Kwikset Lock programming spec

...but the Kwikset z-wave lock is controllable (on/off) using Mi Casa and adding Mi Casa to my z-stick network is compatible?

I'm not sure what it means to connect a Mi Casa unit to a Z-Stick, but in any case all I can say is that *my* Mi Casa Verde *Vera3* is working w/ the MiCasaVerdeVera.indigoPlugin, and with periodic (every hour) reset of the plugin, as has been mentioned by others. I wish I knew what was causing the plugin to "die" but I don't have time to investigate it now. So I paired each Kwikset z-wave lock w/ my Vera3, used the Indigo plugin to create and control lock devices in Indigo. The control and state seem a little slow to respond at times (2-10 seconds some time), and I have some z-wave range issues w/ some of my locks (even w/ one extender), but overall it seems to work well enough for me to be useful.

Your experience may differ of course.

[jay (support)]

Right - when using a lock with the MCV you don't add the lock or the MCV to Indigo using the Z-Wave integration (Z-Stick). They will form their own independent Z-Wave network that Indigo will control via the Vera plugin.

I got the three Kwikset z-wave locks and the Micasaverde and Vera plugin. Everything is setup. The devices appear in Indigo. I have two problems. First, the locks do not respond to on/off commands. Sometimes but not consistent. And, it takes a long time to respond when it does. The other problem is the scenes. I created a scene at the micasaverde portal to my mc lite. How do I get that scene to appear in the dropdown box of actions in Indigo?

Per my previous post, I don't use (cannot figure out how to use, nor feel the need to use) the MCV scenes.

Yes, slow. Sometimes fast, but mostly slow. I don't know where the delay comes from but I *do* believe the plugin dies periodically as originally reported by another poster, so like them (earlier poster) I added a repeating (every hour) schedule event to restart the plugin. I actually created an action item to do that, then have the schedule execute that action item. Then, I also added a "reset plugin" button to my "Doors" control page. So if the lock seems to take "too long" to respond (i.e. it appears the plugin has died) I press the button, wait 15 seconds, then try again.

There are too many moving parts involved (as far as I can tell) for me to try and figure out where the delay or failure occurs. For me, for now, the work-around (reset plugin) and patience prevail. I dream of having enough time to really figure it out!

Thanks. I must be missing something. I want to be able to lock my three doors. The only way I can see to do that is to select a Vera scene. The only vera action that appears as an action is to run a vera scene. However, the scene I created at mcv does not appear. How do you control your locks in Indigo?

If the plugin is installed and enabled, and the Vera device is on the same network as the server (I'm guessing---mine is) then you should be able to add a device in Indigo, type "Vera," model "Door Lock," and then choose the lock from the popup. That's what I did, for each lock. See attached image.

BTW, I am using the latest beta of Indigo 6.

Good luck!

Mine looks just like your and I too am running latest Indigo beta. All three of my locks appear in device list with configs, like yours. But now how do I do something with them? For example, if I want to lock a door (or all doors) at 7PM, the only action choice I get with Vera is to run a Vera scene, but the Vera scene I created does not appear.

At best all I am able to do is see the state and toggle the state. I cannot "lock" or "unlock" per se, only toggle.

I see now how you can perform actions on the locks just like lights. I am surprised about that because other z-wave devices with z-stick do not allow that. Micasaverde is a bit different in that respect. There still should be a way to handle the scenes that I cannot figure out. The biggest problem is that the locks don't respond to the plugin.

[jay (support)]

The no/slow response sounds like a Z-Wave range issue between the MCV and the lock - try moving the MCV closer to the locks. Just a guess, mind you...

I am not really able to move my devices but I bought a z-wave extender ( http://aeotec.com/z-wave-repeater ) which has helped. Also does seem like the responsiveness improved w/ time---I guess the z-wave network healing etc., perhaps.

Oh, I also set up the MCV notifications for battery levels, etc. That seems nice. Well, I don't know that it works but...

My Kwikset locks drove me to purchase a Micasaverde Light box and sign up on the Micasaverde portal. Now that I see what the mcv portal has to offer, it is clearly a competitor to Indigo. How does Perceptive Automation view this? I know you acknowledge them and in effect work with them with regard to z-wave out of necessity, but are they not an alternative to Indigo? MCV appears to be a cloud-based version of Indigo in a sense. Cloud solutions have many advantages over standalone solutions. I would appreciate any insight about how PA sees the relative merits of MCV versus Indigo.

[jay (support)]

First, we don't work with MCV in any way. As has been stated in many other places, a 3rd party developer built the Vera plugin - we have nothing to do with it.

Yes, MCV is a competitor (there are lots of standalone home automation controllers with functionality overlap of Indigo). We believe that Indigo is a much more flexible system and our UI is considerably more user friendly. The Vera doesn't use the cloud for storage (their db is stored on the vera box itself) but they do offer remote access functionality much like we do with our Prism Reflector service so their offering isn't really any different. We fundamentally don't believe in storing data in the cloud and forcing users to use the cloud for their home automation and we'll never do that - if that's what you're looking for then I'm afraid to disappoint.

We have some former Vera users that have posted before here - they would have a much better idea of how Indigo compares to it. As with all products, it's up to you to decide which best suits your needs.

[matt (support)]

Cloud solutions have many advantages over standalone solutions.

We believe cloud services (such as our cloud reflector service and other future ideas we have) can help augment a home automation solution, but don't believe that a cloud service should be required for home automation/control.

This is a very different approach than some of our competitors, but we think if you want to change the temperature on your thermostat or turn on a light then there is no reason to have to rely on a cloud service. What happens if the service is down? What happens if your ISP is down? What happens if the company goes out of business? There is no reason to rely on a cloud service for basic home automation or control, IMO, and with Indigo you don't have to.