- Alexa integration - This makes it so much easier to do things. Have Tivo skip past commercials or pause when the phone rings (when I am too lazy to grab the remote), Trigger scenes or control devices, security, etc.
- Alarm System integration - Using DSC Alarm Panel so I can do things like automatically turn off alarm when the PIN is entered on my deadbolt or lock all doors and close garage when the alarm goes off (and unlock all doors when the fire alarm goes off so we can escape)
- Driveway Sensor - Using Dakota Beam Driveway Sensor, combined with cameras, have my IP Cams pop up on the TV when the driveway beam is broken so we can see who is approaching. If we're not home (and the garage isn't opened 30 secs after driveway sensor (meaning we just got home), notify us that someone is/was in the driveway....so we know to look for package or check cam footage.
- Auto-close garage door after 2 mins (unless the over-ride variable is true, like when I am working in the garage). No more waking up and realizing we forgot to close the garage door!
- Getting an email when my deadbolt battery drops below 15% (got locked out one time when all batteries died and we didn't have key or phone).
- Spoken reminders to take the garbage out on garbage day (haven't figured out how to automate the bins getting to the end of the driveway yet)
- Custom control pages for fool-proof assistance, especially for cases when a friend is house-sitting and doesn't know how to do something like watch TV (as it used to involve several remotes)
- And the most important thing - a strong, stable software platform with great active 3rd party developer and user support. None of this would have been possible if there weren't so many generous people helping advance the product's functionality. The interface is logical, elegant and intuitive and the device support is extensive. I completely migrated to Indigo in 1 day and every device worked flawlessly from the first install.
I must say, it's only been a couple days on Indigo after many years with Vera and I can say I have no interest in my Vera anymore. The only downsides I first felt were:
- Runs only on Mac - Since I only have a MacBookPro, it meant either running it on that (which I am currently doing until my miniMac arrives or buy new hardware. If it ran on Windows, i could use a variety of old fanless boxes. That said, after a few days (and buying an old MiniMac), this doesn't bother me anymore.....I love my MacBookPro and like many things Mac, Indigo is far superior to Linux/Windows-based competitors (HomeSeer, Vera, etc).
- Software cost - Again, I am well beyond this being an issue, but at $250, it's up there. I was about to switch to HomeSeer (as May is their 50% off annual sale), but glad someone told me about Indigo. At first, I was unhappy with the price, but having worked with it for a few days, it's worth it. There are cheaper and more expensive alternatives, but for the ones I've tried, they pale by comparison in reliability, design, and functionality. Had there not been a free-trial (which the cheap side of me always likes), I would have had the chance to try it out and realize wit's worth the $$ likely not have made the purchase.
- No ZigBee - While I don't have any ZigBee devices, I saw this as perhaps a limiting factor in future growth. To be honest, I know little to nothing about ZigBee, but I figure if and when it becomes more stable and mainstream, you'll be on it. It was nice to see X10 support as I have a bunch of old X10 devices in a box in the basement. So if I get desperate, I can revert back to that sometimes reliable technology.
I'm thinking I may still spend hours tinkering, but it will be more focused on introducing new functions and improvements rather than problem-solving unresponsive controllers or devices. Color me Indigo!