Developing and deploying plus-ins for Vera is not much different than “smart apps” for ST. Vera is in many ways more open to third party integrations than ST. It fully supports IP sockets and can integrate with any IP device. ST cannot. It has fully functioning USB port and can integrate with any USB serial device that has FTDI chip in it. ST cannot. And now it supports Zigbee HA profile and Bluetooth LE. SmartThings will take years to catch up with that because most of their engineering resources will be always tied up trying to stabilize hopelessly shaky platform.
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I looked and they don’t have the same support or activity. I don’t know the reason, and as JD says, until it ships, I won’t count on it. Nice they have all that, I don’t need any of it right now. USB for what? IP sockets for what? Bluetooth, maybe… I just can’t see the value yet. I’m all ears, just nothing exciting me yet. CoRE making me excited ATM.
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There’re tons of devices that speak either IP or serial - alarm panels, A/V receivers, iTach IR bridge, Lutron, Somfy just to name a few. They’re all out of reach to SmartThings or, best case, require building cumbersome bridges out of RPi’s, Arduinos and ThingShields. And even if you’re willing to jump through all the hoops ST puts in your way, your DHT has no chance of running locally on the hub. How’s that for developer-friendly?
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Serial is old stuff. Don’t have any of that. Part of the wire problem I had with Homeseer. Pretty sure ST speaks IP, it’s running my thermostats. Seems I’m all set.
Brian,
You seem to be sure that you are happy with the platform just as it is and we understand.
I think there are more of us who are not satisfied with the status quo. “Close enough” doesn’t cut it for everyone.
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Alright, we got it. Most people on these forums have technical issues with SmartThings and are looking for either solutions or alternatives. You’re 100% happy with SmartThings, have no issues whatsoever and couldn’t wish for more. Good for you! Why are you reading these forums anyway, out of boredom? 
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Because it’s a product I like and use and have less issues than I’ve ever had with HA. If you dislike it so much why are you here? Honesty please, I’m genuinely curious why someone who prefers another product would waste their time here.
PS: Not bored with CoRE, really enjoying tweaking now.
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I’m here because I’m still using this product and compare my experiences with those of others. I’m in no way intend to impose my views on anyone. If you’re a happy clam all around, I’m genuinely glad for you. 
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You seem to conflate frustration with lack of reliability of a product, and waning faith in the organization backing it, with ‘dislike’ of a product.
Even for those that may in fact dislike where it is, today, clearly there is still debate if there are really any truly better options. Lastly, what better place to discover those better alternatives - when and if they do become available - than the community forums of a market leading product filled with disenfranchised users?
What confuses you about why those people are still here?
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Things had been going so well lately that my opinion on their reliability was starting to change, but I should have known better.
The part that’s frustrating me the most is that they were keeping us in the loop about all the changes they’ve been making and boasting about the improved response times and reliability, but now that something’s gone wrong, they haven’t said a word.
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No confusion or conflation, I was simply curious.
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Veralite was my first foray into HA. I have a vera plus. Their app is from the stone age. The zigbee devices are limited that work with vera. I find st much more user friendly. But i can say when i was 100% on vera things pretty much always worked.
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Good news for ST and us… I just talked to my local Best Buy and they and other B.B.'s are non-stocking ST inventory. So a major distributor just dropped it.
I used Vera Lite for two years before switching to ST. The new Vera mobile app leaves a lot to be desired but it’s way better than the old one. For one thing, it works on iPad in landscape mode. SmartThings still does not. Also, Vera has a web interface, so in most cases I won’t need a mobile app at all.
Zigbee is an added bonus to me, as most of my devices are Z-Wave, so it shouldn’t be an issue. I know I’m going to lose direct Amazon Echo integration, but it’s not a big deal either, more of a gimmick comparing to reliability and predictability of the platform.
It’s been asked many times, and the reason it bothers me is that it’s often rhetorical, condescending and exclusionary. In that the question isn’t posed to get an answer, it’s saying… I like ST, I don’t like that you don’t like ST and are voicing your thoughts which are negative to me, so just go away since you don’t like it.
Clearly the folks that are here participating and posting about their experiences with ST in the ST community are going to have varied experiences and perceptions of ST. The folks that have had or are having bad experiences should be allowed to express those views without attempts by others to stifle their voice and participation in the community and in providing feedback to ST. In fact I have heard someone say they don’t like the complaining. Well, praise, complaining, development, consumption of that development - part of the community and apparently accepted by ST. One might suggest that if one doesn’t like negativity or complaining, that maybe they shouldn’t be here. Not that I want to exclude, but it seems like if the sentiment is good for the goose, it should be good for the gander.
These folks have purchased ST and have invested time and energy into getting it to work. They, IMO, are entitled to participate and make their own decisions as to when enough is enough. If they had already made that decision, they in fact wouldn’t be here. The fact that they are, shows that the want HA, and are still working on getting ST to work for them. It seems overtly obvious why they are here…
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When st was down i was going to migrate to versa plus, they took away support for using a minimote to include/exclude devices. I had bad luck using full website on my mobile phone to put the hub in inclusion and the app can’t do it. I evaded up dragging a laptop around ebbed up only doing vital switches.
I have 3 full echos, 2 dots and a tap… for me to consider going back they need an official integration with echo and osram.
Yeah, I’ve read about it in the forums. It sucks to be sure. 
Maybe I’ll keep SmartThings around as an inclusion controller. 
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Rarely use the App anymore. Everything is on motion triggered or rule based (luckily 80% local executed).
VeraPlus is my plan B, and I have been watching the,. Not sure if they support Iris motion sensors (love the form factor, so small). I also use Echo at least a few times a day. So losing that would suck.
For the $100-150 price range all I ask is that I find it useful for about 18 months. Don’t feel guilty if another Pony comes out in front.
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For cloud haters, Wink added locks to their repertoire of local devices. ST is it time to catch up, yet?
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That doesn’t work for me, unfortunately. Automation is next to impossible with 5 people in the household, all with different schedules and preferences. I often need to control and/or monitor things manually. Local execution does not help when the Internet or the ST cloud is down. I need local control.
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