Hello guys,
I am an existing Vera3 user and I am 5 months in the home automation world. With that said I am going to sell the house soon and moving into a new house where I am now starting to compare other solutions as nobody or no solution is perfect.
I am quite happy with Vera as I was able to integrate my existing security system, my new Foscam FI9805E, my sprinkler system in conjunction with the weatherground plugin, my Philips Hue lights, etc.
However, newer Z-wave devices which have new Z-wave commands take a long time until they are supported by Vera and they just released Firmware 1.6 which has massive GUI improvements but most of the plugins don't work yet. On top of that they are now working on firmware version 1.7 where those new Z-wave commands will be supported making people wait even longer to get their existing running configuration working.
Looking at Homeseer I am impressed with what I have seen so far especially the GUI designer to build your own GUI where I could make my Android tablet my home automation permanent wallmounted controller GUI.
I did read the thread from 2 years ago which is way outdated today as both products have improved drastically and the comparison chart is no longer valid.
However, I do have some concerns which some of the experts could be able to answer. In no priority order here are some of the questions:
1) It states Windows XP embedded and Microsoft already announced "End of Support" which is the last stage of an operating system. What is the position here please as there are no more patches coming from Microsoft?
2) the new low-end states that it is based on Linux which implies the direction of Homeseer going forward. Does this mean that new Homeseer models are coming out soon based on Linux?
3) Assuming a switch to Linux is coming what about the existing plugins? In other words will they be backwards compatible?
4) Vera comes in two flavors. Vera light and Vera3. Unless you need more than 10 cameras or more than 100 Z-waves devices Vera light will do the job. I couldn't find any sizing information other than feature comparisons for Homeseer. Does something like this exist?
5) I saw the optional Homeseer DynDNS solution for $20/year which I find expensive as every other product delivers such a thing nowadays free of charge e.g. if you buy a Foscam you have your DynDNS right there. Is there anything else that this service will provide?
6) Assuming my new home will not have a security system installed which one would you recommend? I did have DSC before but it was a very old system with no touch pad and no option to upgrade without ripping out the guts of the system. The 2Gig security system seems interesting but they are also entering the home automation market which would make them a competitor instead of an integration partner. What do you guys recommend in terms of having a 21st century security system without a monthly fee like ADT?
7) If I see this correctly Homeseer is a PC with hardened OS which has to be always on. Is there an HA (high availability) solution? With Vera you could have a second one next to it powered off and if your existing one fails, you can power on your spare Vera, read the config which you stored on a shared network share or USB stick and you are back in business. What about Homeseer?
8) Many people love the Sonos product line for verbal feedback and I do too but what about verbal commands? There is some feedback about extra hardware you need to buy. How secure is that? In other words can anybody in the house control your system verbally or is there a voice recognition security built in?
9) AEON will release their smartfilm at some point in time but there is already a solution out there called smart film for windows from smarttint.com. Is there an integration with Homeseer for that?
10) What is the best irrigation control system in conjunction with Homeseer please?
11) There are now Z-wave controller air vents which are expensive but very effective in cooling specific rooms based on scenes. Are those supported with Homeseer yet?
12) Insteon integration with Vera is a nightmare and very buggy. Homeseer supports also all the other protocols as well but how good is it really? Just marketing or fully functioning?
13) Are there any other hidden costs like pay for the apps, pay for plugins, pay for whatever monthly or yearly doesn't matter?
Sorry for all those questions guys but I am really considering a switch here and before I spend thousands of dollars in my new home I would like to know what I am getting myself into. Right now I would go for the $1.5k Pro version but again I don't know how to size Homeseer and that's not trivial compared to Vera, Evolv, Smartthings, etc.
Any help or guidance would be appreciated guys. Thanks in advance.
I am an existing Vera3 user and I am 5 months in the home automation world. With that said I am going to sell the house soon and moving into a new house where I am now starting to compare other solutions as nobody or no solution is perfect.
I am quite happy with Vera as I was able to integrate my existing security system, my new Foscam FI9805E, my sprinkler system in conjunction with the weatherground plugin, my Philips Hue lights, etc.
However, newer Z-wave devices which have new Z-wave commands take a long time until they are supported by Vera and they just released Firmware 1.6 which has massive GUI improvements but most of the plugins don't work yet. On top of that they are now working on firmware version 1.7 where those new Z-wave commands will be supported making people wait even longer to get their existing running configuration working.
Looking at Homeseer I am impressed with what I have seen so far especially the GUI designer to build your own GUI where I could make my Android tablet my home automation permanent wallmounted controller GUI.
I did read the thread from 2 years ago which is way outdated today as both products have improved drastically and the comparison chart is no longer valid.
However, I do have some concerns which some of the experts could be able to answer. In no priority order here are some of the questions:
1) It states Windows XP embedded and Microsoft already announced "End of Support" which is the last stage of an operating system. What is the position here please as there are no more patches coming from Microsoft?
2) the new low-end states that it is based on Linux which implies the direction of Homeseer going forward. Does this mean that new Homeseer models are coming out soon based on Linux?
3) Assuming a switch to Linux is coming what about the existing plugins? In other words will they be backwards compatible?
4) Vera comes in two flavors. Vera light and Vera3. Unless you need more than 10 cameras or more than 100 Z-waves devices Vera light will do the job. I couldn't find any sizing information other than feature comparisons for Homeseer. Does something like this exist?
5) I saw the optional Homeseer DynDNS solution for $20/year which I find expensive as every other product delivers such a thing nowadays free of charge e.g. if you buy a Foscam you have your DynDNS right there. Is there anything else that this service will provide?
6) Assuming my new home will not have a security system installed which one would you recommend? I did have DSC before but it was a very old system with no touch pad and no option to upgrade without ripping out the guts of the system. The 2Gig security system seems interesting but they are also entering the home automation market which would make them a competitor instead of an integration partner. What do you guys recommend in terms of having a 21st century security system without a monthly fee like ADT?
7) If I see this correctly Homeseer is a PC with hardened OS which has to be always on. Is there an HA (high availability) solution? With Vera you could have a second one next to it powered off and if your existing one fails, you can power on your spare Vera, read the config which you stored on a shared network share or USB stick and you are back in business. What about Homeseer?
8) Many people love the Sonos product line for verbal feedback and I do too but what about verbal commands? There is some feedback about extra hardware you need to buy. How secure is that? In other words can anybody in the house control your system verbally or is there a voice recognition security built in?
9) AEON will release their smartfilm at some point in time but there is already a solution out there called smart film for windows from smarttint.com. Is there an integration with Homeseer for that?
10) What is the best irrigation control system in conjunction with Homeseer please?
11) There are now Z-wave controller air vents which are expensive but very effective in cooling specific rooms based on scenes. Are those supported with Homeseer yet?
12) Insteon integration with Vera is a nightmare and very buggy. Homeseer supports also all the other protocols as well but how good is it really? Just marketing or fully functioning?
13) Are there any other hidden costs like pay for the apps, pay for plugins, pay for whatever monthly or yearly doesn't matter?
Sorry for all those questions guys but I am really considering a switch here and before I spend thousands of dollars in my new home I would like to know what I am getting myself into. Right now I would go for the $1.5k Pro version but again I don't know how to size Homeseer and that's not trivial compared to Vera, Evolv, Smartthings, etc.
Any help or guidance would be appreciated guys. Thanks in advance.
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