Quick Start

Revision as of 19:18, 18 September 2008

1. Insert the black Z-Wave dongle into either of the usb ports on the back of Vera.

Adding a z-wave device - dongle

2. Screw the antenna to the gold 'antenna' port on the back of Vera and leave the antenna pointed up.

-todoal: photo of Vera and antenna

3. Use a standard network cable (included) to connect the WAN port on the back of Vera into either your DSL or cable modem, or into your existing home network. Vera will use this port to connect to the internet. You can connect other network devices, like PC's, printers, cameras, network switches, and so on to the four LAN ports.

-todoal: photo of Vera and cable modem

4. Connect the power cord and plug Vera in. Wait 60 seconds after plugging Vera in. After you have waited 60 seconds, look at the power light on the front of Vera. If it is on solid that means Vera was able to connect to the Internet. Proceed to step 5. Otherwise, read the section about configuring your network before proceeding.

--todoal: photo of Vera with power light on solid

5. Open any web browser that is on the same home network as Vera and go to: http://findvera.com. Vera automatically setup a secure wi-fi wireless network you can connect to (see the sticker below). Click the 'Setup' button.

FindVera.com

You should now see Vera's setup page in your web browser. Vera has helpful videos that will guide you through the process of adding devices and creating scenes. You should be up and running in just a few minutes. If you do not see Vera's setup page, read the section about configuring your network.

Setting up Vera

Vera's setup page is shown below. You only need to use the setup page when you first setup Vera, or if you want to make changes later on.

This explains the basic things

Technically, the only 2 steps that are required are 'Rooms' and 'Devices'. You can be up and running in just a couple minutes. However, to get the full benefit of Vera we recommend you go through all 8 steps in order. The 8 steps are:

Intro This explains the basic things Vera can do for you and shows you want accessories you'll need.

FindVera.com This explains the findvera.com service and let's you pick a username and password for that service.

Rooms Here you list the rooms in your house.

Devices Here you add the devices you want to control, like Z-Wave lamp modules and IP cameras.

Scenes You can create scenes, which are really just a set of actions for your devices. For example, the "go to work" scene may turn off all the lights and the thermostat. This way you can press just 1 button, "Go to Work", to control a lot of devices at once.

Location If you tell Vera where you live, then Vera can set the time and figure out when your sun rises and sets. This is needed if you want to create timers and events.

Users Add all the people in your home who will be able to use the system and who you want to be notified of events, like a security breach or a sensor being tripped. Also tell Vera how to notify each user, such as with Email or SMS.

Automation Automation is how you make things happen automatically. Add a timer to make things happens at certain times or at intervals. Add events to make things happen in response to events such as a motion detector being tripped or sunset.

Advanced Most people don't need to use this. It has advanced settings, such as manually configuring your network settings.

Note: Don't forget to click the 'Save' button to save your changes. If you close your web browser without clicking 'Save', your changes will be lost.

Also, once you complete the setup page, then you won't see the setup page anymore when you access Vera. Instead, you will see the Dashboard. If you want to change your setup later, just click the 'Setup' button on the dashboard to get back to this setup page, jump directly to the setup step you want to change, make your changes, and click 'Save'.