The Ultimate Partner For Vera ?

Community Playground General Discussions
#1

I’m looking into what could be the ultimate partner for Vera, and by that I mean i’d like a computer that run complimentary software/processes to help/influence Vera etc. trying to get everything running on Vera is most likely not possible or desirable. Ideally it show be low powered and small to further compliment Vera.

I’m going to keep this first post as a place holder for the eventual recommended spec (with this forums help) that we come up with.

Hardware

OS

Software/Applications

Project Code name = 'Vic & Vera" :wink:

#2

OK, now I’m chucking out some thoughts ideas, ideally I’d like to get to a list of brands/products others can easily find/use. There have been a number of great posts in this forum that people have written to show how they have added extra functionality via a separate PC.

Hardware
(One to choose from)

A NAS
An ITX PC (or just an old PC)
A Raspberry PI
An Arduino
A Joggler (O2)
Netv

OS

Windows
Linux (but which version e.g Ubuntu or one of the RaspPi releases?)

Software/Applications

Ser2net
Threelittlepigs (SIRI iOS)
FreePBX
WebServer
MySQL

The above 3 then work together to deliver the following.

Functions

A Control UI (Web interface) -> RTS is working on a really nice one.
Voice Control- > e.g. Siri Proxy for iOS
Event & Device Variable Logging/Reporting - > e.g DataMine but to MySQL

#3

Arduino

#4

Agreed arduino, I just wish I had more time to invest in it. There has been some fantastic work on arduinos here with 8 x relay board. If I eventually find the time I’d like to look into using them all around the house as cost/performance is spot on.

I’m hoping to use them as cheap it transceivers, mini multiple use devices I.e.in the utility room, as a flood sensor, temp sensor, smash glass sensor and controls few devices by a relay.

And if I can’t get my squeezebox announcements working properly then possibly attach it into my speakers somehow for announcements.

I know its all a Pipedream, but using an arduino for me seems an easy solution, even if it is just a stop gap or proof of concept.

Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk HD

#5

Definitely the Raspberry Pi running Siriproxy!

#6

I am still missing decent (or even functional) scene controllers for Z-Wave (in Europe, at least). I’m using a wall-mounted iPhone running HomeWave in my living room, but for most cases this is overkill. Now I’m considering using an Arduino to make a couple of scene controllers.

What I want:

  • Simple hardware: Arduino + a few physical switches (or a small touch screen, Lady Ada sells some cool ones).
  • Battery friendly: In some cases I want to just stick one on the wall somewhere and run it off a few AA cells. Arduino has low power options but this kind of precludes WiFi comms.

The challenge is in communication with Vera (also related to power consumption):

  1. Wired. Disadvantage is that it requires a wire (duh), thankfully my house is already wired with Cat5 throughout. And this way we can do power-over-IP.
  2. WiFi. Easy to add but this won’t be a battery powered solution
  3. Zigbee: Relatively simple but kind of meh to be using this protocol
  4. Z-wave. Apparently this is possible and it’ll be nice to have a native controller, but the Z-wave modules are pricey.

Any ideas?

#7

Parkerc,

Not sure if you have seen the Razberry Z Wave daughter board for the Raspberry Pi? It turns the Pi into a central Z Wave controller. Its worth checking out, I don’t know much about it and they don’t make one for AU and NZ folks @921MHz! :frowning:

http://razberry.z-wave.me

Regards
Mark

#8

I recommend the Nrf24L01 chip for arduino. Cheap if you buy it from aliexpress.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-NRF24L01-wireless-data-transmission-module-2-4G-the-NRF24L01-5PCS-LOT-upgrade-version-New/603756080.html

I’ve started working on a new vera plugin for communicating with home made Arduino sensors.

http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,16170.msg123518.html

#9

The Arduino is certainly a recurring recommendation as it can be made to do a variety of things, Scene Contollers, Relays etc.

When i started this thread my initial goal was to try to have/find/create just one ‘partner’ that would compliment my Vera perfectly (so Vera could focus more on just being the monitor and controller, allowing the partner to add new features and take some of the load too) but I’m beginning to wonder if just one is possible… :wink:

Thanks for the thoughts/ideas, keep them coming…

#10

maybe abit offtopic …
did anyone sucessfully marry a razberry with a vera ?

i’d like to get something with US Frequency, and do some other tasks the vera is just not able to do properly to automate things.

so something tiny with real linux on it probably would solve this things.

#11

So another VeraLite almost fits the bill !

This is my current approach: two VeraLite systems with Z-Wave devices, a third bridged to the first two running other stuff like DataMine, etc., etc. I can develop software on this, reboot as many times as I like, and it doesn’t affect the Z-Wave networks at all.

#12

So another VeraLite almost fits the bill !

This is my current approach: two VeraLite systems with Z-Wave devices, a third bridged to the first two running other stuff like DataMine, etc., etc. I can develop software on this, reboot as many times as I like, and it doesn’t affect the Z-Wave networks at all.[/quote]

That is what I use my spare veralite for (just development).

  • Garrett
#13

So another VeraLite almost fits the bill ![/quote]

nah … i want to make remote actions on other machines as well, curl jobs, maybe php … and so on …
vera is too much chained down to do this things … it locks up already on a simple network timeout.
and every 3rd post in the forum is about “not do anything it will eat memory or lock it up” …
haha

not that i’m going away from it … just need something more powerfoul and want to solve the US frequency issue with the same aproach.

#14

I don’t want to lose the thought process behind creating the perfect partner for Vera.

Recently I’ve been playing with @Quienten’s Event Logging -> http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,15245.0.html which requires a web server and MySQL and can capture certain events or you can programmatically post updates to the tables

Currently I’m using Datamine as my metrics tool of choice, which is great but it can be problematics when the storage so or the USB stick you are using starts to get temperamental. So writing to a MySQL does create opportunity especially if a presentation layer to that data can be done (if only @Chris’s DataMine graphs could point to a MySQL table?)

#15

Recent discussions about memory utilisation etc made me think even more about what processes could be run outside of Vera. (Admittedly that’s technically what a second Vera would do to your set up i assume)

Thinking this through some more, if you were to just have one Vera as your main controller, but only use it for z-wave device management control, could you have a special virtual plugin that manages everything else but all of those other devices would be held run on another system (e.g Linux PC /NAS)

The PC/NAS/Pi etc. would just need a sort of app that acts as the bridge to Vera.

#16

A fully blown computer that’s physically small and very low powered but very powerful. It can run UBUNTU (and XBMC) or Linux MINT and all the other Linux stuff out there (and even Windows ;D ):

An Intel NUC: model D54250WYKH - wonderful technology - tad expensive:

http://goo.gl/BdtxUL

#17

the questions is not about the hardware and/or the operating system.

the question is … “will mios run on it … and how to get the source/binaries”

#18

[quote=“nullx8, post:17, topic:175184”]the questions is not about the hardware and/or the operating system.

the question is … “will mios run on it … and how to get the source/binaries”[/quote]

My thoughts were that MiOS would remains on Vera. The chosen partner simply compliments the processing and storage requirements etc, via a small app and a plugin on Vera to allow the two to interact and send/receive info/actions.

#19

[quote=“a-lurker, post:16, topic:175184”]A fully blown computer that’s physically small and very low powered but very powerful. It can run UBUNTU (and XBMC) or Linux MINT and all the other Linux stuff out there (and even Windows ;D ):

An Intel NUC: model D54250WYKH - wonderful technology - tad expensive:

http://goo.gl/BdtxUL[/quote]

…and, from the review I read (http://mikeshouts.com/intel-nuc-kit-d54250wykh-mini-desktop-computer/), 65W power consumption ???

(compared to Vera’s three Watts). Should that be just 6.5W ??

#20

[quote=“parkerc, post:18, topic:175184”][quote=“nullx8, post:17, topic:175184”]the questions is not about the hardware and/or the operating system.

the question is … “will mios run on it … and how to get the source/binaries”[/quote]

My thoughts were that MiOS would remains on Vera. The chosen partner simply compliments the processing and storage requirements etc, via a small app and a plugin on Vera to allow the two to interact and send/receive info/actions.[/quote]

it’s a bit like towing a pickup truck with a Mercedes s-Class using a rope …
sure you got the compfort … but will it hold ? and well the speed may also a issue :wink:

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