Hello everyone,
I’ve been diving into the world of home automation for the past couple of years, and I must say, it’s been an incredible journey! I started with Vera, which has been a solid foundation for managing my Hunter Douglas blinds, DSC alarm system, and Schlage lock. The integration with Telnet-based LUUP has been seamless, allowing me to control my blinds and read their statuses directly from the Vera app. It’s been particularly useful for creating custom scenes and automating my lighting based on motion sensor data.
However, as I explored more into the ecosystem, I couldn’t help but notice the allure of SmartThings (ST). The Echo, IFTTT, and Rachio integrations are incredibly appealing, and I recently picked up an ST hub to experiment with. My goal is to leverage the strengths of both Vera and ST to create a more integrated and powerful home automation setup.
Here’s what I’m considering:
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Primary Interface with ST: I want to use the ST hub as the primary interface for my family. It’s user-friendly and offers a wide range of integrations that Vera simply doesn’t match.
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Vera as a Scene Controller: I plan to keep Vera for controlling my Hunter Douglas blinds and potentially my DSC alarm system. Vera’s expertise in these areas makes it the perfect complement to ST.
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Z-Wave Integration: I’m looking to migrate my Z-Wave lights to the ST hub. This way, I can enjoy the broader ecosystem of ST while still maintaining control over my lighting setup.
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Bridging Vera and ST: The big question is whether I can trigger actions from ST to Vera and read the status of motion sensors into ST. I don’t need both systems controlling the same devices, but I want them to work together where each excels.
I’ve done some preliminary research and found that using third-party apps or custom scripts might be the key to bridging Vera and ST. However, I’m not entirely sure about the feasibility or the best approach to implement this. I’d love to hear from anyone who has successfully integrated Vera and ST or has insights on how to achieve this seamless communication between the two systems.
In the meantime, I’m experimenting with setting up the ST hub alongside Vera, starting with a few devices to test the waters. It’s a bit challenging, but the potential payoff of having the best of both worlds is exciting!
Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share. Let’s keep the discussion going and explore how we can push the boundaries of home automation further!
Best regards,
[Your Name]