Discussion Topic: Home Automation
- Thread starter RyanODan
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- home automation
Lebeter
Getting the hang of it
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I think the Vera units are important for the DIY type folks. Reasoning is the connectivity to legacy Ademco/Honeywell and DSC type alarms with the AD2USB adapter. Home automation requires programming/customizing, and its almost always unique so you need someone who can cater it to the individual users tastes and preferences which means you need something very feature rich. Vera works with Nest thermostats, DIY sprinkler systems, i mean you can somewhat pick and choose which solution works best assuming you already started building out your home automation setup. I think many folks who want to do home automation want to integrate their existing infrastructure, so the Vera offers the most compatibility. Honeywell sensors and equipment are fairly cheap since ADT predominantly used their equipment for their residential and commercial installs, so they are affordable to upgrade and expand vs buying a bunch of wireless sensors that may be pre-packaged for a newer z-wave setup. The z-wave will be easier to setup though and for some people learning how to address the ad2usb adapter etc will require more expertise. The Vera stuff will have its place in the market until there is a more standardized group of sensors and connectivity methods multiple industries can agree on integrating into their devices/equipment. A lot of stuff is going toward the apple-esq look, but it looks terrible and functions to such a simple level its not very effective when it comes to tailoring to users needs/lifestyle.
There isn't one system where I liked all the design elements, so i hodge podged the automation of different equipment in my own setup. Luckily the Vera unit was able to tie it all together and that is where it was gold for me. Don't get me wrong the Vera units have their shortcomings, but like most of home automation it is routinely improving. I mean apple and google still have nothing outside of buying up the people who are trying to improve this sector.
Honeywell is missing the boat and playing catch up in an industry they should have driven further. It's growing but there are options.
There isn't one system where I liked all the design elements, so i hodge podged the automation of different equipment in my own setup. Luckily the Vera unit was able to tie it all together and that is where it was gold for me. Don't get me wrong the Vera units have their shortcomings, but like most of home automation it is routinely improving. I mean apple and google still have nothing outside of buying up the people who are trying to improve this sector.
Honeywell is missing the boat and playing catch up in an industry they should have driven further. It's growing but there are options.
I don't have any experience with H/A stuff outside of Vera and have been happy with it. It's not the most intuitive or most user friendly choice out there, but the large amount of apps for it and dedicated user base keeps it going. With the Vera, I was able to tie in a lot of my other non z-wave devices, such as my Web Power Switch, Nest thermostats, MyQ garage doors, etc. I have been using the GE and Evolve switches at my house and they have been working great. The main thing about the Vera is that there is no monthly fee, I see on their forums that is what drove a lot of people there as opposed to some of their competitors.
For anyone who is looking to get into home automation and is thinking about a Vera, I recommend downgrading to UI5 immediately. UI7 (their latest OS) is buggy and should be in the beta phase, but they pushed it out on their new devices. It's easy to downgrade though.
Do you think Nelly's will start selling H/A stuff @RyanODan?
For anyone who is looking to get into home automation and is thinking about a Vera, I recommend downgrading to UI5 immediately. UI7 (their latest OS) is buggy and should be in the beta phase, but they pushed it out on their new devices. It's easy to downgrade though.
Do you think Nelly's will start selling H/A stuff @RyanODan?
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Most of us here with Veras are still in the learning phase but it's looking promising.
I agree. I had all kinds of problems with UI7. After downgrading to UI5 it's working like a champ.
LittleBrother
Pulling my weight
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I got the wink hub and some GE Link bulbs recently (Home Depot was giving free hubs with purchase of two bulbs). It's working well for what I need, but I understand that a lot of users have problems with the hub (reviews on amazon are not great). It's not really ready for prime time as far as actually reliably doing what it says it can.