Living With Vera - Tip Of The Day

[parkerc]

I managed to talk one of my best mates into purchasing a Veralite. He already had Philips Hues, Wimos and a few other items all running independently; so (under no commission) I sold him the benefits of z-wave and the interoperability of Vera as his central controller.

To help him, I thought I'd give him a nugget or two of information about his new life partner so that he can get more and more out of his Vera everyday..

Then I remembered the thought power of this forum, so to help my friendand others like him, if anyone has any tips/nuggets/pearls of wisdom about Living with Vera, that they think would help others (old timers or new), please add them (or link to them) below..


1) Before you buy any new devices - there are some great plugins available for equipment you may already have, e.g Sonos, Current Cost EnviR, iPhone etc. - Allowing you to create a number of 'virtual Vera' devices and have them working together in no time at all.

[intveltr]

2) Visit this forum every now & then, it's a great source of news, tips and help when you need it.

3) Remote controls are an underestimated factor in getting the most from your HA setup.  Get one for each room you spend time in. I got a couple of Minimotes and I use them daily.

[parkerc]

4) Don't get hung up with the Vera web UI, there are many others you can use for your PC, Mac and smart devices. Think of it more as the background admin console, look at the Remote Control section on this forum for ideas.

[conchordian]

4) Don't get hung up with the Vera web UI, there are many others you can use for your PC...

Could you tell me what other programs for the PC exist, please?

[parkerc]

Search for 'myvera' via this forum or google   -  http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,13133.0.html - it's not a executable file that you would run, but it does give you an alternative UI to use.

Or there is 'Yu Vera Remote' (for Windows) - still in its early stages - http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,15583.0.html

4b) Note - The forum search window is your best friend here, you can find most of what you want to know that way.

[bdevaux]

when you find a sale on z-wave items, buy more then you need

[nullx8]

5) Dont get ANY remote !

its "Home Automation" not "home Remote Control"

the vera does it all ... you just have to be creative on finding the hooks of human behavour.

[AndersH]

6) Do your installation step by step. Have patience. Don't install a lot of new devices at once. If (when) things starts malfunctioning, it is nice to be able to take one step back to a known state.

[chixxi]

7 ) Use PLEG and not luup code right from the beginning.
8 ) Be aware that once you start, you always see more posibilites and then you want it. 

[emtschei]

6) Do your installation step by step. Have patience. Don't install a lot of new devices at once. If (when) things starts malfunctioning, it is nice to be able to take one step back to a known state.

9) Remember to always refresh your browser after tinkering with the UI and/or installing plugins - saves you a lot of headaches (and humiliation ).
[CTRL]-[F5] does the trick on most browsers.

[buzzdavidson]

6) Do your installation step by step. Have patience. Don't install a lot of new devices at once. If (when) things starts malfunctioning, it is nice to be able to take one step back to a known state.

Amen, brother.  I made the mistake of starting WAY too big when I first got my Vera.  Insanity followed.  It's much better now 

This point can't be stressed enough!

[Pestus]

1.  Do backups of your configurations when they are stable.  Especially before making serious changes.

2. Consider a basic alarm system as a better choice for door or motion sensors.  Once integrated, they are cheaper and more reliable than the Zwave equivalents, yet do the same thing.

3. Always consider integration possibilities before buying any new electronics for the home.  There's almost always a way to make it dance with the Vera!

[bobnatale]

1.  Do backups of your configurations when they are stable.  Especially before making serious changes.

2. Consider a basic alarm system as a better choice for door or motion sensors.  Once integrated, they are cheaper and more reliable than the Zwave equivalents, yet do the same thing.

3. Always consider integration possibilities before buying any new electronics for the home.  There's almost always a way to make it dance with the Vera!

Can someone recommend a basic alarm system as mentioned in #2?

[RichardTSchaefer]

Code: [Select]

Can someone recommend a basic alarm system as mentioned in #2?I suggest you look at:
http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,13773.0.html

[Pestus]

ALWAYS enable notifications on battery levels for smart locks!  In other words;  NEVER have the house lock your girlfriend out!