I have this home cinema, which I’d like Vera to control. Initially I’d like to be able to control the heatpump/air conditioner which is IR, but also in the longer term, being able to control the projector, my Dune player, my Onkyo 905 etc etc.
The Dune and the Onkyo has network control, so maybe IR isn’t necessary, but the IP TV box and the projector are IR.
So, if I understand things correctly, there are two brands to consider(?);
The SquareConnect SQBlaster Plus
Pro:
Better support in Vera(?).
Con:
No good Android support it seams.
Needs IOS device to be setup? (major issue for me, since I will never go IOS)
Only Wifi with separate power supply.
Global Cache Itach
Pro:
Good(?) support using IRule for Android.
Ethernet with PoE variant available - simple installation for me.
Con:
Worse Vera support(?) Maybe good enough? (This is a major issue, needs something that works ok)
So, basically it boils down to this
Vera support.
Android support.
Can someone shed some light about the difference here? e.g. Will the Itach work?
Any input appreciated, I have tried to read up on this, but I am still lost…
There is a 3rd part Android app for the SQ blaster (see link below), and it wont be long before the actual SQ android solution is probably going to be showing itself!
I have the gc100 and itach. You can add them to Vera and setup ir controls. However currently this requires a bit of a work around . They work fine.
I use irule instead of Vera to control my system but it can be a bit of a
Pain sometime setting up irule. I also use irule to control certain vera device but not all.
I don’t have sq blaster but do have the app is easy to use and the integration with Vera is seamless. I personally prefer irule but it is more expensive.
There are others like redeye but they all basically do the same. It is really a choice of effort involved versus cost and how much you want to control.
I’m also a newbie on IR and Vera (and Vera at all for me).
I’ve recently tested the SQBlaster and as you can see in my recent topic, I stuggle a bit.
Now it’s working really well, the reactivity is really impressive.
But I didn’t yet manage to “learn” IR code for unrecognized devices.
I have looked at totalcontrol, but it still looks pretty basic, and only for phones, not tablets, so I think it will stay off my radar until it has progressed a bit.
Really looking forward to a SQBlaster Android app, but it looks as if it has been in the workings for years. Should I really hold my breath?
Did I understand things right, regarding the need for an IOS device for SQBlaster set-up? Or can it be done with a windows or linux PC?
If a particular device is missing, will both itach and sqblaster allow learning or some kind of manual set-up?
[quote=“Brientim, post:3, topic:171698”]I have the gc100 and itach. You can add them to Vera and setup ir controls. However currently this requires a bit of a work around . They work fine.
I use irule instead of Vera to control my system but it can be a bit of a
Pain sometime setting up irule. I also use irule to control certain vera device but not all.[/quote]
These are my thoughts; Vera uses itach for controlling heat, basic light using the itach.
When the home cinema is in use (watching a movie etc), we use Irule+Itach to control the AV equipment (volume/pause/forward etc etc) directly i.e. without involving vera into this control.
Is this how you are using it?
Irule looks very nice and seams to be very configurable with layout and so on. I guess this is why it is a bit of a struggle to get it up and running?
I’d like to be able to use both phones and tablets for control.
(For general vera house control, I use Authomation)
True in that is has been a long time, but plans got accelerated to support their upcoming SQ controller. I think the original delay was in the effort required to try and port the iOS app and it being too challenging. I believe the approach now was to go a different path, although it’ll likely not be compatible with MiOS anymore!
Did I understand things right, regarding the need for an IOS device for SQBlaster set-up? Or can it be done with a windows or linux PC?
The setup of the blasters WiFi is done from a PC or MAC based app. If you want Vera to control it then it takes some copy and pasting of the pronto codes etc and jiggling to set Vera up to control it, and even then it only really useful for scene control!
If you do have an iOS device then there is a way to also create plugins for Vera from the blasters inbuilt device files
If a particular device is missing, will both itach and sqblaster allow learning or some kind of manual set-up?
For the SQblaster, you can learn codes, but you will need an iOS device to do it currently. iTach wise I believe its possible to learn with it also! A search will find you a couple of threads on how to do that!
I use Vera to control my z-wave devices and for scenes. It does that very well.
I use the itach mainly for ir systems control, there are other limitation on the gc100.
I have added Vera devices to the irule as well the normal ir devices. Irule is good but it can be a little slow when creating the layout. It is flexible in creating your design and has a good foundation to develop from. I brought the full version but you really dont need too unless you have more than three types of formats such as iPhone, android and iPad that you are going to use.
I also have homeseer pro but currently prefer both of the previous mentioned as i do not need to run a server or computer as you do with homeseer.
Both the itach and sq blaster plus can be added to your Vera to use for ir control. Vera has a few problems but you can workaround that if desire. I have put a previous post on how to implement it even though i dont use it myself see http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,9357.msg68184.html#msg68184. Vera is quite capable of controlling ir devices but i do prefer a dedicated design tool to do this from. There is a pc tool to design sqblaster layout as well. Both offer ir learning and most codes can be obtained of the net anyway.
When the home cinema is in use (watching a movie etc), we use Irule+Itach to control the AV equipment (volume/pause/forward etc etc) directly i.e. without involving vera into this control.
That is correct. I’m not going to say one is better than the next. Itach and sq blaster have very good representation in the home automation sector and offer solid performance.
OK, not having any IR device yet, I tested irule for a couple of hours, and I must say I am impressed by it. Both my media player (dune) and my Onkyo receiver works just fine using their ethernet connection, and it was easy enough to configure.
I will order an itach for the rest, and hopefully I’ll get vera to talk nicely to it.
Neither has Global Cache… You must use 3rd party software for GC as there is no native controller by that company which in itself is neither here nor there. I have both and they both work well.
[quote=“Brientim, post:9, topic:171698”]I use Vera to control my z-wave devices and for scenes. It does that very well.
I use the itach mainly for ir systems control, there are other limitation on the gc100.
I have added Vera devices to the irule as well the normal ir devices. Irule is good but it can be a little slow when creating the layout. It is flexible in creating your design and has a good foundation to develop from. I brought the full version but you really dont need too unless you have more than three types of formats such as iPhone, android and iPad that you are going to use.
I also have homeseer pro but currently prefer both of the previous mentioned as i do not need to run a server or computer as you do with homeseer.
Both the itach and sq blaster plus can be added to your Vera to use for ir control. Vera has a few problems but you can workaround that if desire. I have put a previous post on how to implement it even though i dont use it myself see http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,9357.msg68184.html#msg68184. Vera is quite capable of controlling ir devices but i do prefer a dedicated design tool to do this from. There is a pc tool to design sqblaster layout as well. Both offer ir learning and most codes can be obtained of the net anyway.
When the home cinema is in use (watching a movie etc), we use Irule+Itach to control the AV equipment (volume/pause/forward etc etc) directly i.e. without involving vera into this control.
That is correct. I’m not going to say one is better than the next. Itach and sq blaster have very good representation in the home automation sector and offer solid performance.[/quote]
Hi Brientim
I now use vera, global, irule. But now I am a novice, there are many questions to ask you, I hope you can leave contact email to me, my email: hsmsmz888@gmail.com
Thank you!
