MiCasaVerde Vera Plugin

I am not having very good luck with the vera plugin. It seems to be very slow and possibly hanging up. Also, I get the following error message. Does anyone know what this means?

Jul 30, 2013 5:42:26 PM
Vera Error statusLoop Error: Traceback (most recent call last):
File "plugin.py", line 725, in statusLoop
if self.retrieveAndParseStatus(self.pluginPrefs["host"], False, False, None) == None:
File "plugin.py", line 397, in retrieveAndParseStatus
dom = parseString(theXml)
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xml/dom/minidom.py", line 1925, in parseString
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xml/dom/expatbuilder.py", line 940, in parseString
File "/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/xml/dom/expatbuilder.py", line 223, in parseString
ExpatError: no element found: line 1, column 17

First post!

I'm a long time Homeseer user (since it was first released as Keware in 1999+/-). For the past couple of years I've been using a Vera and I'm mostly happy with it, but I like what I see with the flexibility of the Indigo demo.

Imperatives for me:
1. DSC/2DS
2. Z-wave, including 4 Schlage locks, Trane t-stat, and about 40 or so standard switches and dimmers

I also have Sonos and Netatmo interfaced with Vera.

I successfully connected my DSC/2DS with the plugin, and it seems to work fine. Homeseer cannot use the 2DS/3DS last time I checked.

So it looks like my last roadblock is the locks. In reality, I use them as 'trigger keypads' for vera events as much as remote locks...I rarely need to unlock them via z-wave, and they work fine without z-wave. But I have some scenes setup that are triggered by the lock keypads.

This plugin would be a temporary fix until native lock control can be built in to indigo. But I'm not ready to mess with my existing z-wave network for testing. Can I use this plugin with my operating Vera as-is? Can they run concurrently? I haven't had time to try it yet, just curious how it works with a programmed, functioning Vera.

Thanks.

Seeker, while I don't use Schlage locks I do use 3 Yale locks that are on a Vera Network and controlled via INDOGO/Vera plugin.

I use then in conjunction with a door sensor to lock doors 10 minutes after they were closed.
I still have a mixed, or rather 2 schemes running my house. INDIGO is the boss. Vera is running the locks and some sensors, the ones installed before there was 'any' Zwave support directly in INDIGO.

Little by little I'm weaning off Vera but I expect that locks will still stay there for a while.
Back to your basic question, I've had no problem running the Vera3 for Zwave and also my Mac Mini with INDOGO and the Zwave USB Stick. All devices on the Vera3 network are controlled via the Vera plugin in INDIGO.

Best I could tell is that devices can be operated directly via Vera3 and also via INDIGO/Vera plugin. Only caution is that if any devices added/removed don't change names in INDIGO or you'll end up with several.

Hope this helps and doesn't confuse things for you

[jay (support)]

This plugin would be a temporary fix until native lock control can be built in to indigo.

In all honesty, it's not going to happen any time soon (or, more likely, not at all). We have a forum post that discusses the challenges that we face with direct Z-Wave lock support.

Can I use this plugin with my operating Vera as-is? Can they run concurrently? I haven't had time to try it yet, just curious how it works with a programmed, functioning Vera.

Because the Vera creates a separate Z-Wave network from the one created by the Z-Stick (or ZTroller) that Indigo uses directly, the two run in parallel with no issues that we've heard of. It's my understanding that the plugin provides a way to automatically create Indigo devices that mirror the devices in the Vera (all device management, in terms of inclusion/exclusion, is done in the Vera). You can then use those devices just like any other device in Indigo.

This plugin would be a temporary fix until native lock control can be built in to indigo.

In all honesty, it's not going to happen any time soon (or, more likely, not at all). We have a forum post that discusses the challenges that we face with direct Z-Wave lock support.

I read through that the other day, and I understand your situation. Honestly, I can see a day in the not-too-distant future where Z-wave may fade away due to these proprietary restrictions and the complexity. It seems like IP-based stuff is the future.

I'd have no problem abandoning my z-wave lights for Hue-type lights (if they were 2-way). We already have IP thermostats. My alarm is IP. Sonos, netatmo, etc. Do IP locks exist though?

For now, keeping this vera plugin alive seems to be the best stop-gap for indigo. A $150 z-wave controller that solves all these licensing issues. It looks like it is not being maintained, or maybe it is just fine like it is?

Anyway, as I have time I'm going to keep playing with indigo. To me, notification stuff like iMessages and growl/prowl are very attractive (I can use prowl with my vera). I like the idea of having a mac-centric controller for this...and many other...reasons.

I tried the plugin. Simple to setup (enter Vera IP). I added a dimmer, thermostat, and lock.

The dimmer and thermostat work great with full control of all functions. The response seems about twice as fas as the native Vera UI.

The lock is a little wonky. It seems to show up as a light switch with only on/off. Did I set this up properly? I selected 'lock' as device type.

That's how mine show up, I.e. as light switch.
Turn on/off to lock/open and ignore brightness. That's what I do. I run it via a trigger.
Sensor on door starts timer when closed
When timer runs out, turn on the lock and send me an email that it was locked.

Occasionally there is a miss, I.e. door not locked even though INDIGO did its thing.
There is no status check so if a confirmation is needed I look at the Vera GUI or via an App.
All in all, it's working pretty good for me as "door left unlocked" time has been greatly reduced.

Edit:
Thought I better mention that I was able to set up all the triggers needed to make the locks reliable, I.e. locked when they should be.
What I mean is that a timer starts when door is unlocked manually, never opened, and if not relocked, INDIGO will a short time later. I realize that all that stuff could be setup in Vera3 but since I was reasonably comfortable with INDIGO the Vera plugin is what caused me to go that route early on, primarily for the locks. Had development on the plug-in continued I would have kept a mixture but since direct zwave support has improved a lot I'm happy to eventually just do locks in Vera.
Thank you Matt and Jay for all your efforts, past present and future.

[jay (support)]

I think there are a few IP locks on the horizon so we'll see. Our suspicion is that ZigBee will ultimately be the right path given it's basis in open standards and many of the lock vendors that are doing Z-Wave also have ZigBee versions. But that too will become clearer over time.

We'll be keeping an eye on all of that and on the Vera plugin as a stop-gap.