I’ve just read on of the prior posts (March - Sunset/Sunrise issues), that Vera does NOT have an internal clock! Is is true? I have hard time to believe it. Even the simplest handheld Z-Wave controller with display has internal clock.
If it is true, that means Vera is totally dependent on Internet, so no internet no automation. That does not seems right. If I want to use Vera (after initially setup) somewhere else where is no internet, I am out of luck. Or, if I do not run interent overnight to minimize risk of intrusion, my automated scenes won’t execute!
Sound like a bad joke - automation without the clock.
MCV, please tell me it is not true. For prodcut at this price not having internal clock with supercapacitor instead of battery (or even internal battery), it is incomprehensible.
Vera has a real time clock.
The issue people are concerned about is that it Syc with an Internet time server.
The clock is reset upon power down .
If you are concerned you can put vera on a small ups unit .
That is how I install this type of hardware.
my timed scenes based on timers do not work whenever I do not have internet connection (three days in row), while they work if manually triggered. That means there is ssomething wrong with timer.
I discovered this post today by MCV’s own “cj”:
Re: Sunset/sunrise issue?
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2009, 08:32:10 am » . --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vera doesn’t have an internal clock so it doesn’t have a time/data built in. Every time it’s started time is synchronized from the internet.
If you don’t have an internet connection => you won’t have the time set => your scenes that are based on time (sunset/sunrise, timers) won’t work.
You can set the date/time manually from Vera’s CLI using date, but the Sunset/Sunrise it’s based on Location->LONGITUDE / LATITUDE and this page will be displayed only if your vera has internet connection.
I need Vera as a standalone system which runs reliably whether it has internet connection or not. Internet should be only for FW updates, remote access/messaging, once in a month time sync (although it could use my PC to get the correct time) and possible troubleshooting. Other than that I need fully autonomous automation system.
They advertise that it consumes only 6W, but you need to add running router (20W) and running modem (20W), so my small laptop can easily beat that with proper standalone software with no need to permanent internet.
I hope the next generation Vera will be an improvement in HW. It has a great potential, but it has to be executed right.
I agree. Though it is marketed as standalone, that function is completely reliant on a internet connection. As a stand alone system for a vacation home or remote location it has problems. They use a OEM router with z-wave dongle as the base of the product. So, hardware update will require another device not a firm ware upgrade.
Still they are ahead of the curve, but as a small firm it is attention to these types of details that will give them the lead ahead of the large manufactures who will be offering similar products. The 2nd generation of these devices will learn from their mistakes, so they should work out how to fix this issues sooner than later.
Every one of these devices in the past and present so far are based on a network router type platform chipset including Hawking, 4home, schlage.
Contrary to CJ there is a clock. It get sync’d with the internet. if no internet on power up it will revert to like 1999 or something and count up from there.
SO if the unit is powered up with internet and is on a ups then the time will be correct. It may drift a bit due to accuracy.
I beg to disagree, there is no internal clock which can trigger preset automation timers. Proof is here: Last night, for the first time, I had left my internet connection live overnight and voila, all the timed scenes executed as they were suppose to. Contrary to previous three nights when my internet and intranet connections were disconnected overnight. Nothing got executed then.
So try to set some scenes and disconnect internet, I bet none of them will get executed. Let us know, I am immensely interested. This standalone independent execution is an absolute must for me.
I fully agree with chart321, if MCV wants to be a leader and capture AND MAINTAIN as much of the market as possible, they need to work on their lead aggressively. If not, I can foresee new startup who will build upon Vera’s initial try and will leave them in the dust.
To clear the confusion, Vera does have an internal clock. But Vera does not have an internal battery to keep the clock running without power. So, if you power up Vera, it has the date 1999, and, using the internet, it sets the current time. At that point, the internet connection can go down and it won’t need the internet again to set the time unless you cycle power on Vera.
If you install Vera in a location without an internet connection, then when you turn Vera on, you will need to set the date manually. You can do this now with telnet, although it’s not intuitive, so we’re adding a ‘manually set the date/time’ option to the location tab. The clock will keep going fine unless Vera loses power, at which point it will reboot and have the time 1999 again.
You don’t lose any data when Vera’s power cycles because the data is stored in permanent flash rom.
I have a battery operated handheld Z-Wave remote and it works the same way. If it loses power (ie remove the batteries), your settings are preserved, but the clock is not. AFAIK all the Z-Wave controllers work like this. To add the battery would substantially increase the cost of Vera, not because the battery is expensive, but because we couldn’t use standard components and would have to do our own custom board.
I have been running offline for 6 months now with no serious issues, it’s just a little inconvenient. If you have frequent power outages buy a UPS.
As I stated in my March comment use Telnet to change Veras time. Once you power Vera up use the telnet command “date -s 050310512009” or (month-day-hh-mm-yyyy) Make sure you set the time zone first within the GUI (Location tab). All my scenes execute on time.
Before I go to bed, I turn everything off, except 3 lights set to 5% and one to full on.
Scene A: At 0:30 turn the insect lamp on for 45mins, then back to off. Those 3 lights turn off for 45 mins, then back to 5%; the remaining one light turn off.
Scene B: At sunrise, turn those 3 lights off.
When I had no permanent internet connection, nothing got executed, when I kept permanent internet connection it worked properly.
Vera was not rebooted or restarted during any of the two scenarios.
If it is not the clock, then I can possibly see an issue with delayed execution (i.e. 45mins here) or dependencies.
Over the weekend I tried it during daytime: added 14:30 to this scene and shortened time to 5 mins, it was working properly.
Remember that sunrise/sunset will not work without an Internet connection. I use a 3 in 1 motions sensor to detect outside light levels or I hard set my shut off time to early morning (6am). As time passes you may need to adjust you shut off time as the sun rises at different times.
I have found the same thing. Vera is connected directly to large UPS so it was never turned off.
When I kept Internet on , most scenes (not all) executed as pre-programmed.
When internet was off, it was completely haywire
There must be some glitch somewhere, I’ve sent number of verbose logs to MCV, they acknowledged, hopefully they will have a fix soon. It is an absolute must that Vera executes the commands precisely as programmed. Any deviation is simply not acceptable.
Dear MCV,
please let us know your progress. Vera’s reliability as far as preprogrammed commands should be on the top of the list. Without that, it does not even make sense to bother with other features.
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