Agreed, but I know of other Z-Wave Gateways/Software options that seemed plenty streamlined and stable, but by holding steady and not making the effort to adapt to what the community wanted basically failed and are no more or are on their way out. They were soley focused on that elusive mass consumer market and the jury is still out on whether that market can or wants to comprehend this stuff even in its most basic dumbed-down form. I agree there is a delicate balance between pushing the envelope and having an envelope that actually holds letters like it should 
Shady–I completely agree with your last point. My hope is that MCV (or other companies like them) can survive to the point where they can be taken over by a company with the financial strength to push the technology while cleaning up the interface.
Ideally, preservation of an open architecture could support both the “dumbed down” interface needed by many while facilitating the interesting tweaking seen here on this forum (e.g., development of interfaces for sprinkler controllers/awnings/sensors that are too “boutique” to have a business model attached to their automation, but still highly desired by many of us).
[quote=“Gordo, post:1, topic:166254”]I am looking for a home automation that I can add to, access over the internet, and with mobile apps. (sounds like a great idea, right). I was ready to push the “confirm purchase button” with the Vera but thought I had better do some more research (I had just seen the great videos showing how easy it is).
WOW after reading many posts I am glad I did NOT. I am not interested in purchasing anything that is not what it is advertised to be, and apparently Vera is not what it is advertised to be.
The readers of this forum seem to be really knowledgeable on home security systems so I am asking on this forum (maybe not the right place) but does anyone have suggestions as to where I should go for a system that does what it says it does?[/quote]
Gordo,
I have been using Vera for almost two years now. Here are some facts. I’m sure you noticed a tone that some people have towards anything that might resemble or imply that Vera might have short comings. Essentially what you have here are a number of people who have been tinkering with Vera for a while and have gone through it all with MCV and for the most part they will give it a gleaming review depending on how you state your question. The reality is that Vera works for the most parts with one pre-qualifier. You have to be willing to tinker with it which means you have to be supper patient and not expect much in terms of customer service. If you can live with these realities and set your expectations low then you’ll be pleasantly surprised. But if you watch that marketing video and buy into the “it just works” propaganda then you’ll be frustrated and angry.
Now getting back to what other solutions are out there. There are a number of solutions but you have to spend the money upfront to find out if you like the product or not. If you can deal with a PC based solution then you might want to consider Embedded Automation m-control. You can download the software and try it first before you buy it. You can use everything you have purchased so far so no worries there. Hell they even have a plug-in for Vera not to mention thousands of other HA products out there. Now if you are uncomfortable with a PC based solution then you have two options. You can either buy their embedded solution which is 7” touch panel that includes a digital music/photo player at the minimum with three other models offering more options. You can also purchase a solid state PC or embedded PC and build your own. The thing about m-control that is unique is that the UI runs as an application under the Windows Media Center and so t can be accessed on a local PC or through a Media Center Extender like an X-box 360 as well as through a browser remotely.
Cheers,
Thank you all so much for your help and comments, I decided to take what you have said and “lower” my expectations and purchase a Vera. I received it yesterday, plugged it in it upgraded to UI4 (it took two times to upgrade) and now it just works. I only have the trane thermostat and I am now installing some switches and looking for a outdoor temperature sensor and a on/off switch to control a 1/2 hp motor.
Thanks again and I am looking forward to NOT needing the help of the forum but suspect I will.
[quote=“Gordo, post:24, topic:166254”]Thank you all so much for your help and comments, I decided to take what you have said and “lower” my expectations and purchase a Vera. I received it yesterday, plugged it in it upgraded to UI4 (it took two times to upgrade) and now it just works. I only have the trane thermostat and I am now installing some switches and looking for a outdoor temperature sensor and a on/off switch to control a 1/2 hp motor.
Thanks again and I am looking forward to NOT needing the help of the forum but suspect I will.[/quote]
Given my recent pain in upgrading to UI4, I thought I’d chime in. It’d be very nice to have a system that just plugged in and ran like a tv, but I think that misses the point. What we’re running here is a very sophisticated network with 2-way communication between a huge variety of devices from different manufacturers. Bearing that in mind, I have to say that the reliability of Vera has exceeded my expectations, as has the ease of pairing and reliability of communication with the devices I’m running (2 Trane thermostats & two wall switches so far). My unit shipped with a slightly flaky firmware release that occasionally caused events to not fire, but a straightforward firmware update fixed that. UI3 was horrible to look at but worked. UI4 was a royal pain to upgrade to, but now it’s running it looks like a big step forward from UI3. I don’t think home automation will EVER be suitable for completely non-technical types who are afraid of buttons, but for someone willing to tinker around a bit with gadgets, Vera seems to be a very good and very cost-effective option.
Of course, we all don’t sit around and post what works properly, do we?
I’ve had my Vera 1 for a while, and it’s stable. It works with 2 different iPhone remote apps, although one better than the other. I have 2 locks, 1 thermostat, something like 9 light switches and 3 appliance switches all set for different times of the day and night that all turn off and on when I want them to. It lights the path in the hallway all the way around to the living room at 5:30 AM, and shuts itself off when enough light is coming in through the windows.
It even gave the cat lady temporary access and notified me when she showed up to take care of my animals.
Vera also tells me that the kid is home from school on time, and turns the AC down to a more comfortable level when he opens the door. Vera paid for herself last summer, when I saved about $100 a month on being able to vary cooling costs by varying the AC schedule by both timer and manual manipulation, and this summer was gravy. Last winter Vera turned on and off a small heater at intervals in the bedroom, and even with a small handheld remote was able trigger it if I needed to get up at 2 in the morning, also saving more money on heating costs.
So Vera does exactly what she advertised herself to do. And then some.
Great email “txpatriot”… now can you help me install it…
I have the Vera2, and I’m not that Knowlegable in setting it up, but I’ve had 2 upgrades on it (now at UI4) and I’m really having no problems as far as lockups or scenes not firing. I agree that the documentation for it leaves alot to be desired, but if you need help, eventually someone from MCV will get back to you.
I still have a few desires I would like to have happen, like when the IP cameras actually archive picturesn (I can get around this for now by going into the camera and disable the sensor) and being able to control the brightness from the sensors not to have lights come on. Other than that, I am not sorry I purchased the Vera, it does what I want.