I have been researching and gathering as much information as I can on the whole HA segment. I have recently received my Veralite and will be buying my locks and other components shortly.
What happens after all my components are under Vera control and the system fails (shuts down or crashes or possibly power failure on that circuit)? Do my switches and especially my door lock work like normal as if Vera was not there? I saw a post or 2 of people saying they were locked out of their house and that has put the question in my head.
I just want to feel somewhat comfortable to know that just the automation would stop and not the physical use of the devices/plugs/door locks in/around the home.
If you’ve constructed a robust Z-Wave mesh, then some things, perhaps many, will work just fine.
Aside from configuration, Z-Wave doesn’t need a controller to be operating. Bearing this in mind, you can (should) build a hierarchical system which is robust to failures (as far as possible):
[ol][li]Hardware layer: Wired switches connected to modules (dimmers / relays)[/li]
[li]Z-Wave Associations: Switching and state information passed directly between Z-Wave modules including hand-help controllers[/li]
[li]Vera: Here’s where your schedules / triggers / apps reside - possibly also secondary controller actions[/li]
[li]Bridged Veras / WiFi servers: linking to the wider LAN-based appliances including table/phone apps[/li]
[li]Internet connectivity: required for cloud-based services such as MiOS remote access, Ergy, etc., and offsite access[/li][/ol]
Failure at any one level cuts off services above (numerically). A failed Vera should still allow other controllers and modules to communicate… this is why Z-Wave associations are GOOD.
Whether this means your locks still work rather depends on how you configure and activate them.
If I am understanding your response it sounds like it is possible not to work for something like a lock. Why is that? If the lock code is programmed into the lock (regardless of where the programming came from … Z-wave or manual at the lock itself) why won’t it open? Is it looking at/for the central z-wave controller for confirmation/authentication of the codes at the door when someone is trying to punch in digits to enter the home?
Still trying to wrap my head around it.
Maybe in had it all wrong. I was thinking that the z-wave mesh/ network received and passes instructions/state information between devices. You use a central controller/remote of some sort to set and manipulate those state/scenes accordingly for your devices but if that controller goes away the the devices just work as normal (light switch will work if i walk up to it and physically press the button).
Kind of like a TV remote works… If the remote is broken the TV still works I just have to get off the couch and change the channel on the TV itself.
I am still a bit new at this also so I cannot speak on everything, but the devices I have (Schlage lock, Trane thermostat, etc) all work with or without the controller. As long as you are physically at the property and do not need to operate the locks, etc remotely, I do not believe you would have a problem in the event of a controller failure.
If Vera fails, use of manual switches (i know about …Fibaro On/Off, Dimmers & Curtain) will still be unaffected.
And also your battery operated remote (secondary controller) will work fine.
Leveraging the topic, with me occurs something curious.
I have in my house a leviton vrcz4-m0z zone controler, this device is included in my vera3 and days ago I turned off my vera and this device continued turning on the lights associated to her buttons. But no asociation was did ! It buttons starts scenes recorded in vera.
Someone knows How this is possible ?