.
I would like to see you tackle some tougher topics, like adding different model cameras, or showing to how to setup PLEG and other plug-ins.
I will have to agree as well with the price. From the previews I watched they are informative but can all be gained from YouTube or search the forum. I am impressed though of what you have created so far. It would really help the first time users but most of the first time user usually will have a background in computers and do their reaseach before hand. If it was mainstream you would be set but unfortunately the majority don’t see the point yet… Lol
Well done.
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