Goodbye Vera Edge!

General Discussion
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I ordered my SmartThings Hub V2 today from Amazon and should receive it Friday! The Vera has been OK but the way they run things is just frustrating. I’ve been waiting 4 months since we were told that the update for iOS has been submitted to Apple and that the new release should be out soon, the current app is useless. They do monthly firmware updates that literately breaks everyone’s system every time. So I’ll be selling my Vera Edge once I have all my devices migrated over to the ST hubs. I can’t wait to dig in and tinker with SmartApps as well!

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I’m not sure how long you’ve been browsing these forums, but most people on here are extremely helpful. Post questions as you go, and you typically get a pretty fast response. The people on the forums are quite active.
Welcome to the world of SmartThings!

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Don’t expect it to be a smooth ride on the ST platform, it comes with its own issues/drawbacks but as I have said to some of the Wink people, this applies to all HA platforms and I honestly feel that ST will be the best in the long run.

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I used Vera Lite for two years before plunging into SmartThings more than a year ago for exactly the same reasons. However, it’s been far from a smooth ride and my frustration with SmartThings st times reaches the same level, if not more. I bought Vera Edge a few month ago when I was particularly unhappy with SmartThings and I keep it as a backup in case this happens again. My advice - don’t sell Vera until you’re absolutely sure SmartThings meets your expectations. Good luck!

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I am the new ST user who came from VeraEdge also. I got my v2 hub yesterday. Spent couple hour last night trying to get familiar with ST system. Some first impressions:

  • The hub hardware is good. It has zigbee also. I put some GE lights (from the Wink bundle) in the garage and can control them without lagging. I’ll retire both Wink and VeraEdge. However, ST hub does not have Wifi like VeraEdge. I may need long ethernet cable when I need to include some door sensors.
  • The mobile app is nicer comparing to Vera
  • There is no web interface for ST. I used the Vera web interface a lot since it’s more convenient of large screen and easier interaction.
  • The API web interface to add new devices that are not officially supported by ST is easy to use. However, it’s more like for technical people than for regular user. Since they have all information in the back-end about our system, I don’t why they don’t implement the user web interface similar like VeraEdge.
  • I can’t find how to do email notification. I can do push notification and SMS. However, look like I need to have separate smartapp for notification. The SmartLighting smartapp I used to turn on/off some switches does not have notification. I have to use another smartapp to do notification triggered by activities of the devices

I’ll have more impressions when I spend more time with it.

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Thanks for the advice. I’ll hold on to the Edge for a little while.

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Thanks for sharing your impressions. A web interface will be a missed feature.

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And I might be your buyer. Not enjoying this ST bleeding edge; I feel like a beta-tester.

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check out http://www.smarttiles.click/

It will give you a dashboard you can use to control your device.

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There’s going to be a learning curve as you learn how to use the application, but I’ve been able to do everything I need to with ST. What types of automation are you going to be doing? (lights, locks, etc…)

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Sounds good, I’ll let you know when I’m ready to let it go.

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I just tried the smarttiles dashboard. It’s not really a full web app like Vera. It’s so ugly :slight_smile: and I uninstalled it.

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There’s a way to change the look of it. Something about css files, I’ve never actually tried it.
You could also build your own custom interface. Take a look at http://www.iruleathome.com/

It requires a little tinkering, but you can get it done.

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Thanks Keo for pointing out all of the third party solutions. Hopefully ST will implement the full web app later. I don’t know if it’s in their road map.

I am still getting familiar with the mobile app. I odd thing I just found was that I can’t find a way to remove an item in Smart Home Monitor. I accidentally added Security into Smart Home Monitor. When I tried to uninstall it, it said it can’t be undone.

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Some more limitations:

  • Can’t have multiple users with different access control levels like in Vera
  • Video streaming does not work with Foscam cameras. It only supports couple Dlink and Samsung cameras. I have 3 Foscam and 1 Panasonic cameras
  • Garage door control: I have Mimolite and Ecolink Z-Wave Door/Window Sensor to implement the Garage door function in VeraEdge. From my reading so far, new ST garage door function is missing

Looks like I still need to keep VeraEdge around for awhile.

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Hi @binhton,

The new Garage door function is turned into a room.

I have tested this myself.

  1. Create a room named “Garage”
  2. Add the garage door relay/control module and the SmartThings Multi/Tilt sensor.
  3. “Select the Feature Device” to be the main device displayed when you open the room on top. The primary device should be the door sensor and Not the relay.
  4. Press the primary device when you open the room and Whalla, your garage door opens and tells you its status.
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Thanks Imosenko. I plan to try out this Mimolite for garage door and magnetic door contact since I have the exact devices (Mimolite and magnetic contact). Is there any difference between that and your method?

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SmartThings Muti is in my opinion ideal for Garage door monitoring. As it has a g-force sensor, enabling it to know both if the door is moving and if its angle has changed(like the tilt sensor.)

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I received my ST hub on Friday! I paired all my devices, and I’m loving it. The hub responds fast to commands, location services works, and the notifications are simple but informative. These are things I didn’t have with the Vera Edge. Can’t wait to start integrating more devices and services with it.

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How do you " Select the Feature Device"? thats a bit fuzz for me. I cant get mine to open correctly. I can open it but Its as if i have to turn on the relay and then it works but the button on my garge does not work. Could I have set up the relay wrong?