I have UI7 and a lite. Last month after a long hold out I went from UI5 to UI7. I lost all the device names, scenes and PLEGS when I upgraded. I don’t know if that was normal or I did something wrong. After rebuilding the PLEGs and scenes everything works well and I am happy but I would like to add more devices and I am at my limit now.
Hi All,
I ordered my new very moving up from the Vera 3, lets see how it works. The first one to open it for the antenna upgrade please post?
Thanks
[quote=“EarlyMorningHours”]It will be interesting to see the reaction of Vera newcomers who get the Plus on the promise of Hue and Nest integration only to find them both so broken as to be unusable. In my almost two years of suffering in the Vera universe, the state of the OS has only gone downward, never up. I’ve spent the last two weeks rebuilding everything after the last well tested firmware update. Two weeks that should have taken no more than three or four hours. But the watching the paint dry performance of the interface… Well, the entire thing is a complete disaster and I’m actually about 2/3 finished rebuilding but can’t do anymore because the interface can’t seem to handle it. So now the already challenged development process has to do deal with additional radios and protocols? Yea, the future looks bright indeed.
It’s a pretty sad indictment of the industry that there really aren’t any better options at the moment. OpenHAB shows promise, but then again it’s been showing promise almost as long as I’ve been dealing with Vera controllers.[/quote]
Out of curiosity, which controller are you using? How many devices do you have? How many plugins do you have?
I have 31 z-wave devices, 3 cameras through the blueiris plugin, along with 13 other plugins and have had no issues with my VeraEdge in the last 2 months except for 1 light bulb that sometimes loses the connection. I have learned though, that I am not updating the VeraEdge unless the changelog specifically mentions a fix or enhancement I need/want.
I do agree that the interface is slow and I’m hoping they address that soon. ALTUI is great though and works much faster
There is no promise of Hue and Nest integration. So far no promises at all. Anyone who purchases on that premise has no right to complain.
That said, I already have mine on order (to replace an Edge) and I will be happy to accept any new possibilities that it gives me. I doubt there will be much gain initially but give it time.
That is true. Vera Controls has made no promises of Hue or Nest integration… but they do provide functional plugins (Hue2 plugin and WWN plugin), so they could claim that they provide integration.
As far as Hue bulbs (and Zigbee in general)… With the VeraPlus having a Zigbee radio, it is possible that the Hue products could have native support… This assumes that - 1) the VeraPlus Zigbee radio is 2.4GHz (which is likely, as it is a global frequency and using it makes device production less complex) and 2) The Zigbee implementation allows pairing with generic devices… (The Hue bridge and Wink Hub both refuse to pair with a Zigbee device unless it is explicitly supported - ie: a Hue bulbs can’t be paired to a Wink Hub and an Ecosmart bulb can’t be paired with a Hue bridge)… In the past, Vera Controls has taken a vendor-neutral approach to Z-Wave device support - I do not think that this will change with regard to Zigbee…
I had a short conversation with a Vera Controls employee last year, and the indication was that the Zigbee implementation would probably support any Zigbee device that adhered to the Zigbee HA specifications and any device that used a proprietary implementation may be supported as a generic device, but would depend on the device (with no promises of support).
I would expect that Standard Zigbee certified devices - Motion sensors, door/window sensors, light bulbs (even ZLL profile, which should also support HA profile), standard dimmer switches, etc should be supported without issue… Uncertified devices (ecosmart bulbs, Quirky TAPT, etc) will probably not provide full functionality, but may provide basic functionality…
Unlike Z-Wave, Zigbee does not support the concept of secondary controllers… So you could not add a Wink Hub or a Hue Bridge or a smarthings hub to the Zigbee network on the VeraPlus… Hopefully, the Zigbee devices supported by the VeraPlus will be plentiful…
@cybrmage
I agree, and I hope you are correct. I am hoping that the zigbee support will be as you say but I will not complain that I was sold a dud if it is not. I am also looking forward to seeing what can be done via the bluetooth interface and hoping that bluetooth speakers can do similar to sonos but again, if not then so be it.
I reckon it will be months before we even start to see the full advantages of the plus but that’s half the fun.
I can’t imagine that bluetooth devices will be easy to support… MANY different products and just as many different protocols on top of the bluetooth network protocol…
I have a few bluetooth HA devices… Will be interesting to see who/if they are supported…
FTR… I WANT A VERA PLUS IN MY COMMS ROOM!!! NOW!!!
(Sorry… Had to vent some of the frustration of having to wait… 8-} )
There is no promise of Hue and Nest integration. So far no promises at all. Anyone who purchases on that premise has no right to complain.
That said, I already have mine on order (to replace an Edge) and I will be happy to accept any new possibilities that it gives me. I doubt there will be much gain initially but give it time.[/quote]
If I’m remembering correctly, they were advertising WWN capabilities last year at CES–said it was coming soon…
And it’s been available for the last 8 months… Since April 2015… Feature advertised… Feature delivered…
Good afternoon Folks,
I am a new comers to this site, and to Vera.
I have been using Home Automation Products for about 30 Years, primarily X-10 stuff, wasn’t much home automation back then.
I am considering switching over to Z-wave, mainly for response speed.
I am looking at 3 different controller, Vera-Plus, Smartthings V2, and Zipato Mini, so I figured I would consult with end users in order to get a unbiased opinion.
What I am looking for in a controller, A) Being able to control everything locally, without having to rely on the Internet.
B) Easy programming with If & Then conditional rules.
C) Nice graphic interface, to impress friends.
Am I asking too much.
Thanks
Dom
[quote=“poordom, post:50, topic:188851”]Good afternoon Folks,
I am a new comers to this site, and to Vera.
I have been using Home Automation Products for about 30 Years, primarily X-10 stuff, wasn’t much home automation back then.
I am considering switching over to Z-wave, mainly for response speed.
I am looking at 3 different controller, Vera-Plus, Smartthings V2, and Zipato Mini, so I figured I would consult with end users in order to get a unbiased opinion.
What I am looking for in a controller, A) Being able to control everything locally, without having to rely on the Internet.
B) Easy programming with If & Then conditional rules.
C) Nice graphic interface, to impress friends.
Am I asking too much.
Thanks
Dom[/quote]
No experience other than Vera… so i’ll speak to that:
a) no problem here. works great locally.
b) the internal programming is minimal at best. There is a fantastic plugin called PLEG that is incredibly powerful that works great here. For some (like me) the learning curve is a bit steep, but the results are great… and the support (and dev) is top notch.
c) i’m still on the older UI, but think that both are pretty un-sexy. That said, i believe more than most of us actually “work” through our systems using 3rd party clients. I use Imperihome on android tablets, and it never fails to impress. Super cool, highly customizable. There is a fair number of apps to choose from, so just depends on your needs and platform. There is also a nifty plugin called AltUI that allows you to customize your own web UI … i don’t use it, but i’m sure i will when i jump to UI7 - it’s very cool. Also a great dev that is constantly working on it, and helping others.
You’ll read quite a few folks on the forum slagging Vera, but honestly, from what i can tell, there are pretty much similar problems with whatever platform you decide. What makes this great for me is this community… i rarely wait longer than an hour for a reply to a question, and the stuff these folks have created constantly amazes me.
Unbiased? ROFL On here you will get some very biased opinions. Mostly from users who claim they have dumped Vera for other systems but are still regularly on this forum (methinks they doth protest too much).
Look for information which is factual rather than emotional.
Thank you so much, the plug-ins is the one thing I am impressed with.
Take Vera for what it is. GetVera makes its money on the MiOS operating system which they license out to other HA systems. The Vera units are typically rebranded units sold at a reasonable cost. The users of Vera systems pretty much beta test the software as GetVera releases it.
Pro: Cheap controller, no monthly fee.
Con: You act as a beta tester regarding software. Many desired elements of the OS are delivered via plug-ins that are user created and may or may not function in the future as the developer decides to drop support or move on.
My OPINION: Vera is like a granola bar. Fine, (somewhat) stable, will get you by. I do not see it as a frontrunner in the future nor pushing the boundaries of home automation. The good thing with Z-Wave is it doesn’t matter if you switch controllers at another date in time, your investment is still sound.
Other systems to look at are the Universal Devices ISY with Z-Wave and OpenHab, an open source software that can run on Raspberry Pi style boards. It separates hardware from software and is extremely expandable if you are comfortable with “tinkering”.
Well… Sort of. The controller is local and does control local sensors without going outside of the LAN, and you can log into the controller web interface locally. That is, you aren’t forced to use an Android or iOS client to get to the controller. However, the controller does insist on authenticating with Vera HQ before allowing certain actions. I haven’t figured out how to stop that from happening.
Has anyone heard anything on when the pre orders will start shipping?
Thanks
Jim
Order in the first couple hours it was live and haven’t heard or seen a thing other than the original order confirmation
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Well, back in early December when they accidentally put it on sale, I was one of the five that got an order in before they shut it down. The first one actually, based on my order # being the lowest one. On January 8th they charged my credit card. As of today, it’s still being shown as “processing”.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I ordered mine on January 3rd and they charged my card January 3rd. So far all I have received is the order confirmation. I’m sure I won’t hear anything till it ships.
All it says on the web site when you order is, All pre-orders will be delivered no later than February 14th.
Jim
We wanted to update you on the status of the VeraPlus shipments.
Because of the earthquake in Taiwan, our shipments of VeraPlus US controllers were delayed.
We wanted to let you know that we are beginning to ship VeraPlus controller orders. You should receive your controller no later than Friday, February 19th.
We apologize for this delay, but due to the severity of the earthquake in Taiwan, transportation carriers were delayed in processing shipments. Once your order has shipped, you will receive tracking information which you will be able to use to monitor your shipment?s progress on the FedEx website.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Best regards,
Bob