Got a Vera Plus as a replacement for a Vera Lite. Before I migrate, wanted to familiarize with the new unit; and I’m confused about its Wi-Fi:
It’s using latest firmware 1.7.1754.
Vera Plus seems to be acting as a WiFi router, but I wanted to be able to be able to connect to it via WiFi instead.
Under Settings → Net & WiFi, I see the settings for WAN (Ethernet) and LAN (WiFi).
I don’t see how Vera can join a WiFi Network and get an IP address and gateway from WiFi, it works on Ethernet (WAN).
Also, on WiFi, I don’t see how to rename the 5Ghz SSID nor how to select the channel. For 2.4Ghz, it lets me pick a channel but has no auto.
If it were working in client mode; there would be no channel to pick.
BTW: There are no more Z-Wave pair / unfair buttons. There are two new ones: Pair and Select.
I have no idea what these are for.
[glow=red,2,300]Starting with firmware Version 7.0.21 ▾ June 19, 2017. Wifi client mode has been enabled in VeraPlus : [url=https://goo.gl/r4iuQT]https://goo.gl/r4iuQT[/url][/glow]
I do not have that option. I have Automatically configure and Manually configure. I have been searching everywhere over the last few days with no success on how to get this going.
Thanks for the reply. nope. Again, I don’t think that us VeraPlus users are just missing it. I don’t believe it is there. Can someone with a VeraPlus confirm that the wifi options for doing a network are there?
I have attached the entire screen. I am also on the same firmware as OP.
Thanks for the reply. nope. Again, I don’t think that us VeraPlus users are just missing it. I don’t believe it is there. Can someone with a VeraPlus confirm that the wifi options for doing a network are there?
I have attached the entire screen. I am also on the same firmware as OP.[/quote]
You two have already confirmed it’s not there, so we believe you. The edge didn’t have it either for the first 6 months. It’s also not recommend to use.
Of course a wired connection is always more reliable but with the battery backups I have for both my router/modem and the Vera, I have been running for a few years on my lite in that configuration with no issues. But I am keeping my lite as a slave and trying to avoid purchasing another AP for the Plus, a device that contains the ability to perform this function. I was hoping that someone would already have a workaround or know how to enable it. I know it took a while for the edge to gain this funtionality and was hoping, due to the high demand for this funtionality, would be enabled out of the box.
I know the moment I buy another AP, there will be a way to do this. I’ll just keep lurking the forums for a bit before I throw in the towel.
Had the same problem. This worked on VeraEdge and Vera2. Here’s the response from support. Hopefully they will release an update soon.
[i]We are very sorry but for the moment, VeraPlus doesn?t have the feature to connect to the Internet wirelessly.This is in our developer?s to do list and should be included into one of the future software versions. Be sure to check our release notes page to find out the fixes and improvements with each update:
I perosnally don’t think wifi is high demand on the vera and would guess that 90% of users disable the wifi out of the box.
I am also unaware of how the vera lite was connected in this way since it doesn’t have a wifi radio in it? USB?
Also since the wifi router, and vera should be in the center of the house and they both run on battery backup they should be sitting side by side. Which means a .30 cent cat5 cable would do the trick.
I’m sure vera will get it going sooner or later just like on the edge, and the right thing that has been done is to open support tickets for it. More there is the better your chances of getting it resolved. I encourage everyone needing this to open a ticket to help out.
My router is in the back of the house. No issues getting wifi anywhere in the house. Vera is in the kitchen as the radio will not reach the edges of the house/outside. No way to easily get an ethernet cable to it without it really being a pita.
The way i have the lite connected is through the ethernet port via a TP nano router powered through the VeraLite USB port. Don’t recall the exact model but found the solution via this forum. They are only 20 bucks or so but the best solution is to use the hardware already present in the VeraPlus. Thanks to previous poster for adding that they [Vera] have made a response on it. I’ll also open a ticket to simply show there is interest.
I will also disable the wifi rebroadcast if i am able to and still use the radio in client mode. I currently have the radio off as of this post. As you mentioned, I think that a small minority of the users have much interest in using the Plus as a DHCP server and/or creating a wifi network with it.
I also think having a wired connection is much more important to boxes like the smart hub where logic is stored in the cloud. Losing internet means a dead box. On the Vera, an loss of connection only means not being able to access it from out of the network. All functions will continue to perform. Saying that one should not use it wireless is similar to staying that you should not use a wireless cam, wirelessly, because of the unreliable connection. In situations where people are using their box to perform critical security/fire functions, which is also not suggested, a hardwired connection would mean one less point of failure.
[quote=“mbc2237, post:10, topic:191130”]My router is in the back of the house. No issues getting wifi anywhere in the house. Vera is in the kitchen as the radio will not reach the edges of the house/outside. No way to easily get an ethernet cable to it without it really being a pita.
The way i have the lite connected is through the ethernet port via a TP nano router powered through the VeraLite USB port. Don’t recall the exact model but found the solution via this forum. They are only 20 bucks or so but the best solution is to use the hardware already present in the VeraPlus. Thanks to previous poster for adding that they [Vera] have made a response on it. I’ll also open a ticket to simply show there is interest.
I will also disable the wifi rebroadcast if i am able to and still use the radio in client mode. I currently have the radio off as of this post. As you mentioned, I think that a small minority of the users have much interest in using the Plus as a DHCP server and/or creating a wifi network with it.
I also think having a wired connection is much more important to boxes like the smart hub where logic is stored in the cloud. Losing internet means a dead box. On the Vera, an loss of connection only means not being able to access it from out of the network. All functions will continue to perform. Saying that one should not use it wireless is similar to staying that you should not use a wireless cam, wirelessly, because of the unreliable connection. In situations where people are using their box to perform critical security/fire functions, which is also not suggested, a hardwired connection would mean one less point of failure.[/quote]
If vera disconnects from wifi you also loose local control, any plugins that use IP and other functions also not just internet or cloud based items. It will disconnect from local network also. You could combat this by haveing it ping another device on the network maybe even the router so you can boot to try and get wifi to auto connect. But yes wireless speed and reliablity is not that of wired. And wireless router would be better placed in the center of house vs. back corner also. Sometimes this involves work and that’s were the Mickey comes out.
After 3 years with the Lite on a wireless connection and not a single issue , I’ll stick with the wireless route.
Had I thought of it just prior to deciding to start the HA ride, I would have wired it when I was rebuilding my entire house. But, I didn’t and that ship has sailed. I spent a bit of time debating on running cat5 through the house but realized, at the time, that there was nothing I needed it for. Don’t think I would have run it to the kitchen back then anyway, so I’d still be in the same boat.
Thanks for being a part of the community integlikewhoa.
Works great have never had a problem with it (just make sure to reserve a static IP address for it on your router). I have never seen a reliability difference between my wired vs wireless devices, my wired connection is a little faster (like for the gaming console), but that irrelevant for something like the Vera.
Yes it can work paired with an AP, powerline, etc.; but that’s not the point. It is advertised that WiFi is supported; with WiFi certification logos on the box. It has a decent 802.11AC, simultaneous dual-band WiFi radio; it runs on a modified version on OpenWRT; so it’s something new customers buying this would expect to work.
Now, a good reason for this to work is when pairing new devices. Sometimes it’s best to have Vera right next to the Z-Wave device that is being paired.
Vera Lite had a special mode when running on AA batteries to pair and unpair Z-Wave devices. Vera edge has no pairing buttons; so it would have to be set into pairing mode from a web browser.
I think everyone will agree that having this facility would be useful and I am sure that eventually it will be implemented as it was on the Edge. Unfortunately, it is not available at the moment and we have to work around this.
I imagine that with a new product release, Vera are very busy at the moment sorting initial teething problems and this will not be high on their priority list. I suggest that you log your request for this feature with them as the more people that request it, the sooner it may happen.
This is one of the compelling reasons to have it. One problem with VeraPlus and maybe others is that with no wifi you can’t get the device in exclusion mode and remove the devices if they are far away. I suppose you could cobble up a wireline Ethernet adapter then move it around the house.
What I ended up doing in the absence of wifi is to use the old Vera2 battery pack. Power up VeraPlus connected to the Ethernet. Select delete/unpair, wait for the 60 second countdown timer, then disconnect the Ethernet and take it next to the device you are removing. Keep it there for 1-2 minutes then reconnect it to the Ethernet. Not ideal, but it is a workaround. If you have devices that are having trouble and they are far away, you have to take Vera next to the device. I have found no other way around it.
Not sure I can agree that this is a feature enhancement as must as I view it as a feature omission in order to ship the product. I’d like to see this addressed soon so we would be at parity with previous products. Personally, I wish I had just stayed with VeraEdge. The only benefit that I’ve seen with VeraPlus so far is the speed. Hopefully the firmware releases will appear more regularly and they can get this working.
Here’s the case #161312 for the WiFi client issue.
[quote=“emiliosic, post:14, topic:191130”]It is advertised that WiFi is supported; with WiFi certification logos on the box. …so it’s something new customers buying this would expect to work.[/quote] This is a perfectly legitimate complaint. The complete absence of a feature advertised on the box should never have been allowed to ship. Since it has shipped, it should be a topmost priority for Vera Ltd. to get the feature implemented immediately. I see a lot of unreasonable whinging on the forums, but this is a completely indefensible omission on the part of Vera Ltd.
[quote]Vera edge has no pairing buttons; so it would have to be set into pairing mode from a web browser./quote]This is incorrect. EVERY Vera including the Edge and the Plus have pairing buttons. While it may be easier to include via a browser, it is not a requirement for any Vera. Vera Edge/Plus can be plugged in next to the Z-Wave device, press the Include(paring) button on Vera and press the Include button on the device.
[quote=“emiliosic, post:14, topic:191130”]It is advertised that WiFi is supported; with WiFi certification logos on the box. …so it’s something new customers buying this would expect to work.[/quote] This is a perfectly legitimate complaint. The complete absence of a feature advertised on the box should never have been allowed to ship. Since it has shipped, it should be a topmost priority for Vera Ltd. to get the feature implemented immediately. I see a lot of unreasonable whinging on the forums, but this is a completely indefensible omission on the part of Vera Ltd.
Vera edge has no pairing buttons; so it would have to be set into pairing mode from a web browser./quote]This is incorrect. EVERY Vera including the Edge and the Plus have pairing buttons. While it may be easier to include via a browser, it is not a requirement for any Vera. Vera Edge/Plus can be plugged in next to the Z-Wave device, press the Include(paring) button on Vera and press the Include button on the device.
Devils advocate - Wifi is supported. The plus can act as a wifi hub. Perhaps this is not what you want but I am sure it could be argued.
Also, We have already seen that Vera are happy to offer people their money back if they are not happy with their purchase. (One buyer had his order cancelled from under him). Arguing that they have broken their contract will not win popularity contests
This is untrue. you don’t need wifi to include and exclude devices. There is buttons on the side of the device to do this. The zwave light blinks fast and slow depending on which mode your in.
You only need internet to the vera during this process if your trying to use a web UI to do it. And even then you can turn wifi on your vera and connect your laptop or phone to the wireless of the vera and access it.