You can connect a Philips Hue bridge for lighting control, but many other popular smart bulbs—LIFX, Cree, and TP-Link—aren’t listed as being certified. It works with more than 270,000 devices including your TV, satellite or cable box, Blu-ray player, Apple TV, Roku, Sonos, … Logitech Harmony Hub Review #2. They offer deep support for devices across multiple platforms, with a focus on Z-Wave (with also support for Bluetooth, Zigbee and more). TechHive helps you find your tech sweet spot. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. Vera sent three products for us to test with the VeraPlus. Most were made for an older UI and are not compatible with the newer UI and are no longer supported by the developer. 523. You’ll see lots of Samsung smart appliances, but no other brand is represented. Our Pick: Samsung SmartThings Hub 3rd Generation. 3.2 out of 5 stars. The hubs provided by Vera have to be some of the most advanced consumer-friendly hubs available in the market. For better control over your home devices, … 4. I attempted to switch from SmartThings to Vera using the VeraPlus controller. Read our, Samsung SmartThings SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit, Incredibly frustrating setup and pairing process will try the patience of most users, Device management is confusing and obtuse. It REALLY is a great product at a very good price point if you know what you're getting. At the time I was looking into this, the Vera Plus was $150 and the Samsung SmartThings Hub was $100. I went out and bought a Wink hub 2, which set up great but did not have the functionality of the Vera 2, but I lived with the quirks until I noticed the nodes started to fall off the network. I've used a Vera awhile back and it was a hub that would talk to devices ALL local, actually worked but too basic, and programmed in LUUA. This means that everything still works even if your internet goes down and will continue to work even if Vera went out of business tomorrow. Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2018. I chose the Plus because it has ZigBee support, and having used SmartThings, I have a lot of ZigBee sensors (like the Iris v2 motion sensor and many ST-branded CentraLite sensors) I was hoping to switch over. But one thing you must like about Vera … The VeraSecure is a smart hub for those that want to focus on home security. It channels signals from all your devices so you can control everything from a single app — that way, you don’t have to juggle five, 10, sometimes 20 different apps to get the most of your technology. If anything doesn’t function as it’s supposed to, the smart hub will let you know. It took five tries—and more than 30 minutes—to get the device connected to the VeraPlus. Unpair and try again? Instructions told me to type in serial numbers and MAC addresses printed on the bottom of the device, after which I was able to proceed. I bought this thinking that unlike smartthings I would be able to use the browser UI and do away with all the spyware nonsense. These products might have fewer certified products in their ecosystems, limiting how elaborate your smart home can ultimately be, but only the most passionate—and patient—smart-home enthusiasts should venture into the Vera Plus Home Controller’s arcane ways.Â. Vera Control VeraPlus-US Smart Home Controller Z-Wave Wireless... Vera Control VeraPlus-US Smart Home Controller Z-Wave Wireless Security, 7.71" x 5.0" x 1.33", Black. Again, setup was tedious and a little arcane (this is the first time I can recall having to type out “California” in a setup field), with multiple validation emails/text messages and the ever-popular firmware update—in this case, two of them. Its connection to the servers at Vera is offline almost as often as it's online. I bought the VeraPlus Controller as an R&D project in home automatino. Vera was 2008’s Micasa Verde. There are a few different Z-Wave frequencies that exist depending on which country you live in – as long as you buy a sensor that works on the same frequency as your hub, it will work. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Next generation of Smart Home Hub Controller Our smallest, most affordable controller is the perfect way to get started with Vera and discover how home control … TechHive |. That process oddly erased about half of my account information, placing me in Alabama but also the time zone for American Samoa. Added water sensor (Fibaro FGFS-101), no problem. Uninstall it? I can not really rate this device as purchased, because Vera Bricked it less than two hours after it arrived at my home. However, you can use voice commands, touch … The hub supports all the important smart-home protocols—802.11ac Wi-Fi, Z-Wave Plus, ZigBee, Bluetooth LE, and even Insteon—and with a universe of 1700 certified devices, you shouldn’t have trouble finding popular brands, right? I would in-pair and then re-pair at least several times a week which got old quick. Topics include History of the Orchard, State of Texas Olive Industry, Farming Methods, Harvesting Practices. It's all interwoven into one area with this device. I have tried Homeseer, CastleOS, SmartThings, Home Assistant, and OpenHAB so I have some basis for comparison. As with many smart home hubs, the VeraPlus connects to your router via an ethernet cable. In order to be successful in the z-wave community, you really should have some knowledge of networks, computers(Linux), SSH, wireless protocols, etc. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Meta. I don't mind switching to Z-Wave and already had many Z-Wave devices, so I was still able to try Vera with those. Strikes a decent balance between complexity and capability. Discussions about Plugin creation and management. Grouped commands are useful, allowing you to automate a series of actions from one statement. Also, if you don't search forums or google before you ask for help, this probably isn't for you. Added scenes to tell valve to close when water detected, no problem, email notification - no problem. He contributes regularly to TechHive, PCWorld, and Wired, and operates the websites Drinkhacker and Film Racket. This is not the case. The Ultimate Platform: The DIY Vera Home Automation System Review You may have seen Vera some years back. Vera Edge gives you easy and powerful control over Z-Wave enabled lights, cameras, thermostats, door locks, alarm systems and more - compatible with over 1,200 Z-Wave devices. I put it all behind me, because now it was time to set up some devices to work with the VeraPlus. Vera Control, Ltd. seems to be targeting the hardest of the hard-core enthusiast, boasting that its VeraPlus Advanced Home Controller is certified to work with more than 1700 smart devices. The system is very responsive and has no latency issues. At one point, there is an animated icon telling me my firmware is being updated (found out later even THAT is mis-leading). Vera control is one of the most popular and renowned companies in this industry. Unlike SmartThings, there don't appear to be any pre-built automations for common tasks (like turning a light on with motion and then off after it stops), but there is a simple automation builder where you can do that yourself. One out of three ain’t bad, eh? The manufacturer commented on this review, Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2018. Plugins & Plugin Development. Could it be a plugin to vera instead of running on a separate server? Ezlo Atom Ezlo. SmartThings was already looking like the better choice and then it became 1/3 the price of the Vera Plus. At that point, it became a no-brainer for me. That is, the Firmware is SO OLD in the devices out there that it should not be updated when prompted to do so. (In fairness, perhaps this is the fault of Fibaro, not Vera.) Yeah, not so much. I control the HW heater, swimming pool, locks, thermostats, sensors, alarms, indoor lighting. what is available? $99.95. There is a Google Nest Hub Max variant that does offer a camera though. Unfortunately, I found the user interface quite odd, a little buggy, and a bit dated (even though it's a fairly new redesign), though a third-party alternative interface (AltUI) was a bit better. The Vera app for iOS and Android features an intuitive interface to help you keep your home exactly as you like it. Add Smarter Security Services: 24/7 Monitoring, Panic Buttons. Reboot? Finally, a $150 price tag renders the VeraPlus 50-percent more expensive than either Wink or Samsung SmartThings, two rock-solid hubs that each cost $99, set up simply, and do what they promise. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. The Logitech Harmony Hub allows you to control your gadgets via your smartphone or Harmony remote. Developer's Corner. Integrating into ELK Security system with back and forth communication - no problem. 13. My brand new Vera Plus never again connected to my network. Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2017. I've also had issues with almost every third party app I've installed. We steer you to products you'll love and show you how to get the most out of them. It has been a long haul and there have been many challenges over the years. So they work together very well. Some of my older devices occasionally need re paired but overall this system is awesomely reliable. GoControl is well represented, but not Leviton or even GE Jasco (only that company’s plug-in modules are listed). View on Amazon. The Z-Wave certified hubs that are compatible with this are Pulse, Trane, SmartThings, Wink, Honeywell, HomeSeer, Nexia, Smart Security, Vera, Connect, Harmony Home Hub Extender, and Iris. Those that do often offer limited features when running locally. Also I have never paid any money for monitoring services. There isn’t a single […] Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc. It’s built-in Wi-Fi and Geofencing capabilities make it an ideal choice for those who want their smart hub to seamlessly transition between preprogrammed … I bought this controller to replace a Vera 2 unit that had been in service since 2011. $69.95. Buggy and quite unfriendly, this smart home hub isn’t remotely appropriate for average consumers. Vera runs Linux and you can watch the logs if you want to see what's going with Vera. I eventually settled on Home Assistant, and I have to say it's much harder to set up than Vera, but it's just as flexible, if not more, and actually worked out-of-"box" with more of my devices than Vera. You can create scenes, groups and more, as you would with most hubs. Even then it remained decidedly buggy, with temperature and light sensors working well, but the motion sensor working only erratically. Yes, I had problems with transferring my battery powered devices and ended up having to simply remove and reconnect each of them. Very handy that I can now shut off my water when leaving my house by pushing function button on security panel and if I forget I can use either my EKeypad (ELK) app or Vera app to shut off. On the Vera hub’s surface, indicators show the status of your internet, power, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, and Service. 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